ERIC Number: EJ1230492
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0304-3797
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
In Search of the New Engineer: Gender, Age, and Social Class in Information about Engineering Education
Berge, Maria; Silfver, Eva; Danielsson, Anna
European Journal of Engineering Education, v44 n5 p650-665 2019
It is widely argued that engineering education needs to change in order to attract new groups of students and provide students with knowledge appropriate for the future society. In this paper we, therefore, investigate and analyse Swedish universities' websites, focusing on what characteristics are brought to the fore as important for tomorrow's engineers. The data consist of text and pictures/photos from nine different Engineering Mechanics programme websites. Using a critical discourse analysis approach, we identify three societal discourses concerning 'technological progression', 'sustainability', and 'neoliberal ideals', evident in the websites. These discourses make certain engineering identities possible, that we have labelled: traditional, contemporary, responsible, and self-made engineer. Our analysis shows that universities' efforts to diversify students' participation in engineering education simultaneously reveal stereotypical norms concerning gender and age. We also argue that strong neoliberal notions about the self-made engineer can derail awareness of a gendered, classed, and racialized society.
Descriptors: Engineering Education, Technical Occupations, Foreign Countries, Web Sites, Age, Sex, Social Class, Stereotypes, Neoliberalism, Student Diversity, Student Recruitment, Publicity, Professional Identity, Bachelors Degrees, Masters Degrees, Vocational Schools, Research Universities, Sustainability, Technological Advancement, Student Characteristics
Taylor & Francis. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Sweden
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A