Engineering is a profession, but what exactly does that mean? What is it that engineers are supposed to profess?
On one account, to be a professional is to have an exclusive claim on authoritative judgment in some domain, which brings with it a certain social standing and a higher degree of autonomy than is generally possible for those who merely have jobs. That acknowledgment of authority is conditional, however: for the public to accept and to trust such an exclusive claim of expertise, professionals must strive to be worthy of trust.
In short, to become a professional is to make a commitment to practice well and responsibly; it is to be accountable to the public.
In this course, we will examine the ethical commitments at the heart of engineering through attentive reading, lecture, active discussion and writing.
Georgia Tech aims to cultivate a community based on trust, academic integrity, and honor. Students are expected to act according to the highest ethical standards. For information on Georgia Tech's Academic Honor Code, please visit http://www.catalog.gatech.edu/policies/honor-code/ or http://www.catalog.gatech.edu/rules/18/.
Any student suspected of cheating or plagiarizing on a quiz, exam, or assignment will be reported to the Office of Student Integrity, which will investigate the incident and identify the appropriate penalty for violations of the Honor Code.
Take this seriously. All suspected instances of academic dishonesty will be dealt with immediately, according to Institute procedures.
Core IMPACTS: Humanities
This course should direct students toward a broad Orienting Question:
- How do I interpret the human experience through creative, linguistic, and philosophical works?
Completion of this course should enable students to meet the following Learning Outcome:
- Students will effectively analyze and interpret the meaning, cultural significance, and ethical implications of literary/philosophical texts or of works in the visual/performing arts.
Course content, activities and exercises in this course should help student develop the following Career-Ready Competencies:
- Ethical Reasoning
- Informational Literacy
- Intercultural Competence
Ethics Requirement
Many of you are taking this course to fulfill the Ethics Requirement of your degree program. You may get more out of your experience with the course if you know the background of that requirement.
Degree programs in engineering are evaluated and accredited by a non-profit organization known as ABET, the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. In the current version of the criteria for accreditation, Criterion 3.3 specifies that students should come away from a degree program in engineering with “an ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts.”
In April 2023, The Academic Faculty of the Institute specified outcomes for courses that fulfill the Ethics Requirement. Students should come away with:
- An ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in real-world contexts.
- An ability to assess actions or decisions based on established ethical principles and theories, or through deliberative processes.
- An ability to consider the implications of actions, both broadly (e.g., global, economic, environmental, or societal) and for individuals.
This course is designed to foster the kind of moral imagination that is a prerequisite for these three “outcomes.”