Contextualizing a new general engineering curriculum in the liberal arts

Abstract

Since its founding several decades ago, our School of Engineering has offered a BS/BA degree with an extensive liberal arts component. With support from a National Science Foundation IUSE/PFE: Revolutionizing Engineering and Computer Science Departments (IUSE/PFE: RED) grant, we are now integrating the liberal arts directly into our engineering courses in a new general engineering curriculum that reframes traditional engineering content around its broader societal contexts. Rather than focus on specific disciplinary knowledge students might need for a particular career, we are developing a curriculum focused on strengthening the critical skills common across engineering disciplines, such as design, analytical problem-solving, communication, and the ability to make interdisciplinary connections. In addition, we recognize that graduates must understand the profound social responsibility that comes with being an engineer. In alignment with the mission of our Catholic university, we are infusing our curriculum with a humanistic approach to engineering by orienting the core of our department around social justice. We plan to educate engineers that are able to integrate the appropriate perspective-be it global, local, environmental, or social-into the engineering decision-making process. In this paper, we describe the founding of our new department and describe the institutional context that made it possible. We also lay out our proposed curricular structure and discuss several courses currently under development.