(abstract taken from the paper below)
This paper is about the adjustment between real life and the growing knowledge of life. Real life refers here to the life of the good person and good citizen of a free society. The growing knowledge of life refers mainly to formal engineering education, but also to such informal mentoring as may be witnessed in engineering practice. What character traits in engineers compel them to care about others and enable them to live principled lives? How can engineering faculty help engineering students develop these traits? Our response to the first question relies on the scholarly viewpoint that immaturity in adults is a national problem for US Americans. Our response to the second question relies on Joesph Campbell's antidote for immaturity in adults -- the mythic hero's journey. Cases are studied wherein engineering teachers help engineering students achieve heroism: inwardly, by telling them stories of heroism in the practice of engineering; outwardly, by conditioning their learning experiences for heroism.
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