URL study guide
https://tue.osiris-student.nl/onderwijscatalogus/extern/cursus?cursuscode=0PDE15&collegejaar=2026&taal=enDescription
The course will consist of lectures introducing ethical theories (virtue ethics, deontology, utilitarianism) and frameworks (ethical risk analysis, value-sensitive design) and their applications to technology. Through the assignments and in the tutorials, students learn to identify and discuss ethical questions arising from the introduction of technologies into society and to reflect on their responsibilities as engineers.
Objectives
The aims of the course are:
To develop competence in analyzing ethical questions related to the design and use of technology. Students will learn some standard frameworks for approaching the ethics of technology and learn to apply and adapt these frameworks. Students will reflect on engineers’ responsibility for human beings, society and the environment by thinking about ethical implications of new technologies.
Learning objectives
After completion of the course, the student is able to:
To develop competence in analyzing ethical questions related to the design and use of technology. Students will learn some standard frameworks for approaching the ethics of technology and learn to apply and adapt these frameworks. Students will reflect on engineers’ responsibility for human beings, society and the environment by thinking about ethical implications of new technologies.
Learning objectives
After completion of the course, the student is able to:
- Criticize important established Western normative ethical theories and principles on a general level
- Apply these theories and principles to new technologies on a basic level
- Adapt these theories and principles to new technologies on a basic level
- Analyze ethical questions related to the design and use of technology
- Systematically reflect on engineers’ responsibility for human beings, society and the environment
- Interpret primary ethical literature on a basic level
- Conduct a critical discussion of ethical issues related to technology
- Addressing a moral issue encountered in a professional activity using academic literature on ethics of technology.