Ethics as philosophical history for engineers

Ethics education in the engineering curriculum is required by ABET. This requirement is being met in the aerospace engineering department at the California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, by an unconventional approach which is intended to have a lasting impact on engineering graduates throughout their working career. Instead of relying solely on exposing students to a particular code of ethics, or on primarily reviewing engineering case studies of ethical situations, a topical history of philosophy and mathematics is presented in intermittent bursts of weekly storytelling that lasts five to ten minutes with the intent of showing the evolution of ethics from antiquity to the present day. The engineering students appreciate the historical mathematical and philosophical focus on ethics. Their comments say the approach appears both interesting and unique for this type of presentation, and that they enjoy the topical links to many subjects normally confined to the humanities. Initial survey results are at Appendix A; final survey results and comments are in progress and therefore limited to the oral presentation.