ENGR1801 · Complex Problems and Enduring Questions
Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences
This is a Complex Problem course and is open to FRESHMEN only. You must take HIST1627 with this course. Together we will consider how engineers and other stakeholders navigate risks related to industrial and environmental disasters, balance financial, technological, and regulatory pressures associated with complex socio-technical problems, and negotiate technical and political liabilities surrounding artificial intelligence, surveillance, and climate adaptation. Engineering systems present pressing technical, ethical, and moral problems that we must grapple with as engaged global citizens. In this course, students will explore the social, cultural, and institutional history of engineering, learn foundational skills in quantitative analysis of real-world engineering designs, and understand the political, environmental, economic, and ethical tradeoffs associated with building the modern world. Students will collaborate on group design projects based on human-centered engineering.
Course experience
Averages use the original five-point historical evaluation scale.
Organization
4.6 / 5
How well the course was organized
Challenge
4.5 / 5
How intellectually challenging students found it
Attendance
4.5 / 5
How necessary attendance was
Assignments
4.4 / 5
How helpful assignments were
Weekly effort
~5
hours per week
Estimated from the original workload response buckets. Individual sections may differ.
Instructor options
Ratings below reflect only recovered evaluations connected to this course.
Associate Professor of the Practice, Engineering, Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences
4.5 / 5
3.9 / 5
Professor, Engineering, Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences
4.7 / 5
4.5 / 5
Core Visiting Instructor, Engineering, Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences
4.1 / 5
3.6 / 5
Core Visiting Assistant Professor, MCAS College Faculty
4.8 / 5
4.2 / 5
Part Time Faculty, Environmental Studies
3.8 / 5
4.5 / 5
Assistant Professor of the Practice, Engineering, Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences
3.8 / 5
3.9 / 5
Assistant Professor of the Practice, Engineering, Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences
3.4 / 5
3.7 / 5
Student perspective
Recovered and new anonymous comments are shown as written and may reflect different course formats.
May 3, 2026 · Historical comment
The class is amazing and super interesting. Conroy is not the best. Conroy is very OD in terms of grading. She once took .1 a point off for a conversion I clearly laid out. She's not the worst at lecture at least. She's not as bad as these reviews may have you think.
Dec 20, 2025 · Historical comment
Not the best at explaining things, especially complex engineering problems and I found myself most of the time teaching the material to myself. The MMW class is interesting, but the engineering lectures were not great and often times very confusing and way too fast.
May 10, 2025 · Historical comment
no enthusiasm about subjects or students, can barely explain the concepts she is supposed to be an expert in
Across time
Section-level results available in the recovered archive.
Fall 2024
9 sectionsFall 2023
11 sectionsFall 2022
12 sections