Course Description
The history of the engineering profession, from antiquity to the present. Focuses in particular on the development of engineering in the last two centuries in the United States, particularly the central role that engineers have played in technological innovations that define the modern era.
Athena Title
History of Engineering
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
Students should come away from this course with a deep understanding of the historical origins and development of the engineering profession. Students will engage with the materials via lectures and readings of historical documents and modern historical interpretations. Students will be required to synthesize what they have learned in essays, written exams, and classroom discussions. These assignments and expectations are designed to hone written and spoken communication skills for students in technical fields who may not otherwise have an opportunity to develop these competencies.
Topical Outline
Week 1: Engineering in Antiquity Week 2: Military Engineers in the Early Modern Era Week 3: West Point and the Army Corps of Engineers Week 4: Railroads and the First System Builders Week 5: The City, Sanitation, and Water Week 6: Mechanical Engineers: Shop and School Week 7: New Frontiers: Electricity and Automobiles Week 8: Taylor, the Gilbreths, and the Drive for Efficiency Week 9: Herbert Hoover and the Technocratic Ethos Week 10: Engineers and the Taming of Traffic Week 11: A New Deal for Engineers Week 12: Engineers, the Cold War, and the Space Race Week 13: The Computing Revolution: Software and Hardware Week 14: Engineering Life: Biotechnology and Genetics