2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein is widely regarded as a foundational work of early science fiction that cautions against misguided and unethical science and engineering. As such, the novel should be poised to help engineering undergraduates cultivate moral imagination and a commitment to socially responsible techno-science. However, despite recent critical editions of the novel that highlight its relevance for scientists and engineers, some instructors have faced difficulties successfully integrating the novel into an undergraduate engineering curriculum, and students have struggled to appreciate its value to their ethical formation as engineering professionals. Nevertheless, the novel’s potential to address ethical aspects of engineering practice calls for further attempts at integrating it into engineering education. In particular, the archetypal figure of Victor Frankenstein offers students a model of a negative “possible self” that cautions against rogue engineering practices. The paper analyzes themes from Shelley’s novel as they were used in courses in science, technology, and society (STS) to foster ethical reflection on the perils of practicing irresponsible, presumptuous, unaccountable, and biased techno-science.