Syllabus for Engineering Ethics

Learning outcomes

The course aims at providing basic knowledge of ethics for engineers in different types of work roles and prepare the engineer for identifying, taking responsibility for, and find solutions to potential ethical dilemmas in their future profession. Special emphasis is placed on ethics in technology-intensive activities.

On completion of the course, the student should be able to:

• describe theories and tools about ethical issues in the engineering profession,
• identify ethical problems, dilemmas, and areas of responsibility in engineering practice, both in the development, design, implementation, and use of technical products, processes, and systems, and in interpersonal relationships in the professional role,
• discuss, analyse, and draw conclusions about ethical aspects of technical products, processes, and systems, as well as interpersonal relationships in the professional role, using the studied ethical theory.
• discuss the professional responsibilities of engineers.

Content

Ethical theories and tools: basic ethical theories such as consequentialism, deontology, and virtue ethics, but also more modern theories such as discourse ethics, feminist ethics as well as theories about justice and equal opportunities. Decision-making models and frameworks within engineering ethics.

Case Study: Analysis of examples of situations which engineers may encounter in their professional life with the help of the studied ethical theory. Interview with professionally active engineers on ethical issues they have encountered during their career.

Instruction

Lectures and seminars.

Assessment

Assignments and active participation in seminars.

If there are special reasons for doing so, an examiner may make an exception from the method of assessment indicated and allow a student to be assessed by another method. An example of special reasons might be a certificate regarding special pedagogical support from the disability coordinator of the university.