The Practice of Ethics in Engineering Research
Frequency
Every year
Summary
The course analyses a selection of case studies on selected topics to describe how human agency can respond, prevent or mitigate ethical issues by reframing these as opportunities for innovation. This analysis provides indication on what could be a good practice in engineering research and practice.
Content
The social impact of technological advancement, industrial manufacturing and the misuse of natural resources have led engineers, architects and scientists to reflect on their responsibilities in shaping ethical challenges, and whether they have the knowledge and experience to act upon them.
The discipline of Ethics questions human actions that could generate negative consequences, including those affecting people or the environment. Responding to ethical concerns requires an ability to transform principles, norms and values in targeted, concrete actions, and a successful strategy for mitigating (or preventing) ethical issues depends on critically inquiring engineering problems to discern positive or negative consequences of human actions, including those mediated by technology or materials.
This course examines the human role, responsibility and agency in responding to ethical issues through the analysis of engineering research and practice. Wicked problem mapping is used as a method to understand cause–effect relations defining ethical challenges, to redefine these an opportunity to innovate.
Keywords
Ethics, innovation, wicked problem mapping, opportunity
Learning Prerequisites
Required courses
Beginners; introduction to ethics in scientific and engineering research and practice
Learning Outcomes
- Develop a critical mindset to engineering practice and research that is aware of ethical challenges
- Assess / Evaluate positive and negative consequences that different stakeholders, taking different roles in an innovation cycle, might cause to the planet and society
- Formulate interpret and critique factors and events - including human behavior and industrial or manufacturing processes - that could trigger ethical issues affecting people and the planet
- Contextualise ethics in engineering systems and consider the causal relations (positive and negative feedback loops) as an opportunity for innovation
- Assess / Evaluate and Produce innovation through potential unintended consequences of human actions to engineering systems and solutions
In the programs
- Exam form: Oral (session free)
- Subject examined: The Practice of Ethics in Engineering Research
- Lecture: 20 Hour(s)
- Exercises: 15 Hour(s)
- Practical work: 15 Hour(s)
- Type: optional