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Humanities Awareness: A Comparison Between Honors Program and Traditional Undergraduate Engineering Students

William E. Lee III Department of Chemical Engineering University of South Florida Tampa, FL 33620

Introduction

The importance of the humanities in engineering education has not been without controversy. Reflecting current ABET criteria, engineering students are expected to develop a high level of cultural, societal, and ethical awareness, with such awareness permeating the future professional practice of engineering. Defining and achieving desired objectives in humanities education is formidable for undergraduate students in general. At one extreme, there are so-called traditionalists who hold the position that all “educated” individuals should demonstrate a mastery of specified topics (for example, Greek classics), with the topics more or less representing the entire history of western civilization. Examples of adherents of this position are Allen Bloom and Ed Hirsch, academics who have authored the controversial books The Closing of the American Mind 1 and Cultural Literacy 2 respectively. Traditionalist curriculums tend to be very homogenous, with minimum flexibility regarding course selection. Taking an opposite position, there are so-called modernists who maintain that the traditionalist viewpoint is inappropriate for contemporary society; humanities and social topics should be emphasized which prepare student for today’s complex diverse world. Modernist curriculum tends to be more diverse and flexible regarding course availability and selection.

At this point in time, most engineering faculty recognize the value of humanities. Past AIEE president C. P. Steinmetz claimed that the purpose of providing a broad education was “... to produce the intellectual development and broadening of the mind which create not merely intellectual machines, but citizens capable of taking their proper place in the industrial and social life of the nation.” 3 Engineering educator Ben O’Neal has observed “Humanities courses should furnish our students with the opportunity for personal reflection on the communal and personal meanings of the central ideas of culture ... the humanities should provide the student with self- knowledge, the skill of critical thinking, and the ability and desire to be a productive member of the community.”4 Similarly, engineering professor J. M. Prausnitz similarly reflected: “Chemical engineers do not live or work in a vacuum ... he must have some understanding of the ever-so-complex human soul, and that inevitably leads him to history, to psychology, and to art - in short, to the humanities.” 5 Of related interest, studies of professionals in industry clearly indicate a value on such skills which come from humanities courses. 6

Proceedings of the 2002 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright © 2002, American Society for Engineering Education

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Lee, W. (2002, June), Humanities Awareness: A Comparison Between Honors Program And "Traditional" Undergraduate Engineering Students Paper presented at 2002 Annual Conference, Montreal, Canada. 10.18260/1-2--10098