Perspectives on the Evolution of Structures: Teaching Civil Engineering History at Johns Hopkins

摘要

The objective of this paper is to describe and provide an initial evaluation of a new course in the history of structural engineering being offered at Johns Hopkins University. Perspectives on the Evolution of Structures is a study of the history of structural design to demonstrate to students the discipline of structural art and to give them the tools necessary to evaluate structures as works of structural art. The course covers structures from the Industrial Revolution to modern times with a focus on long span bridges and tall buildings. Our most ambitious objective for the students was that they be able to research the social, symbolic and scientific aspects of structures in the world around them and express their findings clearly in both written, graphical, and spoken form. Through slide lectures in the tradition of art history, combined with extensive writing and calculation assignments, the students perceived that they had indeed obtained this objective. Their performance on a final project consisting of a 20 page paper with calculations and a verbal presentation verified to us that they had achieved our objective. Further, their feedback indicated the course greatly stimulated their interest in the subject matter, and they had some fun along with the learning.