University of New Haven

Tagliatela College of Engineering

COURSE SYLLABUS
EASC4415 Professional Engineering Seminar Instructor Contact Information:
Section 3, Fall 2017 Phil Viscomi, Adjunct
Wednesday 1:402:45 pm Cell Phone 561 870-8833
Meeting Location: Buckman 331 Primary email pviscomi@businessgro.com
Credit Hours: 1 Secondary email pviscomi@newhaven.edu
Office Hours Prior to or following class by
appointment

Course Description
Prerequisites: Senior status. Discussion of topics on professional engineering and ethical matters
pertaining to the practice of engineering. This course is intended for non-civil engineering majors.
Civil engineering majors take CIVL4407. 1 credit

Course Objectives
The principal objective of this course is to create a level of awareness of the wide spectrum
of non-technical professional practice issues impacting the professional practice of
engineering in todays society.

Required Text(s)
What Every Engineer Should Know About Ethics by Kenneth K. Humphreys

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, students should
1. gain knowledge of issues associated with the professional practice of engineering;
2. be familiar with and understand the NSPE Code of Ethics;
3. recognize the need for professional licensure;
4. be exposed to current issues related to the practice of engineering.

Course Requirements, Assessment and Administration

Students are evaluated based on homework, participation in the Alvine Engineering Professional
Effectiveness and Enrichment Programs, and a final homework set as part of the course. It is
required that students attend all lectures. The grade distribution is provided below.

Homework Set 50%

Reflective Essays 20%
Attendance (10%) and Participation (20%) 30%

Students are expected to attend and participate (ask questions, partake in discussions, etc.) in every
lecture meeting. Missing lectures without an official excuse will result in point losses.

The goal of reflective essays is for you to communicate about how a specific article, lecture, or
experience shaped your understanding of class-related material. Reflection essays are personal and

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subjective, but they must still maintain some technical content as discussed in the presentation, use
a formal tone in writing, and must still be cohesively organized. For this course, reflective essays
should be 1 to 2 pages, single spaced, 1 inch margins, readable font and size. The Reflective Essay
Rubric will be used to grade your essays so make sure to check before you submit your work.
Essays are always due one week after the lecture, and should be uploaded via Turnitin. Late
assignments will not be accepted.

A homework set consisting of a number of questions related to the assigned textbook will be given
at the beginning of the semester. The deadline for the homework set will also be announced at the
beginning of the semester. Students have flexibility during the semester on when they wish to
complete the assignment. While early submissions will not receive extra points, late submissions
will result in 10 point/day deductions. Submissions will be through Turnitin by the announced
deadline.

Any document that you hand in should be seen as a formal output of your work and therefore needs
to be organized and clear. Assignments that lack organization and clarity will result in point
deductions.

Expectations and Policies

Adding/Dropping a class
The final day to drop a course without it appearing on your transcript is Feb. 5, 2014. After this
day, withdrawal from the course is at the discretion of the instructor. Note:
www.newhaven.edu/academics/17435/

Attendance
University policy regarding attendance can be found at www.newhaven.edu/academics/16648/

Academic Integrity Policy

Academic integrity is a core university value that ensures respect for the academic reputation of the
University, its students, faculty and staff, and the degrees it confers. The University expects that
students will conduct themselves in an honest and ethical manner and respect the intellectual work
of others. Please be familiar with the UNH policy on Academic Integrity. Please ask about my
expectations regarding permissible or encouraged forms of student collaboration if they are
unclear. Students are required to adhere to the Academic Integrity Policies found at:
www.newhaven.edu/academics/16246/

For individual assignments, individual submissions are required unless otherwise stated in the
assignment. Collaboration is encouraged on homework assignments and in studying for the
midterm and final exams. Collaboration is working together to frame a problem and create a
solution, discussing results, and analyzing the process. All members of the group contribute,
understand the process, and are prepared to complete a similar problem by themselves afterward.
Cheating is copying someone else's work and handing it in as your own work, and is unacceptable.
Plagiarism is using someone else's published work and not giving them credit. Several web sources
or the library have guidelines for referencing work from published journals, books, or newspapers,
and from websites.

Where to Go for Help

The University recognizes students often can use some help outside of class and offers academic
assistance through several offices. In addition to discussing the course material with your

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instructor and/or course TA, the Office of Academic Services (OAS) is available for help with your
academic studies (call 203.932.7234 or visit Maxcy 208). The Center for Learning Resources (CLR)
in Peterson Library is equipped to help you with writing, mathematics, biology and physics.

Special needs
Students with disabilities are encouraged to share, in confidence, information about needed specific
course accommodations. See www.newhaven.edu/student-
life/CampusLife_StudentAffairs/Campus_Access_Services/

Tentative Course Outline/Schedule

Assignment Assignment
Week Topics
No. Due Date
1 Course Introduction
2 9/6 Engineering Ethics 1 September 6th
3 9/13 Case Studies in Engineering Ethics 2 September 13th
4 9/20 Guest Speaker To be announced 3 September 20th
5 9/27 Professionalism 4 September 27th
6 10/4 Case Studies in Engineering Ethics 5 October 4th
7 10/11 Whistle-blowing 6 October 11th
8 10/18 Case Studies in Engineering Ethics 7 October 18th
9 10/25 Guest Speaker To be announced 8 October 25th
Reflective
10 11/1 Final Remarks November 1st
Essay 2

Course Assignments

Assignment
Description
No.
Humphreys text: Read pages 1 to 24. Read pages 281-225 NSPE Code of
1 9/6 ethics for Professional Engineers, Answer questions 1.2, 1.3, 1.5, 1.9, &
1.10, & 1.12.
Humphreys text: Read pages 29 to 34. On page 34, answer questions 2.1,
2 9/13
2.2, and 2.4, and prepare to discuss questions in class.
3 9/20 Humphreys text: Read pages 49 55. Questions 4.1 and 4.2
4 9/27 Reflective Essay #1
Humphreys text: Read pages 73 86. Answer questions 7.1, 7.2, 7.4, and
5 10/4
7.5
6 10/11 Humphreys text:
7 10/18 Humphreys text: Chap 12: 121-131
8 - 10/25 Humphreys text:
9 11/1 Reflective Essay #2

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