Portland, Oregon
June 23, 2024
June 23, 2024
June 26, 2024
Liberal Education/Engineering & Society Division (LEES)
11
10.18260/1-2--47478
https://peer.asee.org/47478
67
Dr. Laugelli is an Assistant Professor of Engineering and Society at the University of Virginia. He teaches courses that consider social and ethical aspects of technology and engineering practice.
Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein tells a terrifying cautionary tale that warns against unethical practices in science and engineering. In a previous study, I examined several ethical themes, drawn from Shelley’s novel, that are discussed in a non-technical STS course I developed for engineering undergraduates. These themes center on the novel’s critique of Victor Frankenstein’s irresponsible, presumptuous, unaccountable, and biased practice of techno-science. The present study performs a thematic analysis of a series of reflections written by students at the end of the course that address how reading Frankenstein has influenced their approach to engineering work. The reflections indicate that students were able to articulate several ethical themes that emerge from the novel’s depiction of Victor Frankenstein’s practice of rogue techno-science and, building on those themes, express their commitment to more socially responsible engineering practices.
Laugelli, B. J. (2024, June), Frankenstein Lives! Teaching Mary Shelley's Novel in the Engineering Classroom Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon. 10.18260/1-2--47478
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