2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

An elective course was created to explore historic structures from various locations around the world and investigate their construction methods and the influence of political, religious, economic, social, and other factors on the construction process. Structures included in the course range from the Pyramids in Egypt and Notre Dame de Paris to the Panama Canal and Hoover Dam. The engineering and construction context aims to engage engineering and construction management students in world history in a way that is more interesting for them than a typical history course. Essays throughout the course ask them to reflect on aspects of the projects that directly relate to construction such as (1) challenges that were encountered during the construction, (2) examples of modern structures that were inspired by the projects, and (3) how construction techniques and project management have evolved over time. Students are also asked to reflect on political, economic, and social aspects of the projects, which help to engage them in the historical context and be exposed to the fact that many complexities of construction projects go beyond just construction means and methods. Based on data collected, students indicate that they are learning about more than just construction history. Many are becoming much more interested in learning about US and world events and their interest in travel abroad has also increased after learning about many of the projects. Additionally, their reflective essays indicate that they are learning many aspects of US and world history that were previously unknown to them. Details of the course will be provided for other faculty interested in creating a similar type of course.