Syllabus: PR432- Ethics and Professionalism in Science and Engineering

This course provides a broad view of ethics and professionalism in the context of Science and Engineering. It teaches valuable practical skills as well as the basic analytic tools required to make the ethical decisions confronted by professionals in any field. The course describes the special role of professionals in society and uses the key perspectives of engineering and philosophy to explore their responsibilities. Additional perspectives (e.g. organizational psychology, law) will be incorporated as appropriate. A key course dynamic will be the interplay between producers and consumers of technology as common ethical dilemmas are approached from both viewpoints. The topics covered will include: problem-solving in the context of ethics and codes of conduct, professional societies, working as a member of a team and international issues, as well as how to be a productive and contributing professional.

Dr. Allen Milewski
Howard Hall, Room B11
(732) 571-7578
amilewsk@monmouth.edu

Office Hours:

SAMPLE SYLLABUS -students enrolled in this course can find complete materials at ecampus.monmouth.edu

Required Readings

Bowyer, K.W. Ethics and Computing 2^nd Ed, IEEE Press, 2001
Borchardt, J.K. Career Management for Scientists and Engineers, Oxford Press, 2000
Harris, Pritchard, & Rabins. "International Engineering Professionalism" Chapter 10 of: "Engineering Ethics: Concepts and Cases" (Ch 10 will be on reserve at Library.The Password is "prsp07aa")
Selected Codes of Conduct

Suggested Readings

A list of interesting but optional additional readings is provided in the "Contents" Section of the course management system

Lecture Notes

Lectures will follow the schedule below. Notes will generally be posted on the Course Management System (ecampus.monmouth.edu) prior to class

Course Policies

Evaluation:

Homework Assignments	Class participation	Test #1	Test #2	Final Exam
25%	25%	16%	16%	18%

Attendance:

Attendance at classes is mandatory. Students are responsible for all material covered and announcements made in class.

Academic Honesty:

Everything turned in for grading in this course must be your own work. Students who contribute to violations by sharing their code/designs /solutions with others are subject to the same penalty. By the Monmouth University policy, students found to be in violation of this rule will, at the very least, receive a failing grade in the course and may be subject to stiffer penalties.

Special Accommodations:

Students with disabilities who need special accommodations for this class are encouraged to meet with me or the appropriate disability service provider on campus as soon as possible. In order to receive accommodations, students must be registered with the appropriate disability service provider on campus as set forth in the student handbook and must follow the university procedure for self-disclosure, which is stated in the Guide to Services and Accommodations for Students with Disabilities. Students will not be afforded any special accommodations for academic work completed prior to the completion of the documentation process with the appropriate disability service office.

Withdrawal:

Last day to withdraw with automatic assignment of "W" grade: ----.

Outline of Course Content

Date	Topics	Readings
	Course Description
	Introduction To Ethics And Professionalism Why not just a job? Why do ethics matter? What are your responsibilities? [Homework: Ethical Case Study Description]	Bowyer, Ch. 1 [p.1-14], Borchardt, Ch. 1
	Perfecting Professional Communication How can Professional writing/presentations be improved? Writing/presenting proposals and status reports Writing reviews, letters of recommendation and resumes From “Elevator” talks to preparing and delivering a professional presentation Running a professional meeting [Homework: Elevator Talk]	Borchardt, Ch. 3,4
	Frameworks for Ethics Ethical relativism Utilitarianism Ethical principles and responsibility Social contractsRights vs. duty ethics Virtue Ethics Self-realization and self-interest Which framework is “best”? [Homework: Resume Writing]	Bowyer, Ch 1 [p. 15-19], Ch 2 [p. 21-29]
	Critical Thinking in professional environments Review of problem solving Common human fallacies Using data to make decisions Professional journals and how to use them Risk and risk analysis [Homework: Resume Analysis]	Bowyer, Ch. 2 [p.30-45], Borchardt, Ch. 13, 14
	Moral Reasoning And Codes of Conduct Solving moral dilemmas What are professional codes of conduct and ethics? (with examples from student’s majors) Professional practice [Homework: Personal Video Analysis] Test #1 - 2/19	Bowyer, Ch. 3
	Producing Ethical Products and Services Privacy/security Ethical negotiating [Homework: Code of Conduct Search and Analysis]	Bowyer, Ch. 5, Borchardt, Ch. 6
	Consuming Ethical Products and Societal Impacts of Technology Music-download Copyright issues Equity and accessibility- the “digital divide” Community and identity	Bowyer, Ch. 4, 10
	Values in The Workplace Workplace diversity Whistle-blowing Reverse engineering Confidentiality and conflicts of interest Fairness and discrimination Moral responsibility, legal liability and accountability [Homework: Begin Collaborative Class Presentations] [Homework:Fairness in Workplace Questions]	Bowyer, Ch. 7, Borchardt, Ch. 8
	Safety issues and safety-critical environments Product quality and testing Empirical Study honesty Research on Human and Animal Subjects Test #2 -3/28	Bowyer, Ch. 8, Bowyer, Ch. 11,
	Protecting Intellectual Property Patents, trademarks, trade secrets Proprietary information and its protection Non-disclosure agreements	Bowyer, Ch.9 [p.322-326], Harris, Pritchard, & Rabins. [Ch. 10]
	Global Issues in Ethics and Professionalism & Personal And Group Productivity Multinational Corporations and Organizations Cultural effects Law and the Internet [Homework:Patent Search]	Borchardt, Ch. 2,5,6,7
	Seeking Employment How can productivity be improved? How to manage and deal with management Being part of productive self-directed teams? Loyalty and collegiality Performance reviewsWhere to search How to perfect a resume, cover letter and references Interviewing [Homework: final resume]	Borchardt, Ch. 12,13,14,16
	Professions and Careers Professional societies and participation in them Career assessment, planning and management [Class exercise: employment interview] Life-Long Learning Professional licensing How to keep current	Borchardt, Ch. 8,9,10,11, 17, 18
	Course Wrap Up/ Final Exam, 10:45-12:45