Study Guide@lith
 

Linköping Institute of Technology

 
 
Valid for year : 2016
 
TGTU01 Technology and Ethics, 6 ECTS credits.
/Teknik och etik/

For:   BI   D   DI   ED   EL   I   Ii   IT   Kem   KTS   M   MED   MT   PRO   SL   Y  

 

Prel. scheduled hours: 30
Rec. self-study hours: 130

  Area of Education: Humanities

Main field of studies: Other subjects

  Advancement level (G1, G2, A): G1

Aim:
The central aim of the course is for the student to enhance his/her ability for ethical reflection aided by the different analytical tools of philosophical ethics with special focus on ethical challenges concerning technology and engineering. After completing the course the student shall be able to:
  • Describe and explain central theories, principles and concepts within normative ethics.
  • Describe and explain ethical challenges connected to the engineering profession and to technological development and application.
  • Orally discuss, analyze and evaluate different ethical viewpoints.
  • Apply ethical theories, principles and concepts to particular cases and situations.
  • Take a stance on ethical issues in a constructive and argument based way.
  • In cooperation with others in writing investigate, analyze and problematize an ethical issue in the form of a short paper.


Prerequisites: (valid for students admitted to programmes within which the course is offered)


Note: Admission requirements for non-programme students usually also include admission requirements for the programme and threshhold requirements for progression within the programme, or corresponding.

Organisation:
The scheduled parts of the course consists in lectures, seminars, instruction for paper writing and a paper seminar.

Course contents:
Lectures and seminars cover both general ethical theory and specific areas of technology and engineering ethics. Selection of cases for discussion and analyzis varies with the literature for the course. Areas that are covered:
Working with ethical problems: methodological issues, analytical tools and basic concepts.
Central theories, principles and concepts within normative ethics: responsibility, justice, rights, consequentialism, deontology, human dignity Technology and ethics: technological development and moral responsibility, technology assessment, surveillance and privacy, risk
Professional ethics and engineering ethics: particular cases and problems, professional codes of ethics. The course shall in general provide the participant with opportunities for reflection on his/her future professional role as an engineer and on what ethical responsibilities that may bring.


Course literature:
To be decided
A compendium of short articles.


Examination:
Written examination
Written assignment. Seminar.
4,5 ECTS
1,5 ECTS
 
Attendance to at least 75% of the lectures is required.



Course language is Swedish.
Department offering the course: TEMA.
Director of Studies: Eva K. Törnqvist
Examiner: Anders Nordgren, Göran Collste
Link to the course homepage at the department



Linköping Institute of Technology

 


Contact: TFK , val@tfk.liu.se
Last updated: 10/23/2015