2.95J, TPP09J Homework

Unit 2: Professional Responsibility I: Safety, Truth Telling, and Controling Mistakes

For Feb. 12:

Read Ch 2 The Basis and Scope of Professional Responsibility

Skim Part 3 of Introduction on Concepts on Moral Character and Responsibility.
Read the following cases and judgments: Case 76-6, Case 77-7, Case 78-7, Case 80-4, Case 82-5, Case 84-5, Case 87-5.
By Tuesday evening send by email to whitbeck@mit.edu discussion of two of the judgments that you find most interesting or problematic.
Also read Experimental Techniques and the Treatment of Data in On Being a Scientist.

Feb. 18

Instructions for mini-project
Reread Parts 1 & 2 of Introduction on Concepts. Discuss the concepts with your partners illustrating or using each. Those who are not presenting mini-projects on this day should be prepared to share their illustrations and uses with the class.

For Feb. 19

Instructions for mini-project
Reread Parts 1 & 2 of Introduction on Concepts. Discuss the concepts with your partners illustrating or using each. Those who are not presenting mini-projects on this day should be prepared to share their illustrations and uses with the class.

For Feb. 24

Read Ch. 3 Central Professional Responsibilities of Engineers & Applied Scientists Select an open-ended problem situation (not an historical case) from Chapter 3 and write a response to it, drawing on the readings in explaining your reasons for responding as you propose. Also take account of the features of moral problems discussed in Ch. 1, stating if these are present in the situation presented in the scenario you discuss. For example, how much ambiguity or uncertainty was there in the situation and how did your response take account of it? Send it by email to your instructor whitbeck@mit and your partners by Friday evening. Send email comments on your partner's responses, copied to your instructor by Monday morning.

For Feb. 26

Be prepared for a 12 minute quiz on the concepts in Parts 1 & 2 of Introduction on Concepts.
Discuss the concepts from parts 1 & 2 with your partners.
Read first part of Ch. 4 Roger Boisjoly's Attempts to Avert the Challenger Explosion, and review the Roger Boisjoly case. Be prepared to discuss the pressures that Boisjoly faced and how he handled them.

For Mar. 3

Read the rest of Ch.4 and review the William LeMessurier case. Be prepared to discuss the pressures that LeMessurier faced and how he handled them.
Review carefully Parts 3 & 4 of Introduction on Concepts and be prepared to illustrate applicable concepts from the cases and examples we have discussed so far.

For Mar. 5

Be prepared for a 12 minute quiz on the concepts in Parts 3 & 4 of Introduction on Concepts.

Read the Therac-25 case, and be prepared to discuss the issues of buggy software.

1. Orientation: Professional Responsibility and Common Problems
2. Professional Responsibility I: Safety, Truth Telling, and Controling Mistakes
3. Professional Responsibility II: Responsibility in Research

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   whitbeck@mit.edu