Symposium on Engineering and Liberal Education
Integration throughout the
curriculum: Cumulative effects
Andrew J. Guswa
Borjana Mikic, Donna Riley
Picker Engineering Program
What is our place
in the world?
Introduction to
Engineering
Focus on self
Social interactions
Community and place
Thermodynamics
Hydrosystems
Engineering
Introduction to Engineering
• The Engineering Narrative Essay
– Students are challenged to articulate their
own goals and values, how they imagine
themselves having an impact on the world,
and in what ways engineering might be an
appropriate vehicle for achieving this type
of impact.
Introduction to Engineering
“Looking back, I think I thought of engineering as a field dominated
• The Engineering Narrative Essay
by males... The engineers in my family were all strong, determined,
– Students
are to
challenged
articulate
their
intelligent
men.... I began
wonder why to
I could
not include
myself
in my ownown
picture
of engineering.”
goals
and values, how they imagine
themselves
having
impact
on grown
the world,
“Engineering
is not strictly
for thean
person
who has
up in a
science environment,
but,ways
rather,engineering
engineering is [perhaps]
and in what
might bebetter
an put
to use by appropriate
someone who isvehicle
well-rounded
in [many] different
kinds of
for achieving
this type
skills andof
interests....
impact.It is time to disregard any negative
assumptions I have… finally pay attention to my interests, and get
down to work .”
“EGR100 altered my state of mind, my way of thought, and the way
I look at the world. It made me want to be an engineer, and I am a
different person now. I am more confident, more curious, and more
excited for my future.”
Thermodynamics
• Michel Foucault: Truth and Power
– Relation between power/knowledge
interwoven in what, how, and why students
learn
– Role of science in forming society’s truths
(“Truth is centered on the form of scientific
discourse and the institutions that produce it”)
– Stimulates critical thinking about course
content
Thermodynamics
• Michel Foucault: Truth and Power
“Now I am more critical; critical about the
problems we solve, about the issues we cover in
class and the discussions we have there also… It
was not just the sciences, the technology, and all
the math behind it, it was also this other side that
helped me develop these critical thinking skills.”
Hydrosystems Engineering
Integration throughout the
curriculum: Cumulative effects