Active ethics: philosophy, cases, and writing

The Engineering Division at Lafayette College, a small, undergraduate institution, requires all engineering students to take a course called "Engineering Professionalism and Ethics". The course has been taught by engineering faculty members for the last fifteen years. It has been taught in more or less its present form since 1995. The course uses a case study approach, incorporating significant amounts of class and small-group analysis and discussion. The first portion of the course, which was developed with significant interaction with the Philosophy Department, focuses on moral philosophy. Moral theories are then used as a basis for understanding and examining the engineering codes, professional issues, and case studies. The course also satisfies a college writing-across-the-curriculum requirement. Students are required to complete (draft and revise) two significant papers and several shorter writing assignments. This paper describes the course content and learning activities, the motivation for their inclusion, and course assessment.