Timeline Appropriate Technology Fall 2016

Rough Timeline for Appropriate Technology Fall 2015 – Activities subject to change. Please check 48 hours before class.

WEEK 1 No class this week
(1) Read about projects and add a new one of your own design
(2) We need more presenters. Every year, student feedback overwhelmingly endorses having more presentations from practitioners in the field. Can you recommend someone who could give a talk? Do you have experiences that you might give a talk about?

WEEK 2
Sept 26, Monday: Personal Introductions, Introduction of Focus Groups, and What is a development model?
Please Read before class:
(1) Kofi Annan’s Astonishing Facts Kofi Annan’s Astonishing Facts
(2) Millennium Development Goals Report. http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/reports.shtml
Please go to reports and download the 2015 report, which is many pages. Please read the intro, and each heading and look at the statistics of each graph.
(3) Then read the new Sustainable Development Goals. How are they different from the MDG? Here’s what Solar Cookers International Says about the Difference. Come to class ready to discuss, and identify you favorite goals and why you think they’re so nice.
(4) There are people in unindustrialized countries that have fewer resources than us. What do you think about this? What is your “development model”?

Sept 28, Wednesday: Daniel Wiens (daniel@journeymaninternational.org) of Journeyman International talks about his activities during the first hour of class.
Preparation for Class: Read Five papers and compare development models:
(1) Sachs “Can extreme poverty be eliminated?” http://povertynewsblog.blogspot.com/2005/08/jeffrey-sachs-can-extreme-poverty-be.html
(2) Easterly, “A Modest Proposal: Economic Possibilities for our time”: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A25562-2005Mar10.html
(3) Bageant, “On international development” http://joebageant.net/?p=135
(4) “To Hell with Good Intentions” http://www.swaraj.org/illich_hell.htm
(5) All past classes have agreed that guest speakers are appreciated. Can you give a presentation or recommend someone else to give a presentation about an experience in development? If so, please let me know as soon as possible.
(6) Propose a project – each of you are required to propose a different project from that on the main class website. Please give it some thought.

Please consider coming Sunday to the SEF, Student Experimental Farm,11 AM – 1:00 PM. We’re meeting there next Monday for class. How do I get to the SEF?

WEEK 3
Monday, Oct. 3: More organization of groups. Meet at the Student Experimental Farm. How do I get to the SEF?
Consider coming Sundays, 11 AM – 1:00 PM.
(1) Gapminder on TED and see the Video http://www.ted.com/talks/hans_rosling_reveals_new_insights_on_poverty.html if this doesn’t work, try TED talk on the Gapminder website
(2) Visit Gapminder http://www.gapminder.org , Make one graph animation, and bring a printout to talk to your group about.
(3) How Development Efforts Fail https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/bitstream/handle/10986/5986/9780821354681_ch01.pdf
(4) Frustrations in Ebola assistance
(5) I periodically ask your feedback about your experience in the class. You can read past classes if you like. They are on the timeline. However, please read this one from Wk 4 of last year.
(6) Join Cal Poly’s Medical Design Club? Their first meeting is Thursday, OCtober 6th, 11:10 AM, in building 10 room 110
(7) Meet at the SEF for class

Wednesday, Oct. 5: Maddi Fleming speaks at 3:00 about her experiences in Uganda with AidAfrica this past summer
Class Discussion: Millemium Goals, HDI Gini Coefficient New Poverty Index.
(1) Should a nonprofit decide itself out of existence?
(2) The kissing bug and being poor: at least skim it and READ THE LAST PARAGRAPH
(3) Dollar Street Video. Be prepared to be asked if you found anything offensive in this video.
(4) NPR on Poverty Reduction
(5) See the video of Maddi in her experiences in Uganda and find out about AidAfrica
(6) see this video: How I make a new Webpage and start your website.
(7) Consider adding an Environmental Studies Minor to your degree:
Environmental Studies Minor.png
Project Website to be evaluated starting Midnight, Saturday, October 8 – problem statement, group members, contact information, resources, picture of your group having fun. See websites from classes past for templates.

WEEK 4 This week: Don’t throw anything away – self intervention. Midnight, Saturday, Oct. 8, initial website evaluation
Oct. 10, Monday: First presentations of projects.
Class Discussion: Concept of international development
(1) http://www.economist.com/node/16693283#footnote1 Read about the Multidimensional Poverty Index in the Economist.
(2) MPI: http://www.ophi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/ophi-wp38.pdf Look at the graph at the beginning of this article, Find DR, Congo, and Guatemala, and glance through the Introduction and conclusion, read last paragraph of conclusion
(3) USA Wealth Gap: Bill Moyers Video
(4) Pete’s Guateca Development Paper, and be prepared to identify the Guateca “development model”
(5) Now that you have a group, please consider if you want to get funding to continue your work after class is over. Last summer, 4 students spent a month in Uganda, funded by the Baker-Koob Grant. We received two grants totaling $10,000. The deadline is Monday Nov. 14. Please read about these granting opportunities.

Oct. 12, Wednesday AT the SEF (Student Experimental Farm): Roger talks about Roger Stuff! Don’t throw anything away – self intervention.
(1) Read about Roger for future information, his Email is rogersburton@gmail.com if you’d like to contact him.
(2) I’ve just made radical changes to the reading for Wednesday based on student outcry questioning the validity of our development/learning/intervention model. I will add to the reading assignment with my own thoughts later tonight. But for now, please read the two messages I’ve received from students as well as the documents/websites they reference. Be prepared to discuss these articles. Do you agree? Are we in violation of our ethics? Does it mean we need to change what we’re doing? How? During the reading, please be mindful of how you feel. What thoughts might your feelings shield you from?
(3) All of these self interventions? How does Pete’s family live?
(4) Please read Crop Dumping in Haiti
(5) Please read not throw food away

Don’t throw anything away – self intervention

WEEK 5, 3:00, Jim Keese presents about cookstoves in Peru after we revisit our quandary about development and the world at large from the readings and discussion with Roger.
Oct. 17, Monday
Readings on Neocolonialism:
(1) Interview with John Perkins (Audio interview can be found: http://www.alternativeradio.org/products/perj001, Additionally, he has his own website at http://www.johnperkins.org/.
(2) Sorry for Syphilis: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/02/health/research/02infect.html
(3) Please Read When Good Aid Goes Bad
(4) Post your “don’t throw anything away” experience on the website – link is on the main class page. Please put your first and last name after the post, so I can give you credit, or at least send me an Email indicating which post is yours. Thanks!
(5) Speaking of waste, please note in this article, the mention of the Sustainable Development Goals in this NPR article about reduction of food waste in the UK.
(6) Guatemala’s 36-year war: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/04/opinion/04schlesinger.html
(7) I’ve just learned that the Email links that you provide on the project table on the main webpage don’t send an Email for all browsers. So, please go back to the way you had it before. Please put your Email directly under you name. Sorry for the fuss.
(8) I originally assigned this article about corruption in Malawi. Please consider it optional. I don’t think we’ll have time to cover it Monday. I apologize if you’ve already read it. http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2014/feb/28/malawi-cashgate-corruption-scandal-accountability

Oct. 19, Wed.
(1) Ferguson, Epilogue, The Anti-Politics Machine: Development. I find this article frustratingly difficult to read, yet it has a beautiful message making the frustration worth it… in my opinion. Ferguson goes through different stake holders and unravels what we think should be done by different people. This is also frustrating when we realize that it isn’t easy. In the end, however, he does say that yes, there is something that we can do – see if you can find this message. We will talk about it.
(2) Small is Beautiful Excerpt
(3) Last week, we looked at a few big aid programs that were disasters. Please take a look at a different side of AID at the USAID website https://www.usaid.gov/results-data/success-stories. Please find at least one success story that relates to your project. The page you see is the first of 200+ pages, so don’t spend too much time on the first page, but look through at least 5 – 10 pages before finding a project that is like yours. Come to class ready to discuss this “success story”.
(4) Correlation between electricity access and quality of life Dan Kammen.
– Please do some research on your project. Please identify some data and statistics on the people you are working with.
– in class I hope to have time to work on the group projects. We will also talk about today’s readings. We will also revisit last week Wednesday’s reading about if we should even be doing development work or if we’re doing it all wrong. The discussion may fit nicely into the reading by Ferguson.

WEEK 6 Empathy Intervention… think about it, it is due next Monday
Oct. 25 Monday more reading on smaller solutions
(1) Lauren Wilcox: Designing New for a Better Life:
http://nowater-nolife.org/press/WorldArk-2008/index.html
(2) Empathy in Design
http://www.ideo.com/images/uploads/news/pdfs/Empathy_on_the_Edge.pdf
-empathy in design leads to problem solving
(3) Paul Polak:
a) 12 Steps, Read 12 steps and watch the video
b) See the 12 steps video: http://www.paulpolak.com/html/media_video.html
c) Read the “Don’t Bother Trilogy”: http://blogs.technet.com/b/jamesu/archive/2008/11/19/paul-polak-and-the-art-of-listening.aspx
(4) I read through your class feedback notes, and have posted them with my response on the main class website. Please read at least the beginning.

Oct. 26, Wednesday,
(1) Read “Indigenous Management of Tropical Forest Ecosystems: The case of the Kayapó Indians of the Brazilian Amazon”
(2) PAKSBAB Pakistan Straw Bale Homes
(3) Send Pete an Email at pschwart@calpoly.edu
(4) Another stab at reading Empathy on the Edge by IDEO.
(6) Empathy Intervention due by next Monday. Please see main page for link. Come to class with questions.

WEEK 7 (Interventions, AID) Log into the Empathy Intervention Page (link on main class page) and provide your experience.
Oct. 31, Monday: Peter Keller of AidAfrica.
(1) Prepare for Peter’s visit by going to their website: http://www.aidafrica.net/ and reading what they do and watching the short video.
(2) Peter has also requested that you read through and see the video on this website: Gates Foundation Big Bet
(3) Joe Biden on developing Latin America
(4) Empathy Intervention due by next Monday. Please see main page for link.

Nov. 2, Wednesday:
Second Project Presentation: Drip Irrigation, Cooking with Solar, Solar Ice, Aquaponics
(1) Please read through the Empathy Intervention webpage on the main class webpage.
(2) Please Read The CIA Fact Book on any country you like – I mean poor, developing country, such as DR Congo or Haiti for instance, and maybe the USA, and your country of interest!… but you choose: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/
(2) Read about Working Villages and in particular read the R&D page to see their development model.
(4) Do you want to pitch your project for the entrepreneurship competition? It’s next week, Please check it out.

WEEK 8 Final Self Intervention of your own design
Nov. 7, Monday:
Second Project Presentation: Pumping Water for Navajo Nation, Urban Ag, Homelessness, International Education
Reading assignment:
(1) Please read my feedback from the talks. The document is on the main class webpage near the top with the intervention and feedback links.
(2) http://blog.paulpolak.com/?p=376 (See both videos at the bottom of the website) YouTube of Charcoal Briquette Making.
(3) Stakeholder Analysis of “Fuel in the Fields”, S. Frayne. Distinguish Importance from Influence
(4) Movie on Guatemala Post Earthquake
(5) Conduct a stakeholder’s analysis of “Fuel in the Fields” using this worksheet.
(6) Please read my short correspondence with Alex Petroff of Working Villages International
(7) The Baker-Koob Grant is due next Monday! $5,000 can put two students in Africa for a good part of the summer.
(8) Enter your self intervention on the final self intervention site – link on main webpage. Enter this by next Monday. Finish it and post it by Monday Nov. 28.

Nov. 9, Wednesday: Second Presentation: 2:20 – 3:20 Peggy Papathakis talks about Efforts in Malawi.
(1) Read about Peggy’s work that won her the Cal Poly Disguished Scholarship Award.
(2) Video of teen Mom Lyna.
(3) Video of Mary Rath, teen mom.
(4) MamaChiponde Study Video
(5) LED lighting: Nobel Prize and Game Changer in Global South
(6) Proposal: Lighting the Way
(7) Homework on Stake Holders for your project such as the Bamboo Project did with their Stake Holder Analysis a few years ago.
(8) The Baker-Koob Grant is due next Monday!
(9) Enter your self intervention on the final self intervention site – link on main webpage. Enter this by next Monday. Finish it and post it by Monday Nov. 28.

Midnight Saturday Night (Nov. 12), I will review your websites again. I will be looking for the following:
As in the last website review, I wish to have you introduce your project and your group with documenting pictures. Please refine, expand, or revise your problem statement and the context to better reflect your project now, if relevant. Please add to this
1) More information about your collaborating community: description, a map, and some demographic information that must include something fromhttp://www.gapminder.org/ or some other graphical representation of informative demographic information related to your community.
2) Outline a plan and/or proposal. What do you hope to accomplish? Why do you want to do this? How do you plan to do this? what are some of the other options?
For the first review, the bar was pretty low, in that my intention was to have people define a project, get together, and start working. For the second review, I have expectations of a considerable amount of material. For a good example, please see some websites from last year:http://appropriatetechnology.wikispaces.com/Development+-+Fall+2014
3) Add a Stakeholders Analysis as best you can to consider the support and threats your project may face from people in your partner country and here at home. Here is the Template from Amy Smith at MIT.

WEEK 9
Nov. 14, Monday: Peace Corps Recuiter Bhoj Rai tells us of his time in the Peace Corps. He is also hosting a recruiting session on the 17th (see below)
Before Class
(1) The Baker-Koob Grant is due today!
(2) please see video Muhammad Yunus’s Nobel Documentary, and
(3) read Microfinance doesn’t work.
(4) Please start planning your “kickstarter-like” video, please see Syllabus.
(5) Log into the Self Intervention Page Write what you plan on doing.
added after the class:
(6) Feedback from talks on Nov. 7, 9 is posted on main class website
(7) Read a book report on Jared Diamond’s Guns Germs and Steel.
(8) Read a short book report on Jared Diamond’s //Collapse//
(9) Please read book report on King Leopold’s Ghost by Adam Hochschild
(10) Please take a look at a Masters Thesis on Latrine Building in the Peace Corps. I’m sorry this came late. I just received it from our speaker. It’s way long, but please take a look at it and come with a question.

Bhoj Rai Peace Corps.png

Nov. 16, Come to Pete’s House. Please see map below. Please carpool or take a bike or bus.
(1) Pease see Happiness and Emissions,
(2) Please see Story of Stuff Video
(3) Please see Permaculture at Pete’s
(4) Please read Article about me in the Mustang News
(5) Please bring in your Sustainability, Footprint
(6) Read a book report on //A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Sholdier// by Ishmael Beah
(7) Pease read a book report on Blue Clay People by William Powers

Petes house.png

Nov. 17, Thursday, 5:10 PM in 24-124: Peace Corps Recuiter Bhoj Rai hosts information session.
Bhoj Rai Peace Corps.png

Thanksgiving week-long Holiday

WEEK 10
Nov. 28, Monday:
(1)Read about Guateca from my promotion application
(2) See video about Guateca
(3) I applied for the NCIIA $50,000 grant three times. It was rejected 3 times with enthusiastic support to reapply. After the third time, I wrote them back: Pete’s NCIIA Rejection Rejection Letter
(4) As you sit or squat, please appreciate world toilet day!
(5) Read a word from the Dalai Lama on finding peace in the challenging times.
(6) Read the Book Report about Bitter Fruit, the CIA-led coup of the Guatemalan government leading to the 1960-1996 thirty-six year war. The book report doesn’t include some interesting facts that you would find in the wikipedia article including that the USA-installed government committed widespread genocide against the indigenous people, that ~40,000 Guatemalan’s “disappeared” or were killed during this time, and that the USA Secretary of state and CIA director under the Eisenhower administration were both board members of United Fruit Company.
(7) Please read the book summary for The Global Village Myth by Patrick Porter. This article may be very pertinent in looking at the present world situation.
(8) Please log the completion of your self intervention. The link is on the main class website.
(9) Please see your group webpage. Please move all my comments to the bottom and make your edits accordingly.

In Class – Pete on the Failure of Guateca, Neocolonialism, Our Websites, and “How do you want to be [in light of the USA political situation]?”

Nov. 30, Wednesday: Book Reports on Reinventing Ourselves
(1) Read about Postpartum Hemorrhaging (PPH) See the people page and note that Amy Degenklob will be coming to class Wednesday to talk about what is NOT on the website: how to make this technology available very inexpensively in poor countries; and her efforts in India and Indonesia.
(2) Read through the self interventions of your classmates and see what you might learn from their experiences.
(3) Book Reports:

(4) Here’s how week 11 and finals week should run. We will have our final exam for about 1 hour on Wednesday, December 7. We will have our final presentations (about 15 minutes per presentation) on Wednesday of finals week, December 14, and this will also be a pot luck late lunch from 1-4 PM in our regular classroom. Additionally, we will take some time to have a course redesign and share ideas to change the class. Two exceptions are that the Solar Cooking Group, and the Homeless Group are going to present on December 7 during the last class because one of their members will be away for finals week.
(5) Pete’s Carbon Footprint is about 16 Ton for the family of 3 (I didn’t count Tekuru because she is with me only half time). Our largest constituent was services because we receive about $1500 of healthcare from Cal Poly per month. Also, I didn’t count the trip I take to a Seattle conference because it’s part of work, but I did count the trip we take to Phoenix every year. Oops, I forgot we all went to Buffalo this summer. That adds another 6 Tons for the family. So for this year, I guess I’m up to 22 tons for the three of us, or 7.5 Tons per person.
(6) Please read this description of the final exam

WEEK 11
Dec. 5, Monday: Prepare for final exam and final presentations
(1) Please see this video Summarizing what we’ve learned?
(2) Read about wheelchairs in Zambia: Disacare
(3) Read the book report on New Age of Innovation, N=1, R=G this may provide a valuable insight for globalization in general, not just for development.
(4) Consider watching Susan Murcott’s 30 minute talk next Wednesday Morning (Dec. 7) at 9 AM about water. Access the talk from this website and please see this short video about her work.

Dec. 7, Wednesday
Final Exam, Discussions.
Course Evals – sent out Sunday. Please fill them out.
Prepare for final Potluck
Final Presentation for The Homeless Group and one other group but I forget?

Finals Week, Wednesday Dec 14, 1:00 PM:** My expectation is that everyone will come to this even if their group went Dec. 7 (unless you’re out of the country).
(1) Potluck Lunch,
(2) Give Final Presentations.
(3) Slippery floor course redesign

Before Midnight Saturday Night, December 17:
(1) Finish website with video
(2) Send me an Email to let me know how things went with your group. Email to pschwart@calpoly.edu

What I dropped out of the curriculum this quarter:
….so don’t Read:
(1) Kloos, Awash Dam – Be prepared to answer the question, “What caused the famine?” What are the take away messages of this article?
(2) Advancements in Maternal Health effectiveness depending on the external environment (ie-Country) http://www.odi.org.uk/sites/odi.org.uk/files/odi-assets/publications-opinion-files/7696.pdf