ENGRG 3600 - Ethical Issues in Engineering Practice

(crosslisted) ECE 3600, STS 3601

Spring. 3 credits. Letter grades only (no audit).

Prerequisite: completion of one First-Year Writing Seminar (FWS). Enrollment limited to: sophomores, juniors and seniors. ENGRG 3600 cannot be used to satisfy ECE technical requirement.

P.A. Doing.

Studies ethical issues involved in engineering practice. Explores the engineer’s role in technical decision-making in organizations. Considers the engineer’s relationship to the uses of technology in society, especially emerging technologies. Codes of ethics in engineering, ethical theory, philosophical models of knowledge production, and sociological models of human and technological agency are introduced to analyze these issues.

Outcome 1: Understand current conceptions of engineering ethics.

Outcome 2: Have an appreciation for philosophical/sociological models underlying analyses of engineering practice.

Outcome 3: Understand the implications of (2) for considerations of engineering ethics.

Outcome 4: Be versed in the historical and technical details of particular episodes in engineering.

Outcome 5: Be able to communicate in writing effective, compelling arguments supported by evidence.