Addressing The Liberal Arts In A Core Engineering Class: Theology, Philosophy, Social Ethics, And The Second Law Of Thermodynamics

Can an engineering professor address theological, philosophical, and social issues in a core engineering class in a way that is relevant to the core content of the class? Our answer is yes. We have been addressing such issues for more than a decade in an introductory thermodynamics class required of all students in the general engineering program at Geneva College. Our primary vehicle for doing this has been a term paper assignment requiring the students to relate the second law of thermodynamics to issues that are ordinarily the domain of the liberal arts faculty. While the particular contours of the assignment are unique to the mission of Geneva, the authors believe that their approach is adaptable to a wide variety of institutions.