09 Jul Engineering Ethics Case Study

PHIL 215 Engineering Ethics

Term Paper

Due:                June 27

Format:          8 pages + Works Cited pg,               12pt. Times New Roman,                1margins,                             double-spaced,                                  in-textcitations (author p#)

CaseStudy Term Paper

1.    For this assignment,research an engineering ethics case study of your choice and demonstrate anability to analyze the the issue from an ethical perspective.  Summarize the most important facts about thecase, and explain why particular decisions or actions were immoral.

2.    Demonstrate an ability to analyze the the case from anethical perspective.  Apply moraltheory and professional codes of ethics appropriately.

3.    Summarize the mostimportant facts about the case, and explain why particular decisions or actionswere immoral.  Be specific and detailedabout the people, places, companies, decisions, events, etc. involved in thecase.

       Try to select a topic not covered in class.  See the instructor if you have troubleselecting a topic.

       Choose a topic/issue/case that is interesting and relevantto your career field if possible.

       Do some independent research and use at least threehigh-quality, in-depth, academic sources. 

       Utilize CSUresearch databases and online Engineering Ethics databases to find high qualityarticles from academic journals.  Donot rely on online news articles and wikipedia.

       Don’t belimited by the sources you choose. Better sources, better paper!

       Explain the details of the issues/cases you are discussing.

       What decisionswere made in this case?  Why did theparticipants do what they did?

       Were therelevant decisions/actions moral?  Why orwhy not?

       What happenedleading up to the failure? What were the focal and auxiliary consequences?

       What buildingand professional codes were in place at the time?  Were they followed?

       What were thespecific organizational, individual, and physicalcauses of the failure?

       Who were themain engineers, managers, companies, victims, etc. that were involved?

       Use relevant concepts from class to support your point ofview on the issue.

       How do each ofthe moral theories and principles weigh in? Don’t force it, but use moral theory when appropriate to support yourview.

       From an ethicalperspective, what is the ultimate conclusion you have arrived at through yourresearch of the issue?

       How didindividuals related to the case fail to be professional and/or moral?

Remember:

       Think about what your final conclusion will be what claimdo you want to make?  Mention this inyour introductory paragraph.

       Use evidence (premises) which demonstrate that your point ofview is right.  Draw on what you havelearned about moral principles and theories.

Be sure to use footnotes/citations and a workscited page.