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Frankenstein Lives! Teaching Mary Shelley's Novel in the Engineering Classroom

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Conference

2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Portland, Oregon

Publication Date

June 23, 2024

Start Date

June 23, 2024

End Date

July 12, 2024

Conference Session

Accountability and Stewardship

Tagged Division

Liberal Education/Engineering & Society Division (LEES)

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/47478

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Paper Authors

biography

Benjamin J. Laugelli University of Virginia

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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.

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Abstract

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. https://peer.asee.org/47478

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