From Henry V to Starman:Linking the Humanities and Social Sciences to Engineering

摘要

ABET criteria require engineering programs to demonstrate that their graduates have, amongother things, “the broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions ina global and societal context” and “a knowledge of contemporary issues.” These outcomes areusually addressed with curriculum requirements for courses in the humanities and socialsciences. However, without additional mechanisms for making a connection between thesecourses and the engineering profession, it is doubtful that most students will fully realize therelevance and value of the material.This paper describes efforts to link the humanities and social sciences to traditional engineeringcourses through the use of brief vignettes based on historical events, plays, songs, movies, andother forms of art. The vignettes are chosen to introduce or highlight selected engineering topicsand/or demonstrate the impact of engineering on individuals and/or society. In addition tohelping students understand the relevance of the humanities and social sciences in their work asengineers, the vignettes can also serve to demonstrate real world applications of engineeringprinciples, increase the appeal of the engineering profession for some students, provide activelearning opportunities, promote efficient use of instructional time, and add an element of fun tothe classroom. Examples based on the movie Starman, Shakespeare’s play Henry V, and thesong The Wreck of the Old 97 are included.