2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

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.