From “Mechanical Embedding” to “Organic Integration”: Epistemological Logic and Teaching Path of Ideological and Political Education in Petroleum Engineering Courses

Against the dual backdrop of global energy transition and emerging engineering construction, talent cultivation in petroleum engineering faces a critical shift from a single technical paradigm to a socio-technical paradigm. Future petroleum engineers must master cutting-edge technologies for deep-earth exploration and oil-gas development, while fostering a strong sense of national energy security, ecological ethical responsibility, and professional resilience. Nevertheless, ideological and political construction in science and engineering courses generally falls into the practical dilemma of “mechanical embedding”, where value elements are treated as additional content separate from professional knowledge. This creates a disconnect between ideological education and professional teaching, further widening the divide between instrumental rationality and value rationality. Drawing on socio-technical system philosophy and situated learning theory, this study critiques the limitations of traditional superimposed approaches. Taking Southwest Petroleum University as a case, it constructs a theoretical framework for the organic integration of ideological and political education in petroleum engineering curricula. This research argues that industry culture represented by the Iron Man Spirit should be redefined as engineers’ professional ontology rather than mere political propaganda. The essence of integration lies in shifting from forced external grafting to implicit internal infusion, embedding ethical considerations such as energy security and environmental friendliness as endogenous factors in engineering decision-making. This paper further analyzes practical approaches including the “salt-in-soup” curriculum gene mapping, ethics-constrained project-based learning (PBL), and the dual-mentor system. It provides a replicable model for high-risk, strategically significant engineering disciplines to deeply integrate value guidance with knowledge instruction.

Keywords: Engineering Ethics, Curriculum Ideological and Political Education, Petroleum Engineering, Organic Integration, Socio-Technical System, Professional Ontology.