Appropriate Technologies for Developing Countries
Spring
Appropriate Technologies for Developing
Countries
ERE 396/596
Course Syllabus Spring 2012
Instructor: Dr. Ted Endreny, 402 Baker Labs, te@esf.edu, 315-470-6565
Course Meeting: Friday 1:50-2:45 Baker 432
Course Web Page: http://www.esf.edu/erfeg/endreny/courses/
Course Description
The course focuses on the why and how of delivering basic services to rural populations,
where services include potable water, waste removal and sanitation, smoke venting and
efficient cook stoves, and electricity to provide light for reading. Engineering
infrastructure used to deliver these services in developed countries is often found as
inappropriate in the rural sectors of developing countries due to the associated design,
build, and maintenance costs that prohibit local acquisition and control. Appropriate
technologies are designed and built for local cultural, economic, and environmental
conditions and can be maintained locally. The class will use international development
reports to define the geographical scope and population numbers associated with
communities without potable water, sanitation, cooking, and other basic services.
Readings will provide information on the common problems encountered in rural
development and dissemination of engineering designs. Case studies will be used to
explore where rural development failed due to use of inappropriate technologies and
where it succeeded due to use of appropriate technologies. The class will study
appropriate technologies used to deliver these basic services to rural communities. The
students will study the engineering designs for appropriate technologies such as water
distribution, water treatment, sanitation, cook stoves, and energy capture for electricity.
We will discuss what technologies would be appropriate for use by the SUNY ESF
Engineers without Borders chapter in their rural community projects.
Course Text & Materials
Readings in this class may include “Design for the other 90%”, “Design like you give a
dam”, “Appropriate technology: tools, choices, implications”, “Field guide to appropriate
technology”, “Field guide to environmental engineering for development workers”.
Learning Outcomes
1). Define the scope and magnitude of the problem of a lack of basic services such as
potable water, sanitation, cook stoves, electricity, etc.
2). Sketch and describe 2 appropriate technologies to provide for 3 different basic
services
3). Present 3 case studies illustrating success and failure in the provision of basic
services
Theodore Endreny, Ph.D., P.H., P.E.