Invisible by Design: Seeing the Hidden Systems Behind Engineering Decisions

3.0 credits · Undergraduate

Engineering decisions shape nearly every aspect of modern life, from transportation and healthcare to artificial intelligence, infrastructure, manufacturing, and environmental systems. Yet many of the assumptions, tradeoffs, and consequences embedded within engineering systems remain invisible until systems fail or unintentionally exclude the people they are intended to serve. This course introduces students to sociotechnical approaches to engineering through engineering case studies, historical perspectives, systems thinking, and design activities. Students will analyze how engineering decisions affect different communities while developing practical approaches for identifying hidden assumptions, evaluating stakeholder impacts, and designing engineering systems that are technically sound, ethically responsible, and socially responsive. Through a semester-long Community Lens Project, engineering redesign activities, and collaborative discussion, students develop skills for analyzing and improving engineering systems in ways that better serve society.