Engineering 6101: Assessment of Technology
Andrew Latus
Time: Tuesday 1-2:30 & Thursday
1:30-2:45

EN-1040

Office: Division of Community Health Rm. 2835, Faculty of Medicine
Telephone: 777-6720
Email: alatus@mun.ca
WWW: www.ucs.mun.ca/~alatus/
Office Hours: Monday, Wednesday & Thursday 11-noon.*

Textbook: Charles E. Harris Jr., Michael S. Pritchard & Michael J. Rabins. Engineering Ethics: Concepts and Cases, 2nd Edition. Wadsworth, 2000. This was the textbook last year, so used copies are probably available.


Course Requirements:

Exam – 35%
In-class Presentation – 20%

Participation in Class Presentations – 5%

Commentaries on Class Presentation (2+) – 30% (due 2 weeks after the presentation)

Midterm Quiz – 10% (held in class on Oct. 22)

Information about the Course Requirements

Exam: The exam will not explicitly deal with the guest lectures or in-class presentations. All other material is fair game for the exam.



In-class Presentation: In the weeks when a guest lecture takes place on Tuesday, the Thursday class will consist of group presentations on the week’s guest lecture. Each of you will be assigned to a group. That group will be assigned one of the guest lectures as its topic. Each person in the group will be responsible for commenting in class on a particular aspect of the lecture (e.g., summarizing it or discussing the ethical issues raised by the lecture). I will provide more details soon, once the number of students enrolled in the course becomes clear.


Participation in Class Presentations:
Students are expected to attend all classes, particularly the class presentations. You are also strongly encouraged to ask questions of the group making a presentation. In a desperate attempt to assure attendance at the discussion sessions, 5 points of your term mark will be based on your attendance. You will receive 1 point for each session you attend, including the one during which your group makes a presentation. If you miss a session but have a reasonable excuse, you will receive the point anyway.


Commentaries on Class Presentations:
You must submit at least 2 brief papers on the guest lectures and subsequent discussions. Each paper should be approximately 2 typed double spaced pages. In the paper you should explain and discuss an ethical issue raised by the guest lecture and/or the subsequent class discussion. Papers are due no later than 2 weeks after the relevant Thursday discussion class. Your overall grade for the commentaries will be based on your two best grades on the papers you submit. You may not submit a paper on the same topic as your in-class presentation.


Midterm Quiz:
This quiz will test basic concepts introduced in the lectures (not the guest lectures or in-class discussions). It will be held in the last part of class on Oct. 22.

Tentative Schedule:


Sept. 5 Introductory Class


Sept. 10 Intro to Ethics                        Chapter 1, sec. 1.1-1.4 & Chapter 2

Sept. 12 Intro to Ethical Theory I         Chapter 4


Sept. 17 Guest Lecture: Edwin MacLellan – The Sydney Tar Ponds

Sept. 19 Group Presentations


Sept. 24 Intro to Ethical Theory II         Chapter 4

Sept. 26 What is Technology?


Oct. 1 Guest Lecture: Kelly Hawboldt – Sustainable Development

Oct. 3 Group Presentations/Commentaries on Guest Lecture #1 are due


Oct. 8 Responsibility                                     Chapter 5

Oct. 10 Honesty, Integrity and Reliability        Chapter 6


Oct. 15 Guest Lecture: James Sharp
Water, Sanitation and Health

Oct. 17 Group Presentations


Oct. 22 Midterm Quiz/Commentaries on Guest Lecture #2 are due

Oct. 24 Risk, Safety and Liability                     Chapter 7


Oct. 29 Guest Lecture: Dennis Peters – Public Safety Aspects of Software Engineering

Oct. 31 Group Presentations


Nov. 5 Environmental Issues I/
Commentaries on Guest Lecture #3 are due         Chapter 9

Nov. 7 Environmental Issues II                                                                                 Chapter 9


Nov. 12 No Class

Nov. 14 No Calss

Nov. 19 Guest Lecture: David ThompsonWill the Development of the Internet Enhance Human Freedom?/Commentaries on Guest Lecture #4 are due

Nov. 21 Group Presentations


Nov. 26 Technology & Rights I              Chapter 10

Nov. 28 Technology & Rights II             Chapter 10


Dec. 3 Wrap Up

Dec. 5 No Class/Commentaries on Guest Lecture #5 are due



* Most of my teaching is in the M.D. program and so doesn’t follow a regular schedule. That means I can’t promise to always be in my office at these times. When possible, however, I’ll be in my office at these times. The best thing to do is phone ahead. I’m on campus most days from at least 9-5 and will be happy meet with you at just about any time I’m not teaching.

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