Impact of Culture on Engineering in China

Catalog description

Study of engineering in the context of cultural, historical, societal, political, and environmental considerations to understand the relationship between Chinese culture and engineering projects and policies; brief introduction to the basic engineering principles underlying the engineering projects and their design. ENGR 118 Impact of Culture on Engineering in China (3) (GS;IL) This summer-session course is delivered in China. Chinese culture, history, society, environment, politics, population, economics, and policies are related to engineering practice, design, manufacturing, processes, engineering education, and transportation. Exposure to Chinese cultural components and how they influence engineering project implementation are presented and demonstrated through site visits and participation in relevant activities. Sites and activities in China are selected to expose students to examples that illustrate the impact of Chinese culture on engineering in an integrated manner. For example, ancient engineering projects, such as the Great Wall, Forbidden City, and Terracotta Warriors, and modern engineering projects, such as the Three Gorges Dam, Hangzhou Bay Bridge, the Shanghai Dongtang Eco-city project, may be selected. In addition to site visits and local cultural and transportation experiences, the course includes guest lectures, documentaries, readings, class discussions, and projects. This course is designed to provide basic understanding of Chinese culture and to relate it to historical and contemporary applications of technology. A program fee is charged for course costs that are not covered by tuition. Students are required to participate in all aspects of the course: scheduled site visits, presentations, lectures, readings, and cultural experiences. An interest in technical applications and not necessarily a technical background is required. However, engineering and technical principles are presented.