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Design and Technology Program

FASPE is an intensive, two-week study program in professional ethics and ethical leadership. FASPE is neither a Holocaust studies course, nor a genocide prevention program. Rather, the curriculum is designed to challenge Fellows to critically examine constructs, current developments and issues that raise ethical concerns in their professions in contemporary settings where they study and work.

FASPE Design and Technology (D&T) Fellows examine the motivations and conduct of technologists and designers in enabling and executing Nazi policies. FASPE then draws on these historical examples to help D&T Fellows grasp their role and responsibilities as designers of built environments; and to encourage them to identify and confront ethical issues currently facing architects, engineers, designers, and other technologists today.

This year, FASPE Design and Technology will be awarding fellowships to 13 to 16 graduate students and early-career professionals working in engineering, architecture, computer science, design, and related fields. Fellows will spend two weeks in Germany and Poland, where they will visit key sites of Nazi history and participate in daily seminars led by specialized faculty. The program couples the power of place with academic rigor and many informal opportunities for creative exchange.

FASPE draws on a large pool of applicants, whose diverse background and interests enrich discussions both inside and outside the seminar room. Design and Technology Fellows will travel with the Business and Law Fellows, allowing them to broaden their understanding of the role of professionals over shared meals, activities, and in interdisciplinary seminars. FASPE Fellowships are fully funded so that financial ability does not affect participation.

Eligibility

FASPE defines these professionals as those who “build things”. Thus, Design & Technology applicants must be actively pursuing a career in architecture, design, computer science, data science, artificial intelligence, engineering, or any related professions. Applicants must fit into one of the following categories: 1) be enrolled in a graduate program in design, architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning, computer science, artificial intelligence, statistics and applied math, electrical engineering, or a program in a related field at the time of their application; OR 2) have completed an undergraduate degree and be working in a related field, with a maximum of 5 years of professional experience at the time of application. 

FASPE seeks Fellows at a formative stage of their professional lives, who are open-minded and self-reflective, demonstrate leadership capabilities, and the potential of having influence in their fields. FASPE selects its Fellows on the basis of their academic background, personal and professional experiences, capacity for leadership, and ability to contribute to the Fellowship program and the alumni community. FASPE values and seeks to create inclusive environments, and welcomes applicants of all religious, political, and socioeconomic backgrounds as well as gender identities. FASPE seeks Fellows who are interested in engaging in discussions with their co-Fellows and faculty, and who have the intellectual and emotional maturity to discuss difficult and controversial issues responsibly and respectfully in small group settings. All applications are welcome and reviewed.

DATES FOR THE 2025 DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM:
May 23, 2025 - June 6, 2025

To view photos of the 2024 Design & Technology program and to read about the experience, please go here.

FASPE Design and Technology Fellows will examine topics such as:

• The complicity of German and and other technologists in the design and development of the policies of National Socialism
• Whether this profession--Design and Technology--and its professionals can be viewed as morally neutral, i.e., do they have a duty beyond competence and problem solving
• The ethical challenge of ambition in professional development
• Ethics in government, non-profit, and for-profit computing
• Legal ethics in the context of technological innovations
• Tactics to address ethical issues within tech companies, architecture firms, engineering environments, and other institutions