In Defense of A Little Theory
Publication: Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice
Volume 128, Issue 4
Abstract
It is common to hear students in today’s engineering programs remark, “Theory is useless… . Please get past it and give practical instruction.” This complaint seems odd, given that these same students aspire to be the masters of technology in our complex twenty-first century culture. But the complaint is not new. Most engineering schools appeared in America in the mid-nineteenth century, directly in response to the growth of engineering science. But then, interestingly enough, it was the established engineer, not the student, who disdained theory. The self-styled nineteenth century engineer whose knowledge base was his experience tended to take a dim view of the university graduate and regarded theoretical education as “not being very practical.” In contrast to these two extremes, this paper argues that theory promotes understanding, and understanding enables engineers to develop the practical expression of judgment and intuition vital to the engineering profession.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
References
Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). (2000). “Criteria for accrediting engineering programs, effective for evaluations during the 1999–2000 accreditation cycle,” Conventional criteria, 〈http://www.abet.org/eac/EAC_99-00_Criteria.htm〉 (Feb. 7, 2000).
“Albert Einstein online.” (2001), The quotable Einstein, 〈http://www.westegg.com/einstein/#quotes〉 (Oct. 24, 2001).
Ambrose, S. E. (2000). Nothing like it in the world: The men who built the transcontinental railroad, 1863–1869, Simon and Schuster, New York.
Armytage, W. H. G. (1961). A social history of engineering, Pitman, New York.
Bledstein, B. J. (1976). The culture of professionalism, The middle class and the development of higher education in America, W. W. Norton, New York.
Calhoun, D. C. (1960). The American civil engineer: Origins and conflict, MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass.
Clowes, D. A. (1997). “Occupational education.” Handbook of the undergraduate curriculum: A comprehensive guide to purposes, structures, practices, and change, J. G. Gaff and J. L. Ratcliff, eds., Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.
Cross, H.(1930). “Analysis of continuous frames by distributing fixed-end moments.” Proc., ASCE, 56, 919–928.
Curry, L., and Wergin, J. F. (1997). “Professional education,” Handbook of the undergraduate curriculum: A comprehensive guide to purposes, structures, practices, and change, J. G. Gaff and J. L. Ratcliff, eds., Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.
De Camp, L. S. (1970). The ancient engineers, MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass.
“Definition of practice of engineering—Part IV: Analysis.” (1997). Engineering licensure laws: A state-by-state summary and analysis, National Society of Professional Engineers, Alexandria, Va.
Ferguson, E. S. (1992). Engineering and the mind’s eye, MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass.
Finch, J. K. (1951). Engineering and western civilization, McGraw-Hill, New York.
Fleming, A. P. M., and Brocklehurst, H. J. (1925). A history of engineering, A. & C. Black, London.
Flexner, A. (1910). “Medical education in the United States and Canada.” Bull. No. 4, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, New York.
Fredrich, A. J., ed. (1989). Sons of Martha: Civil engineering readings in modern literature, ASCE, New York.
Garrison, E. (1991). A history of engineering and technology: Artful methods, CRC, Boca Raton, Fla.
Griggs, Jr., F. E.(1994). “On the shoulders of giants.” J. Prof. Issues Eng. Educ. Pract., 120(3), 254–264.
Haber, S. (1991). The quest for authority and honor in the American professions, 1750–1900, University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
Johnston, S. F., Gostelow, J. P., and King, W. J. (2000). Engineering and society: Challenges of professional practice, Prentice-Hall, Upper Saddle River, N.J.
Kimball, B. A. (1992). The “true professional ideal” in America—A history, Blackwell, Cambridge, Mass.
Kirby, R. S., Withington, S., Darling, A. B., and Kilgour, R. G. (1956). Engineering in history, McGraw-Hill, New York.
Martini, K.(1999). “Digital imaging in teaching structures: A rigorous visual approach.” J. Prof. Issues Eng. Educ. Pract., 125(2), 56–64.
Morris, W., ed. (1981). The American heritage dictionary of the English language, Houghton Mifflin, Boston.
Needham, J. (1954). Science and civilization in China, 7 Vols., Cambridge University Press, London.
Pannell, J. P. M. (1964). An illustrated history of civil engineering, Jarrold and Sons, Norwich, Great Britain.
Paul, M. J.(1999). “The loss of professional judgment in civil engineering.” J. Prof. Issues Eng. Educ. Pract., 125(4), 128–130.
Petroski, H. (1985). To engineer is human: The role of failure in successful design, St. Martin’s, New York.
Rapport, S., and Wright, H., eds. (1963). Engineering, New York University Press, New York.
Roesset, J. M., and Yao, J. T. P.(2000). “Roles of civil engineering faculty.” J. Prof. Issues Eng. Educ. Pract., 126(1), 8–15.
Singer, C. J., Holmyard, E. J., Hall, A. R., and Williams, T. I., eds. (1954–78). A history of technology, 8 Vols., Clarendon, Oxford, U.K.
Straub, H. (1964). A history of civil engineering: An outline from ancient to modern times, MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass.
Terzaghi, K. (1925). Erdbaumechanik auf bodenphysikalischer Grundlage, Deuticke, Vienna, Austria (in German).
Wallace, R. A., and Wolf, A. (1999). Contemporary sociological theory: Expanding the classical tradition, 5th Ed., Prentice-Hall, Upper Saddle River, N.J.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice
Volume 128 • Issue 4 • October 2002
Pages: 206 - 211
Copyright
Copyright © 2002 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jun 12, 2001
Accepted: Jul 27, 2001
Published online: Sep 13, 2002
Published in print: Oct 2002
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.