UC007 ETHICS FOR ENGINEERS 2 0 0 2

Prerequisite -

Course 1. To foster a greater awareness of the ethical considerations that arises in the
Objectives engineering profession.
2. To encourage students to strive for high ethical standards.
3. To encourage a serious commitment to professionalism and socially
responsible behavior.
Course Upon the completion of this course, students will be able to:
Outcomes 1. Understand the significance of various human values in relation to professional
and engineering ethics. (6,8)
2. Recognize important moral/ethical issues common in engineering and apply
ethical problem-solving techniques to solve the ethical problems.(6)
3. Analyze the engineer’s responsibility for safety & risk and describe the various
methods of risk analysis.(6)
4. Identify and examine various rights and responsibilities of engineers. (6,7,8)
5. Apply professional codes of ethics and different philosophical approaches to
specific cases that might arise in an engineering career.(8,11,12)

Note: Numbers given in the parenthesis refer to Graduate Attributes required by NBA
UNIT I HUMAN VALUES 9
Morals, Values and Ethics – Integrity – Work Ethic – Service Learning – Civic Virtue – Respect
for Others – Living Peacefully – Caring – Sharing – Honesty – Courage –
Valuing Time – Co-operation – Commitment – Empathy – Self-Confidence – Character –
Spirituality – Introduction to Yoga and Meditation for Professional Excellence and Stress
Management.

UNIT II ENGINEERING ETHICS 9

Senses of ‘Engineering Ethics’ – Variety of moral issues – Types of inquiry – Moral dilemmas –
Moral Autonomy (Kohlberg’s & Gilligan’s theories) – Professional Ideals and Virtues – Ethical
Theories (Utilitarianism, Duty Ethics & Rights Ethics) and their uses – Ethical Problem-solving
Techniques .
UNIT III RISK AND LIABILITY IN ENGINEERING 9
Safety and Risk: Concept of safety, risks, acceptability of risk, lessons for the engineer.
Assessment of Safety and Risk: Knowledge of risk, uncertainties in design, testing for safety,
analytical testing methods for safety. Risk Benefit Analysis and Reducing Risk: Personal risk,
public risk and public acceptance, accounting publicly for benefits and risks, incentives to reduce
risk – The Government Regulator’s Approach to Risk - Chernobyl and Bhopal Case Studies.
UNIT IV RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF ENGINEERS 9
Professional Responsibilities: Collegiality and Loyalty – Respect for Authority – Collective
Bargaining – Confidentiality – Conflicts of Interest – Occupational Crime.
Rights of Engineers: Professional Right – Whistle-blowing - Employee Rights – Intellectual
Property Rights (IPR) – Discrimination.
UNIT V CODES OF ETHICS AND PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT 9
Codes of Conduct – Roles of Codes – Codes and Experimental Nature of Engineering –
Limitations of Codes – Codes of Ethics and Professional Conduct of Professional Bodies such as
Institution of Engineers (India), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), American
Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and
National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) – Introduction to other types of Codes of
Ethics (Codes for the ethical use of computers, student code of ethics in university, and corporate
codes of ethics).
Text Books
1. Mike Martin and Roland Schinzinger, “Ethics in Engineering”, McGraw Hill, New York, 3rd
Edition, 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. P. S. Bajaj and Raj Agarwal, “Business Ethics – An Indian Perspective”, Biztantra, New Delhi,
2004.
5. David Ermann and Michele S Shauf, “Computers, Ethics and Society”, Oxford University
Press, 2003.