Credits and Contact Hours

3 credits, 43 hours

Course Instructor Name

Dr. Mohammad Alkandari, Dr. Maha Hussein Faisal

Textbook

Engineering Ethics: Concepts and Cases, by Charles E. Harris and Ray James, 6th edition, 2013. Wadsworth Publishing Company.

Reference Ethics for the Information Age, by Michael J. Quinn, 8th edition, 2020.

Catalog Description

Engineering ethics, meaning importance and implementation, professional concepts, methods of ethics analysis, local and international code of ethics and case studies.

Prerequisite

ENGL-221

Specific Goals for the Course

Upon successful completion of the course students will be able to:

Understand the importance of ethics in engineering practice. (Student outcomes: 4)

Gain basic knowledge of engineering and computer ethics. (Student outcomes: 4)

Understand the relation between morality and professional practice.

Identify and critically analyse common ethical dilemmas in the practice of engineering, including possible consequences. (Student outcome: 4)

Know the essential elements of a professional engineering society code of conduct.

Recognize the regional and global consequences of engineering decisions.

Deal with different ethical issues such as: conflict of interest, gifts, bribes, social responsibility versus professional confidentiality, ethical problems related to responsibility for design, supervision, maintenance and safety in engineering work, engineering projects and their effects on the environment, relation with the public, customers and colleagues, and consultations and professional competence. (Students outcomes: 3, 4, 7)

Topics to Be Covered

Introduction, morality and professional ethics.

Practical ethics toolkit. Dealing with situations involving conflict of interest, confidentiality, loyalty, dissent and whistle blowing, gift taking and honesty, etc.

Engineers in organizations. Social responsibility and legal liability.

Professional ethics as related to design, supervision, maintenance, safety, environment, and sustainability.

Code of ethics.

IT & computer ethics