Engineering a Monster?

Consider our ethical responsibilities for the ‘monsters’ that we engineer with a deep dive into Mary Shelley’s 1831 edition of Frankenstein. Explore your role as a creator in an engineering field of your choice, through a powerful combination of physics, mathematics, philosophy, biochemistry and anatomy.

Stitch your own engineering creations together in our Ideation Studio, and apply relevant maths along the way. Then, study the history surrounding WWII where we explore the theme of how society engineered the monster of Hitler, the monster of war in general, and even some monstrous technologies.

Why explore Engineering a Monster?

  • Realise the important ethical theme that WE MUST care for and be responsible for the creations that we engineer, so that we can ensure our contributions to society are positive, causing no harm. 
  • Learn how to make meaningful connections between multiple subjects (history, maths, science, English) in an engineering context, to broaden your cognitive horizons.
  • You may discover your passion as a budding engineer, historian, or gothic fiction expert!

Key Concepts

FrankEn-gineering

Enjoy a range of engineering design challenges and dive into Mary Shelley’s gothic horror novel Frankenstein.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein

Create your own ideas about the text as you consider, is it okay to play with life and death? Must we care for the things we create? And, is ‘intending’ to do good, actually good enough?

Engineering creatively & responsibly

Using the ‘design cycle’, develop your own creation in an engineering field that of your choice, such as mechanical, electrical, civil, architectural, med / bio / chemical, software / computer, or aeronautical engineering.

Maths, not monsters

Connect your engineering project with mathematical thinking as you explore geometry, mathematical modelling, and calculus.

Monstrosities of history

Explore the monstrosities of history, specifically in World War II. Analyse the power of the human spirit when faced with such difficulties, through studies of the films Life is Beautiful and The Pianist, as well as through historical texts.

Frankenfest

A festival of wonder! Celebrate your achievements and showcase how you have uniquely stitched each discipline-thread of your learning together, connecting English, maths, science and history.