EG 44175 is the an elective course provided by the Computer Science and Engineering program at the University of Notre Dame. The purpose of this course is to develop a solid foundation for reasoning about ethical, professional, and social issues that arise in the engineering professions. Emphasis is placed on applying sound critical-thinking skills to a problem and identifying appropriate legal, professional and moral contexts. Topics covered include engineering disasters, safety-critical systems, professional codes of ethics, whistle-blowing, privacy and surveillance and intellectual property. This course relies heavily on real-world case studies.
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
Communicate effectively about a wide range of ethical, professional, and social issues regarding engineering in a variety of mediums and platforms.
Analyze complex moral and technical issues by identifying stakeholders, exploring opposing positions, and considering short and long-term consequences.
Discuss the impact of engineering and technology in the past, the issues and obstacles facing society in the present, and the opportunities for the future.
Evaluate different ethical, professional, and social issues in the context of computer science and engineering and in terms of Catholic social teaching.
Unit | Date | Topics | Assignment |
---|---|---|---|
Week 1 | |||
Responsibility | 05/23 | Syllabus, Talents, Ethics Slides | Reading 00 |
05/24 | Professional Engineer, Code of Ethics, Contracts Slides | Reading 01 | |
05/25 | Diversity, Codes of Conduct Slides | Reading 02 | |
Week 2 | |||
Disasters | 05/28 | Disasters I Slides | Reading 03 |
05/29 | Disasters II Slides | Reading 04 | |
05/30 | No Class | ||
05/31 | Whistleblowing I Slides | Reading 05 | |
06/01 | Whistleblowing II Slides | Reading 06 | |
Week 3 | |||
Regulation | 06/04 | Corporate Conscience Slides | Reading 07 |
06/05 | Antitrust Slides | Reading 08 | |
06/06 | Disruptive Technology Slides | Reading 09 | |
06/07 | Environment Slides | Reading 10 | |
06/08 | No Class | Project 01 | |
Week 4 | |||
Intellectual Property | 06/11 | No Class | |
06/12 | Patents Slides | Reading 11 | |
06/13 | No Class | ||
06/14 | Copyrights Slides | Reading 12 | |
06/15 | No Class | ||
Week 5 | |||
Political Issues | 06/18 | No Class | |
06/19 | Privacy Slides | Reading 13 | |
06/20 | Freedom of Speech Slides | Reading 14 | |
06/21 | No Class | ||
06/22 | Immigration, Automation Slides | Reading 15 | |
Week 6 | |||
Public Interest | 06/25 | Project 02 Presentations | Project 02 |
06/26 | Project 02 Presentations | ||
06/27 | Project 02 Presentations | ||
06/28 | Final Exam |
All Readings and Projects are due at 8:00 AM on the day they are assigned in the schedule above (unless specified otherwise).
Component | Points |
---|---|
Readings Daily reading quizzes. | 15 × 3 |
Projects Tri-weekly group projects. | 2 × 30 |
Participation Regular class attendation and contribution to course community. | 15 |
Final Final exam. | 30 |
Total | 150 |
Grade | Points | Grade | Points | Grade | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
A | 140-150 | A- | 135-139 | ||
B+ | 130-134 | B | 125-130 | B- | 120-124 |
C+ | 115-119 | C | 110-114 | C- | 105-109 |
D | 100-104 | F | 0-99 |
Students are expected to attend and contribute regularly in class. This means answering questions in class, participating in discussions, and helping other students.
Foreseeable absences should be discussed with the instructor ahead of time.
In the case of a serious illness or other excused absence, as defined by university policies, coursework submissions will be accepted late by the same number of days as the excused absence.
Otherwise, a late penalty, as determined by the instructor, will be assessed to any late submission of an assignment. In general, the late penality is 25% off for less than a week and 50% off for more than a week. The instructor reserves the right to refuse any unexcused late work.
All work that you submit must be your own. Collaboration is encouraged but must be disclosed by all parties. Print or online resources are allowed, but must be disclosed. However, you may not look at solutions from other current or past students, or any other source.
Any student who has a documented disability and is registered with Disability Services should speak with the professor as soon as possible regarding accommodations. Students who are not registered should contact the Office of Disabilities.
For the assignments in this class, you may discuss with other students and consult printed and online resources. You may quote from books and online sources as long as you cite them properly. However, you may not look at another student's solution, and you may not look at solutions.
For further guidance please refer to the CSE Honor Code or ask the instructor.