Human Values and Ethics

Course Objectives:

1. To help students regulate their behavior in a professional environment as employees
2. To make students aware of the impact of taking non-ethical engineering decisions.
3. To understand that mind and desire control is needed for being ethical.
4. To understand organizational culture and to adapt to varying cultures without compromising ethical values

Course Outcomes (CO):

• CO1 Realize the importance of human values.
• CO2 Understand that excessive desires of the mind make a person unethical and restless, while fewer desires lead to peace and professional progress
• CO3 Assess different types of risks involved in unethical practices. Know various means of protesting against unethical practices.
• CO4 Assess the benefits of restraining from unethical practices like bribery, extortion, nepotism, nexus between politicians and industrialists.

Unit I

Human Values: Morals, Values, Ethics, Integrity, Work ethics, Service learning, Virtues, Respect for others, Living peacefully, Caring, Sharing, Honesty, Courage, Valuing time, Cooperation, Commitment, Empathy, Self-confidence, Challenges in the work place, Spirituality

Unit II

Engineering Ethics: Senses of engineering ethics, Variety of moral issues, Types of inquiries, Moral dilemma, Moral autonomy, Moral development (theories), Consensus and controversy, Profession, Models of professional roles, Responsibility, Theories about right action (Ethical theories), Selfcontrol, Self-interest, Customs, Religion, Self-respect, Case study: Choice of the theory Engineering as experimentation, Engineers as responsible experimenters, Codes of ethics, Industrial standards, A balanced outlook on law, Case study: The challenger 

Unit III

Safety definition, Safety and risk, Risk analysis, Assessment of safety and risk, Safe exit, Riskbenefit analysis Sefety lessons from ‘the challenger’, Case study: Power plants, Collegiality and loyalty, Collective bargaining, Confidentiality, Conflict of interests, Occupational crime, Human rights, Employee rights, Whistle blowing, Intellectual property rights. 

Unit IV

Globalization, Multinational corporations, Environmental ethics, Computer ethics, Weapons development, Engineers as managers, Consulting engineers, Engineers as expert witness, Engineers as advisors in planning and policy making, Moral leadership, Codes of ethics, Engineering council of India, Codes of ethics in Business Organizations

Textbooks:

1. A Textbook on Professional Ethics and Human Values, by R. S. Naagarazan, New Age Publishers, 2006.

References:

1. Professional Ethics and Human Values by D. R. Kiran, McGraw-Hill, 2014.
2. Engineering Ethics, by Charles E Harris and Micheal J Rabins, Cengage Learning Pub., 2012.
3. Ethics in Engineering, Mike Martin and Roland Schinzinger, McGraw Hill Pub., 2017.
4. Unwritten laws of Ethics and Change in Engineering by The America Society of Mechanical Engineers, 2015.
5. Engineering Ethics by Charles B. Fleddermann, Pearson, 2014.
6. Introduction to Engineering Ethics by Mike W. Martin and Roland Schinzinger, McGraw-Hill, 2010.
7. Engineering Ethics: Concept and Cases by Charles E. Harris, Michael S. Pritchard and Michael J.Rabins, Cengage, 2009.
8. Ethics in Engineering Practiceand Research by Caroline Whitbeck, Cambridge University Press, 2007.