GE2021 PROFESSIONAL ETHICS IN ENGINEERING Syllabus

GE2021  PROFESSIONAL ETHICS IN ENGINEERING  Syllabus 

GE2021                       PROFESSIONAL ETHICS IN ENGINEERING      
                                                                                                                              L  T  P  C      
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UNIT I     ENGINEERING ETHICS                               9
Senses  of  ‘Engineering  Ethics’  –  Variety  of moral  issues  –  Types  of  inquiry  – Moral
dilemmas – Moral Autonomy – Kohlberg’s  theory – Gilligan’s  theory – Consensus and
Controversy  –  Professions  and  Professionalism  –  Professional  Ideals  and  Virtues  –
Uses of Ethical Theories.


UNIT II   ENGINEERING AS SOCIAL EXPERIMENTATION                                  9 
Engineering as Experimentation – Engineers as responsible Experimenters – Research
Ethics  - Codes  of  Ethics  –  Industrial  Standards  -  A  Balanced Outlook  on  Law  –  The
Challenger Case Study

UNIT III   ENGINEER’S RESPONSIBILITY FOR SAFETY                                      9
Safety and Risk – Assessment of Safety and Risk – Risk Benefit Analysis – Reducing
Risk  –  The Government Regulator’s Approach  to Risk  - Chernobyl Case Studies and
Bhopal

UNIT IV   RESPONSIBILITIES AND RIGHTS                                                          9
Collegiality and Loyalty – Respect for Authority – Collective Bargaining – Confidentiality
– Conflicts of Interest – Occupational Crime – Professional Rights – Employee Rights –
Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) - Discrimination

UNIT V   GLOBAL ISSUES                                                                                      9
Multinational Corporations – Business Ethics - Environmental Ethics – Computer Ethics -
Role in Technological Development – Weapons Development – Engineers as Managers
– Consulting  Engineers  –  Engineers  as  Expert Witnesses  and  Advisors  – Honesty  –
Moral Leadership – Sample Code of Conduct

                    TOTAL: 45 PERIODS

TEXT BOOKS:

1.  Mike Martin and Roland Schinzinger, “Ethics in Engineering”, McGraw Hill, New
York, 2005.
2.  Charles E Harris,  Michael S Pritchard and Michael J Rabins, “Engineering Ethics –
Concepts and Cases”, Thompson Learning, 2000.

REFERENCES:

1.  Charles  D  Fleddermann,  “Engineering  Ethics”,  Prentice  Hall,  New  Mexico,      
1999.
2.  John R Boatright, “Ethics and the Conduct of Business”, Pearson Education, 2003
3.  Edmund G Seebauer and Robert L Barry, “Fundamentals of Ethics for Scientists and
Engineers”, Oxford University Press, 2001.
4.  Prof. (Col) P S Bajaj and Dr. Raj Agrawal, “Business Ethics – An Indian Perspective”,
Biztantra, New Delhi, 2004.
5.  David Ermann and Michele S Shauf, “Computers, Ethics and Society”, Oxford
6.  University Press, (2003)