Reel Engineers: Portrayal of Engineers and the Engineering Profession in the Feature Films

Zbigniew J. Pasek

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Conference: 2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Publication Date: June 10, 2012
Start Date: June 10, 2012
End Date: June 13, 2012
ISSN: 2153-5965
Conference Session: Innovations in Promoting Technological Literacy II
Tagged Divisions: Liberal Education/Engineering & Society and Technological and Engineering Literacy/Philosophy of Engineering
Page Count: 17
Page Numbers: 25.1107.1 - 25.1107.17
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--21864
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/21864
Download Count: 582

Paper Authors

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Zbigniew J. Pasek University of Windsor

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Zbigniew J. Pasek is an Associate Professor at the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering at the University of Windsor. He holds a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan. His research interests include manufacturing systems automation, risk management, health care engineering, and informal engineering education. He is a member of IEEE, ASME, SME, and ASEE.

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Abstract

Portrayal of Engineers and Engineering Profession in the Feature FilmsPortrayal of certain professions in the popular media has a deep and lasting effect not only ongeneral public's understanding of these professions (with all potential misconceptions andattitudes), but also has an impact on future career choices of adolescents (teens and tweens).While movie screens and television shows put a spotlight on lawyers, doctors and policemen(and occasionally also on forensic scientists), they rarely (if at all) pick engineers as thecharacters of interest.This study has reviewed, catalogued, and classified a number of known and available portrayalsof engineers in feature films (with an effort to clearly distinguish between images of "engineers"and "scientists"). A brief selection of 10-12 is included.The paper also assesses specific character and professional attributes, stereotypes (profession-,ethnicity or gender-based) and attributes known to facilitate viewer's identification with on-screen characters, of engineering professionals portrayed in selected films. In particular, the keyresearch question of “How are engineer(s) and their work portrayed in the feature films?” wasbroken down to more detailed sub-questions: • What types of engineering work are represented? How is creative component of that work shown? How successful (or unsuccessful) are the outcomes? • Is the distinction between science and technology, and scientist and engineers depicted? • Are any characters females or minorities? • What are the artifacts (physical attributes) of the engineering endeavor? • What are typical professional and personal traits of the characters shown? • How overall depiction of engineers can be categorized (wizard/hero-tinkerer/mechanic- Frankenstein/villain)? • How are engineers/engineering depicted through dialogue? • Are any contributions to society shown or hinted?The results of such analysis are presented for 2 example films. Future work involves examinationof identification with specific attributes of engineer's portrayals in audiences consisting of highschool students and university freshmen, and attempting to correlate the viewers’ identificationwith attitudes towards science, technology, gender/ethnic roles in engineering, and futureinterests and attitudes towards engineering and science.

Citation
Format

Pasek, Z. J. (2012, June), Reel Engineers: Portrayal of Engineers and the Engineering Profession in the Feature Films Paper presented at 2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, San Antonio, Texas. 10.18260/1-2--21864

TY - CPAPER
AB - Portrayal of Engineers and Engineering Profession in the Feature FilmsPortrayal of certain professions in the popular media has a deep and lasting effect not only ongeneral public&#39;s understanding of these professions (with all potential misconceptions andattitudes), but also has an impact on future career choices of adolescents (teens and tweens).While movie screens and television shows put a spotlight on lawyers, doctors and policemen(and occasionally also on forensic scientists), they rarely (if at all) pick engineers as thecharacters of interest.This study has reviewed, catalogued, and classified a number of known and available portrayalsof engineers in feature films (with an effort to clearly distinguish between images of &quot;engineers&quot;and &quot;scientists&quot;). A brief selection of 10-12 is included.The paper also assesses specific character and professional attributes, stereotypes (profession-,ethnicity or gender-based) and attributes known to facilitate viewer&#39;s identification with on-screen characters, of engineering professionals portrayed in selected films. In particular, the keyresearch question of “How are engineer(s) and their work portrayed in the feature films?” wasbroken down to more detailed sub-questions: • What types of engineering work are represented? How is creative component of that work shown? How successful (or unsuccessful) are the outcomes? • Is the distinction between science and technology, and scientist and engineers depicted? • Are any characters females or minorities? • What are the artifacts (physical attributes) of the engineering endeavor? • What are typical professional and personal traits of the characters shown? • How overall depiction of engineers can be categorized (wizard/hero-tinkerer/mechanic- Frankenstein/villain)? • How are engineers/engineering depicted through dialogue? • Are any contributions to society shown or hinted?The results of such analysis are presented for 2 example films. Future work involves examinationof identification with specific attributes of engineer&#39;s portrayals in audiences consisting of highschool students and university freshmen, and attempting to correlate the viewers’ identificationwith attitudes towards science, technology, gender/ethnic roles in engineering, and futureinterests and attitudes towards engineering and science.
AU - Zbigniew J. Pasek
CY - San Antonio, Texas
DA - 2012/06/10
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - Reel Engineers: Portrayal of Engineers and the Engineering Profession in the Feature Films
UR - https://peer.asee.org/21864
DO - 10.18260/1-2--21864
ER -