Welcome to Introduction to Professional and Research Ethics! This is a course on the social and ethical implications of research, science, and technology. We will investigate the various ways in which people approach questions of morality, and determine how to make judgments of right and wrong.

Honors Program students are expected to pursue their own research and explore cutting-edge issues in science, technology, and society. Working on the frontiers of knowledge and developing new technologies is not without its risks and responsibilities. This course encourages you to look beyond the excitement of discovery and the pursuit of ambition into the ethical impact of your actions on the world.

This course counts as a substitution for ES110. It satisfies the IG and STS Knowledge Areas.

Schedule

Click on a class date to scroll down to the assigned readings for that class.

Course Structure

The course is divided into two halves: a theoretical half and an applied half. In the first chunk, which will take up the first six weeks, we will learn how to do ethics. What does it mean to be ethical? How should we reason about what we should do? In this half, we'll be looking at the very nature of ethics and morality.

After Clarkson's first break period in February, we will apply these ethical theories to specific areas and professions. We will cover four general areas: biomedical ethics, engineering ethics, research ethics, and business ethics. Each will consist of a week of lecture and discussion-based classes followed by a week of student presentations.

Meetings

Our classroom is Price 2001.

Classes meet on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Section 1 meets 10:00AM-10:50AM. Section 2 meets 3:00PM-3:50PM.

Our meetings will be partly lecture-driven, and partly based on discussion and groupwork. Please come having done the class reading and prepared to participate.

Text

Lewis Vaughn, Beginning Ethics: An Introduction to Moral Philosophy, Norton. ISBN: 978-0-393-93790-9

The text is available at the campus bookstore.

Other required readings will be distributed in class or on this website.

Readings will be assigned for each day; students are expected to have done the readings before attending class. Some of the readings will be primary texts, and others will be expository texts designed to help students understand the main issues. See the schedule below for daily readings.

Assessment

Your grade will be based on:

• Short writing assignments (worth 26% of the final grade)
• A takehome midterm exam (worth 20%)
• A class presentation on an ethical dilemma (worth 25% of the final grade)
• A final writing project (worth 25%)
• Class participation (4%)

Late assignments will lose a half letter grade per day they are late; in certain situations (for instance, if it would put out another student), late papers and assignments won't be accepted at all.

Exams and writing assignments are to be submitted over Moodle.

Writing Assignments (13 x 2%)

At various points throughout the course, I will give you a short writing assignment to be completed for the next class. You can expect, on average, one a week; they will typically be due on Fridays. Writing assignments will be posted to Moodle after the class, so if you have to miss a class, make sure to check Moodle so that you know whether there's a writing assignment. Recommended word lengths will vary depending on the assignment.

These responses are meant to exercise your writing and reasoning skills while also allowing you to experiment with philosophy. They are graded pass/fail. If you meet the word count and you don't go compeltely astray, expect the full 2%.

Midterm Examination (20%)

There will be a take-home midterm exam. The exam will be distributed on February 21 and due February 28.

Presentation (25%)

In the second half of the semester, you'll do a presentation on a chosen ethical dilemma. Details on this will be forthcoming.

Final Writing Project (25%)

There will be a final written assignment due on April 30.

Participation and Attendance (4%)

This course is a conversation, and it will only work if you all contribute! In order to encourage you to speak up and share your views, a small part of your grade depends on participation in class discussion.

I know that this might be more difficult for some people who are naturally shy, who speak English as a second language, or who learn better without social stress. The demands here are not heavy. Speaking up once every two weeks or so will be enough for you to get the full ten percent. I want everyone to feel like they are a part of the class dynamic even if they enter into discussion only occasionally.

A word of advice: get involved in discussion early in the course! It will immediately make you feel more comfortable. The longer you go without speaking, the harder it will be to do so later on. And remember not to compare yourself to the students who talk the most often. Most students will chirp in only occasionally, and that's perfectly fine.

Readings

Ranges are inclusive.
(For example, if it says that you should read sections 1-3, this means you should read sections 1, 2, and 3.)

Contact

Office hours are MWF from 1:00-2:00 and Thursdays from 1:00-4:00. My office is Price 2201 in the Honors Program offices. Please schedule a meeting with me on this site instead of just dropping by unannounced.

A reminder that you need to have at least one Honors advising with me this semester!

You can also email me at rdub@clarkson.edu.

Academic Integrity

You are expected to do graded activities on your own. You can talk about material in the course and strategies for solving general sorts of problem with friends, peers, and tutors (and I encourage you to!), but you should not discuss specific problems that have been assigned. Violations of the Clarkson University academic integrity policy will have serious and disastrous repercussions. The punishment for cheating will always be worse for you than the worst outcome had you not cheated, and it is easier to spot cheating than you think. You can familiarize yourself with the Clarkson undergraduate regulations in Appendix C of the handbook here.

Don't let this dissuade you from having conversations about your papers and the course material with other classmates outside of class. Conversation is always encouraged!

Disabilities

Please inform me or OAS of special needs that you may have. The sooner you notify me, the better I will be able to accommodate you.

Metapolicy

I reserve the right to change details in the syllabus at my discretion. I will only do so fairly and with plenty of warning.

Official Syllabus

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