Ethical Issues in Engineering E131/STS 115
Author(s):
Robert McGinn
Prof. Robert
McGinn
Office: Bldg. 370, Rm.
110
mcginn@leland; Tel 5-0117
I. Course Description and Purpose
E 131/STS 115 is a seminar devoted to study of ethical
issues in contemporary engineering practice. The purpose of
the course is threefold: to expose students to ethical issues
of the sorts that engineers sometimes face in professional
practice, to help students think more clearly and deeply
about such issues, and to explore resources, strategies, and
options for grappling with such conflicts. Topics covered
will include moral obligations and rights of engineers in
relation to society, employers, colleagues, and clients;
cost-benefit-risk analysis, safety, and informed consent; the
ethics of whistle-blowing; ethical conflicts of engineers as
expert witnesses and managers; ethical issues in engineering
design, manufacturing, and operations; ethical issues arising
from engineering work in foreign countries; and ethical
implications of the social and environmental contexts of
contemporary engineering. The course will make extensive use
of case studies of ethical issues drawn from different fields
of engineering. If necessary, the size of the class will be
limited to maintain the character of a seminar.
Note Well: E 131/STS 115 satisfies Area 8 of the old
Stanford University Distribution Requirement system, the
Social Sciences component (3B) of the new Stanford General
Education Requirements (GERs), and the School of
Engineering's "Technology in Society Requirement."
II. Course Requirements
- Completion of assigned readings;
- Participation in class discussion;
- Participation in the design, administration, and
analysis of a survey on ethical issues in engineering;
and
- Presentation and write-up of a real-life case study of
an ethical issue in engineering based on original research
by student duos.
III. Grading
- Class discussion: 25%
- Survey and related short in-class presentation:
25%
- Case Study: 50% (30% for the in-class presentation; 20%
for the written report)
IV. Required Readings
- Deborah G. Johnson, ed., Ethical Issues in
Engineering (Prentice Hall, 1991).
- Robert E. McGinn, ed., STS 115/E 131 Course
Reader (Stanford Bookstore, 1997).
Note Well: in what follows, a designation such as "(DJ4)"
follows the title of some assigned articles. In such cases
what is meant is that the article in question is the fourth
of the 32 numbered articles in the anthology edited by
Deborah Johnson. Articles without any such designation after
their titles will be found in the course reader.
V. Calendar of Topics and Reading Assignments
I. Introduction
- T 4/01 Introduction to Course
- Why study ethical issues in engineering? What makes an
issue in engineering "an ethical issue"? Introduction to
class survey of engineering students and practitioners on
ethical issues in engineering
II. Foundational Materials
- Th 4/03 The Engineering Profession in the U.S. in
Historical Perspective
- T. Reynolds, "The Engineer in Nineteenth-Century
America," in T. Reynolds, ed., The Engineer in
America (Chicago: U. of Chicago Press, 1991),
7-26
- T. Reynolds, "The Engineer in Twentieth-Century
America," in T. Reynolds, ed., The Engineer in
America (Chicago: U. of Chicago Press, 1991),
169-190
- E. Layton, "The Engineer and Business" (DJ4)
- E. Greenwood, "Attributes of A Profession" (DJ6)
- T 4/08 Codes of Engineering Ethics
- National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE), Code
of Ethics for Engineers (1990)
- American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Code of
Ethics (1993)
- Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), Code of
Ethics (1993)
- Hans Lenk, "An Honor Code for Technical Intelligence?",
Vdi Nachtrichten, Number 20, 5/18/1990,
26.
- Stephen Unger, "Codes of Engineering Ethics" (DJ
11)
- Heinz Luegenbiehl, "Codes of Ethics and the Moral
Education of Engineers" (DJ13)
- Th 4/10 Moral and Social Responsibilities of Engineers
I
- Michael McFarland, "The Public Health, Safety, and
Welfare: An Analysis of the Social Responsibilities of
Engineers (DJ 14)
- Richard DeGeorge, "Ethical Responsibilities of
Engineers in Large Corporations: The Pinto Case" (D15)
- Kenneth Alpern, "Moral Responsibility for Engineers"
(DJ16)
- Mike Martin and Roland Schinzinger, "Engineering as
Social Experimentation" (DJ 17)
- T 4/15 Moral and Social Responsibilities of Engineers
II (Note Well: Turn in Tabulated Y/N/NOp Survey Responses
at Class)
- S. Beder, "Making Engineering Design Sustainable,"
unpublished ms.
- A. Ansari, "The Greening of Engineers: A Cross-Cultural
Experience," unpublished ms.
- J. Anderson, "Ethics and the Expert Witness," Institute
of Transportation Engineers, 122-124
- J. Bachner, "Facing Down the Hired Gun," Journal
of Performance of Constructed Facilities, Vol. 2,
No. 4, 1988, 190-198
- T. Broome, "Engineering Responsibility for Hazardous
Technologies," Journal of Professional Issues in
Engineering, Vol. 113, No. 2, April 1987,
139-149
- R. Schinzinger and M. Martin, "Shared Responsibility
for New Technologies: Engineers and their Corporations,"
IEEE Spectrum, April 1990, 13-17
- R. McCuen, "Ethical Issues in Risk Assessment,"
Issues in Engineering--Journal of Professional
Activities, Vol. 107, No. E12, April 1981,
93-104
- Th 4/17 Analysis and Discussion of Survey Findings and
Individual Student Questions
- aggregated answers to questions common to all
questionnaires
- short commentaries on responses to individual questions
(see notes at end of survey form)
III. Case Studies of Ethical Issues in Engineering
- T 4/22 Four Historical Case Studies
- T. Hughes, "Technological Momentum in History:
Hydrogenation in Germany, 1898-1933," Past and
Present, Number 44, 106-132
- G. Fleming, "Engineers of Death," NYT, July 18, 1993,
Sec. 4, 19
- B. Jakobsen, "Ethics and the American Society of Civil
Engineers," privately printed pamphlet, Los Angeles,
California, April 1955, 1-13
- L. Graham, "Palchinsky's Travels," Technology
Review, November/December 1993, 23-31.
- Th 4/24 Contemporary Case Studies I & II
-
The DC-10 Cargo Door Latch (design)
- F. Sawyier, "The Case of the DC-10," unpublished
ms.
- The B.F. Goodrich A7D brake system (design and
testing)
- K. Vandivier, "'Why Should My Conscience Bother
Me?'" in R. Heilbroner, ed., In the Name of
Profit (NY: Doubleday, 1972), 3-31
- T 4/29 Contemporary Case Studies III
- Selection of Duos for Original Case Study Presentations
on 5/29 and 6/3 The Citicorp Building
- Joseph Morgenstern, "The Fifty-Nine Story Crisis,"
Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering
Teaching and Practice, January 1997, 23-29.
- Th 5/01 Contemporary Case Studies IV
-
Ethics and the Engineering Consultant:
- T 5/06 Contemporary Cases Studies V, Space Shuttle
(development): film
- T. Bell and K. Esch, "The Fatal Flaw in Flight 51L,"
IEEE Spectrum, February 1987, 36-51
- R.
Boisjoly, "Ethical Decisions: Morton
Thiokol and the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster,"
ASME, WA
- Th 5/08 Contemporary Case Studies VI & VII
-
GM truck (testing)
- B. Meier, "Courtroom Drama Pits G.M. Against a
Former Engineer," New York Times, January
19, 1993, D1 and D16
- P. Applebome, "G.M. Is Held Liable Over Fuel Tanks
In Pickup Trucks," New York Times,
February 5, 1993, A1 and A16
- B. Meier, "$105 Million Liability Award Against
G.M. Is Struck Down," NTY, 6/14/94, A8
-
Ford Pinto (design and testing)
- W. Shaw, "Ford's Pinto," from William H. Shaw,
Business Ethics, (Belmont, CA: Wadsworth,
1991), 75-77
- M. Hoffman, "The Ford Pinto," in W. Michael Hoffman
and Jennifer Moore eds., Business Ethics,
(New York: McGraw-Hill: 1984), 412-420
- T 5/13 Contemporary Case Studies VIII, The Bhopal
Disaster (design, operation, technology transfer)
- G. Stix, "Bhopal: A Tragedy in Waiting," IEEE
Spectrum, June 1989, 47-50
- S. Diamond, "The Bhopal Disaster: How It Happened,"
New York Times, January 28, 1985, A1, A6,
A7
- S. Diamond, "The Disaster In Bhopal: The Workers Recall
Horror," New York Times, January 30, 1985, A1
and A6
- Robert Reinhold, "Disaster in Bhopal: Where Does the
Blame Lie?" New York Times, January 31, 1985,
A1 and A8
- S. Diamond, "The Disaster in Bhopal: Lessons for the
Future," New York Times, February 3, 1985, A1
and A8
- Ibrahim, Youssef, "Successors Ready, U.S. Oilmen Bow
Out of the Saudi Empire," New York Times,
April 1, 1989
- Th 5/15 Contemporary Cases IX, Hyatt Hotel in K.C.
(construction)
- H. Petroski, "Accidents Waiting To Happen," from Henry
Petroski, To Err is Human(New York: Vintage,
1992), 85-97
- H. Petroski, "The Kansas City Tragedy: There Is Not
Always Strength in Numbers," Technology
Review, August/September 1982, 29-30
- R. Rubin, L. Banick, and C. Thornton, "The Hyatt
Decision: Two Opinions," Civil Engineering,
September 1986, 69-72
- Kim Roddis, "Structural Failures and Engineering
Ethics," Journal of Structural Engineering,
Vol. 119, No. 5, May 1993, 1539-1555.
- T 5/20 Contemporary Cases X, Westside Highway Project
(construction; environmental impact statement)
- Beder, Sharon, "Environmental Impact Statements: the
Ethical Dilemma for Engineers," unpublished ms.
- Sierra Club et al. v. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers et
al., U.S. District Court, S.D. New York, August 7, 1985
(614 F. Supp. 1475 D.C.N.Y. 1985)
- Background article by R. McGinn and packet of materials
on Westway Project.
IV. Organizational Perspectives
- Th 5/22 Ethical Issues Faced By Engineers in
Organizations
- V. Gunther, Plaintiff, v. IBM et al. Defendants,
Superior Court of California, City of Los Angeles, Case
SC027054, November 12, 1993 (complaint)
- R. Ho, "Ethics and High-Tech Engineering: Unique
Ethical Issues of the Silicon Valley Workplace,"
unpublished ms.
- T. Perry, "Cleaning Up," IEEE Spectrum,
February 1993, 20-26
- J. Rauch, "The Law on Reverse Engineering," IEEE
Spectrum, August 1993, 47-48
- M. Baram, "Trade Secrets: What Price Loyalty?"
(DJ/23)
- R. Frederick and M. Snoeyenbos, "Trade Secrets,
Patents, and Morality" (DJ/24)
- R. McGinn, "The Engineer's Moral Right to Reputational
Fairness," Science and Engineering Ethics,
Vol. 1, No. 3, 1995, 217-230.
V. Resources for "Solutions"
- T 5/27 Prevention, Mitigation, Recourse
- L. Winner, "Engineering Ethics and Political
Imagination" (DJ32)
- E. Ferguson, "The Gap Between Promise and Performance,"
from his Engineering and the Mind's Eye
(Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 1992), 169-194
- R. Chalk, "Making the World Safe for Whistle-Blowers,"
Technology Review, January 1988, 48-57
- "False Claims," U.S. Code, Title 31, Money and Finance,
Section 3729, 508-513
- S. Ungar, "Would Helping Ethical Professionals Get
Professional Societies Into Trouble?" (DJ31)
VI. Student Case Study Reports
- Th 5/29 Student Case Study Reports I
- T 6/03 Student Case Study Reports II
- Th 6/05 Conclusion (and Case Studies not given 5/29 or
6/03)
FINAL EXAM PERIOD
June 6-11
VI. The In-Class Presentations
On Thursday May 29 and Tuesday June 3, seminar members,
working in pairs, will make in-class presentations. Each
two-person presentation, lasting 16 minutes, must take the
form of an original case study of an incident or episode
involving an ethical issue or conflict in contemporary
engineering practice. The case study may be based on one or
more kinds of research, e.g., unearthing and analysis of
courtroom records or in-person or telephonic interviews with
engineer participants and others involved in the situation
under scrutiny. To secure cooperation of reluctant
participants, feel free to offer to preserve confidentiality
to your interviewee. Regardless of the kind of study
undertaken, the presentation must include the following:
- appropriate general background information;
- description of the socio-technical situation in the
case in sufficient detail to enable the listener/reader to
appreciate the situation that faced the engineer(s) in
question;
- identification and characterization of the ethical
issue or conflict in question;
- elaboration and probing analysis of the issue or
conflict (e.g., of its genesis, trajectory and outcome;
evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of the arguments
made on both sides; etc.); and
- delineation of noteworthy morals or lessons about
ethical issues in engineering extracted from the case
presented.
Each duo must also submit a written report of roughly 1250
words describing the case studied and specifying the
resources used in putting together the presentation. Please
attach any tapes, articles, transcripts, or other documents
that you have gathered or generated in your research.