| |
Why do engineers
need to study the humanities?
Who has not marveled at
the blessings of modern science and engineering? We and our loved ones
have ever-increasing opportunities for longer and more comfortable lives,
for easy travel to the four corners of the earth, for access to
information at the click of a mouse. But who has not also seen that the
same technology that cures and informs can also destroy and degrade? The
bomb that promises defense can also be used to attack, and the benefits of
surfing the web extend also to predators of frightening descriptions.
Surely Socrates was right to argue that technology itself is morally
neutral: everything depends on how it is used. As the power of technology
increases ever more, it behooves us to wonder both about how it should be
guided and how it will be guided. What are the principles or values that
should guide the use of this most powerful tool and potent weapon?
Young students of engineering
sometimes think that every course in the humanities is a burden irrelevant
to their future careers, but engineers and applied scientists are in
desperate need of good opportunities to consider the moral and social
implications of their work. Partly because of these pressing needs, we in
the Herbst Program of Humanities seek to introduce our students to the
rich conversation represented by the cultural masterpieces of our
tradition, a conversation that poses profound disagreements on how human
beings should live, about the purposes of human life, about what brings
(or corrupts) an admirable sort of happiness or flourishing. By
considering rich but opposed views on justice, happiness, meaning, and
identity, we and our students become much better equipped to consider the
ways in which all our efforts, technological and otherwise, should be
guided. If we wish to do what is beneficial for ourselves and others, we
need first to realize that what is most beneficial is a matter of
disagreement and needs to be investigated.
Of course engineers also
need the humanities for many other reasons as well, and we write to
ask you to share your thoughts on this important subject with us. We
at Herbst thrive on dialogue, and you have the benefit of years of
experience as practicing engineers: Please share what you have
learned with us! How can the humanities help to prepare the
engineers of the future? Are we on the right track?
We have the great
blessing of excellent students and a fine opportunity to contribute
to their education. Your comments can play a huge role in helping us
to maximize this contribution. Please see
TALK TO US!
RETURN TO TOPICS
Talk to
us!
Seventeen years have now passed
since the Herbst Program of Humanities began, and it is about time we
learned from you whether we have served you well and how we might serve
future students better. Please take a few moments to answer a few
questions: we need to know how we are doing!
Rather than the usual survey, we
have asked questions that cannot be answered by a number or a single word.
Focus on the questions that catch your attention. Your answers promise to
be useful in three ways: they will help to guide us in our curriculum and
pedagogy, they will help suggest new ways we can persuade young engineers
that their humanities courses are indeed an important part of their
education, and they will also be used to help shape policy in the College
regarding requirements for Humanities and Social Science (H&SS) electives.
Thank you!
Please e-mail your
thoughts to
herbst.humanities@colorado.edu
l
Did you find your
Herbst classes enjoyable and profitable? Why or why not?
l
Do you have any
suggestions for how to improve Herbst classes or the Herbst Program
in general? Please explain.
l
Has your own career
profited from the H&SS courses you took in college? How or how not?
l
What advice would you
give to engineering students about how to choose their required 18
credit-hours of H&SS electives?
l
Would you have any
interest in participating in a Herbst class for alumni, perhaps in
one taught in Rome, Italy?
RETURN TO TOPICS
Featured links
Send cases or links
involving the Humanities and the Sciences to
herbst.humanities@colorado.edu
A link:
Using Art to Train Doctors’ Eyes
A case: Do you have
a personal experience with a case involving an ethical conundrum or
a complicated question regarding the relationship between science
and society? Please send us your examples so we can better help to
prepare the next generation of students for such challenges.
RETURN TO TOPICS
Forum Archives
Join the Forum
click to
add your e-mail
address to the subscription list
Herbst Program of the Humanities
http://engineering.colorado.edu/herbst
303-735-2444
herbst.humanities@colorado.edu
|
|
The University of Colorado has a
strong institutional commitment to the principles of diversity and takes
action to achieve that end. The university does not discriminate in its
educational and employment programs and activities on the basis of race,
color, national origin, sex, age, disability, creed, religion, or veteran
status.
© 2006 University of Colorado
College of Engineering and Applied Science
|
|
Wayne Ambler, at lower left, with the students from the 2005 course,
Culture Wars in Rome.
|
Culture Wars in Rome
explored on location
Rome is
an especially enlightening and exciting place to study the ways
different cultures encourage the formation of different kinds of
human being. This marvelous city had a rich history as the capital
of a pagan, aristocratic empire; it then became the chief center of
a Christian monarchy in the West; and it is now the capital of a
modern, secular, democratic state. To the attentive observer, every
footstep in Rome contains clues to the power of culture to influence
all aspects of life and to the possibility of different cultures to
be—or not to be—brought into harmony one with another. This
three-credit course explores cultural difference by exploring Rome
or, rather, the three different “Romes” that have inhabited in
succession the same site on the banks of the Tiber River.
>>more
RETURN TO TOPICS
The
Herbst Program of the Humanities team. At front, Paul Antal, Diane Sieber,
Lynne Buckley, and Anja Lange. At back, Scot Douglass, Wayne Ambler,
Leland Giovannelli, Helga Luthers, and Joy Ramirez. |
Herbst team update
As for developments
in our program in recent years, let this simple summary suffice:
l
Leland Giovannelli
and
Scot Douglass
constitute our core of veteran teachers.
l
Scot and Leland have
been joined in recent years by
Paul Antal,
Anja
Lange,
Diane Sieber,
and
Wayne Ambler.
l
Wayne has also served
as the Director since 2003.
l
You can learn about
all faculty members and about our remarkable one-person support team,
Lynne Buckley,
by clicking on their names.
l
Our own Scot Douglass
has also been appointed as the founding Director of the new
Engineering Honors Program.
l
Scot was also
recently promoted and awarded tenure.
l
Wayne now teaches a
course in Rome each May, Culture
Wars in Rome.
l
Founding
director Athanasios Moulakis—Thanasi to all of us—left the Program in the
fall of 2000 to direct the Virginia Tech's Center for European Studies and
Architecture (CESA) in Riva San Vitale, Switzerland. In 2003, he moved to
the University of Italian Switzerland, located in Lugano, Switzerland. He
continues to write and do research in political science and the
humanities.
l
We sponsor trips to
the CU Opera each semester (with 200 students, faculty, and staff each
semester).
l
We have sponsored two
poetry contests for students and faculty of the College.
l
Our home is now a
charming cottage donated to the University by the Lesser family.
l
We are deeply
involved in trying to improve the humanistic education of engineering
students even outside of the classes we teach.
RETURN TO TOPICS
Herbst faculty: A letter from
Leland
By Leland Giovannelli
Herbsters from
89-90 and 90-91 will probably remember that your aversion to readings from
Newton, Galileo, Darwin, and Einstein induced us to drop them from the
syllabus: you wanted a break from all of that science! You were right, of
course. But I still like reading these texts, so I often teach a History
of Science course on the other side of the campus. This upper-division
course draws incredibly varied students—from engineering physics, medieval
history, physiology, organic chemistry, political science, French
literature. At age 20, these students are already specialists, as you
were. They often speak at cross purposes, in the most illuminating ways.
Recently, during a lecture on
the
Cartesian mind-body problem, a philosophy student wondered
how one could possibly localize
consciousness. His question seemed incredibly naïve to his neighbor, a
physiology student; she promptly recited the cerebral locations of various
mental functions. She had taken an entire course on the riddle of
consciousness, she said—but then she acknowledged that, in fact, the
course could not completely unravel that riddle. In those few minutes, two
specialists met: philosopher and physiologist, and both minds were richer
for the meeting.
RETURN TO TOPICS
On
teaching the humanities to engineers
By Scot Douglass
I once saw a man wearing a T-shirt proudly
displaying the "Top Ten Reasons I'm an Engineer." I still remember
numbers 7 and 3: "(7) Because Mr. Spock is a stud" and "(3) Because Lt.
Commander Data is an even bigger stud!" My father, an engineer from the
glory days of the Apollo Program and Bell Labs, a hardworking man who
wasted little time watching television, let alone Star Trek, had embraced
this ethos. He would also, in his own strange way, recapitulate something
of its evolution: the movement from a Vulcan struggling to eradicate the
irrational influence of being half-human to the artificially created logic
machine who had lost his emotion chip. Torn myself between an aptitude for
science and a passion for literature, I called my father late one evening
during my sophomore year of college. "Dad, I’m sorry it’s so late, but I
needed to say something." Without hesitation, he replied, "Proceed."
"Dad, I love you." The "L" word, whose reality in our relationship was
not in question, had nonetheless never been uttered between us. After a
long pause, he spoke both slowly and softly, "Scot, I hope you understand
that such sentiments are reciprocated."
>>more
RETURN TO TOPICS
Herbst students: Juggling engineering, service, and the
humanities at CU
By John O’Brien
What do you get
when you cross a juggler with an electrical engineer? I don't know, but
you'd better hide your multimeter from him!
|
John O'Brien |
Don’t worry;
your multimeter is safe with me. These days I direct most of my energy
toward the study and application of electrical and computer engineering,
energy that used to be devoted to juggling.
For the greater part of
thirteen years I was a professional entertainer. Starting as an apprentice
when I was eleven years old and performing in over a hundred and fifty
shows a year by the time I was eighteen, my experiences with
The Give and Take Jugglers did so
much more than give me a catchy opening for this article. Working with a
small business wherein the members are both the producers and the product
required physical ability, interpersonal sensitivity, and dedication to
incremental improvement and continual refinement. I developed the
motivation, confidence, and vision that prepared me to become a successful
student of both engineering
and the humanities. .>>more
RETURN TO TOPICS
Herbst alumni: A note
from the field
We also are eager
for news of a more personal sort. Here, for example, is a note from
a recent Herbst alumnus and aerospace grad, Geoff Hill:
|
Dear
friends.
After completing my
undergraduate degree in Aerospace Engineering, I decided to stay at
CU to get my masters with an emphasis in aircraft structures. While
working on my graduate degree, I took a position in the Integrated
Teaching and Learning Laboratory to help with K-12 outreach. The
TEAMS (Technology and Engineering to Advance Math and Science)
program received a grant from the National Science Foundation to
teach math and science in local public schools and to develop an
online database of engineering curricula for K-12 teachers. My
involvement with this program was one of the highlights of my time
at CU, as I was able to combine my love of science and engineering
with teaching and working with children.
After graduating I decided I
needed a break from engineering and planned a 6-month trip to
several countries. I spent time in Guatemala learning Spanish
before heading to Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay for several months.
Then it was a couple months in South Korea and Japan before
finishing up in New Zealand. The trip was a wonderful opportunity to
meet so many different people and see such wonderful places. If not
for mounting debt I would still be trekking. Currently I am
visiting friends in Vancouver, BC, while I decide what next to do
with myself.
Take
Care,
Geoff |
RETURN TO TOPICS
Herbst movie and lit picks
Leland’s picks
--
If you had a movie Landscape with me, you
know that I am partial to old films, typically black-and-white films made
before 1950. You will be astonished, therefore, to read the following
suggestions—they are practically current! See more about these films at
http://us.imdb.com/
When We Were Kings
(Leon Gast, 1996). This documents the Muhammad Ali-George Foreman boxing
match in Zaire in 1974. You don’t have to like boxing to love this film,
because it is really a character study contrasting the two opponents.
Great soundtrack, with B. B. King, James Brown, the Spinners, etc.
Standing in the Shadows of Motown
(Justman, 1992). Motown music’s distinctive sound came from the Funk
Brothers, the band that played for all vocalists. This film recognizes
their accomplishments and brings the Brothers back together. Great
soundtrack on this one, too.
Visions of Light
(Glassman, McCarthy, and Samuels, 1992). If you are a film buff, you will
want to own this history of the first century of cinematography. It
conveys so much visual and oral information that you will watch it again
and again.
El Espinazo del Diablo
(The Devil’s Backbone, Guillermo del Toro, 2001). A nifty creepy ghost
story, set during the Spanish Civil War. Beautiful cinematography, great
story, and lyrical special effects. In Spanish, with English subtitles.
Kung Fu or Kung Fu Hustle
(Stephen Chow, 2004). This is a martial arts comedy. If you can get
yourself into the right frame of mind—lots of comic book violence, you
will find it very funny, and occasionally hilarious. In Cantonese and
Mandarin, with English subtitles.
Diane's
picks --
L’Auberge Espagnole
(The Spanish Hotel, Cédric Klapisch, 2002). A 20-something French student
spends a year in Barcelona learning Spanish, living with other students
from all over Europe and loosening up a little. A great look at Barcelona,
relationships, and finding oneself by going somewhere very foreign, it won
8 international awards as best comedy film. Famous quote: “For some
idiotic reason, your most horrific experiences are the stories you most
love to tell.”
Apocalypse Now
(Francis Ford Coppola,1979). This update of Heart of Darkness and the
Odyssey (triple word score: look for the Cyclops, the sirens, and the
Underworld) is set during the Vietnam War. Considered by many the best
war film ever made, it was also one of the most expensive, disaster-ridden
and dangerous independent films in history. Worth seeing just for the
famous opening shot of helicopters napalming the jungle to the tune of the
Doors’ “The End,” it also features top performances by Robert Duvall,
Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando and a 16-year-old Lawrence Fishburne. Extra
points: See the award-winning documentary about the making of this film,
“Hearts of Darkness.”
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
(John Huston, 1948). “The nearer they get to their treasure, the farther
they get from the law.” This classic western is a film noire in disguise,
with unforgettable performances from Humphrey Bogart and Walter Huston.
What begins as a treasure hunt turns into a character-driven drama of
spiraling mistrust and tension. A meditation on temptation, morality, and
the conflict between individual desire and social obligation, viewers
often comment that they find themselves scheming along with the main
characters and experiencing the same temptations and internal conflicts.
The Fog of War
(Errol Morris, 2003). Former US Secretary of
Defense Robert McNamara’s study of the moral complexities of war and those
who wage it, and the technologies used to do so. McNamara looks at his
past through the prism of eleven lessons he's learned about life and human
nature. Excellent archival footage and an Oscar-winning soundtrack
punctuate stories that you’ve never heard before about the Cold War,
several US presidents and foreign leaders.
RETURN TO TOPICS
Herbst Program of the Humanities
|
CU Engineering
|
CU-Boulder |
