| SES # | TOPICS | READINGS | HANDOUTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction Technical Writing Style In-class Writing Sample | (no readings) | Writing Sample Prompt (PDF) |
| 2 | What is Technology? What is Ethics? Case Discussion: The Hyatt Regency Walkways Collapse | Hyatt Regency Case description and pictures. | |
| 3 | Discussion of "Can Technology Replace Social Engineering?" Technical Writing Style (cont.) Overview of Formal Paper 1: Explanation of a Term |  Weinberg, Alvin. "Can Technology Replace Social Engineering?" In Technology and the Future. 10th ed. Edited by Albert H. Teich. New York, NY: Wadsworth Publishing, 2005. ISBN: 9780534602772. (Originally written in 1966.) | |
| 5 | Discussion of Carson's "The Obligation to Endure" Case Discussion: XYZ Hose Company And The Case Of The Bursting Hose |
"The XYZ Hose Company and the Case of the Bursting Hose." In Engineering Ethics. | Environmental Ethics (PDF) Discussion Questions for XYZ Case Study (PDF) |
| 7 | Case Discussion: Chernobyl Discussion of "The Science of Scientific Writing" Correspondence: Letters and Cover Letters (cont.) | "Aftermath of Chernobyl." In Engineering Ethics. Gopen, George D., and Judith A. Swan. "The Science of Scientific Writing." American Scientist 78 (November-December 1990): 550-558. (PDF)# | |
| 8 | Correspondence: Letters and Cover Letters (cont.) Workshop: Cover Letter and Resume Discussion of Eishtain and Karpati Readings Preview of Next Major Assignment (Formal Paper 2: Critical Review) | Elshtain, Jean Bethke. "Why Worry About the Animals?" In Science and Technology Today. Karpati, Ron. "A Scientist: 'I Am the Enemy.'" In Science and Technology Today. (Originally published in Newsweek, 18 December, 1989.) MIT Careers Office: Career Development Workbook (PDF - 2.2 MB)# | Discussion Questions for Elshtain and Karpati (PDF) |
| 9 | Individual Conferences, Goals, Scheduling Case Discussion: DNA Structure Discussion of Formal Paper 2: Critical Review | "DNA Structure." In Engineering Ethics. | |
| 10 | Workshop: Critical Review Overview of 6 Articles Overview of APA Citation Format | Nuclear Energy Holton, W. Conrad. "Power Surge: Renewed Interest in Nuclear Energy." Environmental Health Perspectives 113, no. 11 (November 2005): A742-A749. Charman, Karen. "Brave Nuclear World?" World Watch 19, no. 4 (July/August 2006): 12-20. Stem Cell Research Mieth, Dietmar. "Going to the roots of the stem cell debate." EMBO Reports 1, no. 1 (July 15, 2000): 4-6. Cohen, Eric. "Science, Democracy, and Stem Cells." Philosophy Today 48, no. 5 (2004): 23-29. GM Food Cayford, Jerry. "Breeding Sanity into the GM Food Debate." Issues in Science and Technology 20, no. 2 (Winter 2004): 49-56. Goklany, Indur M. "The Future of Food." Forum for Applied Research and Public Policy 16, no. 2 (Summer 2001): 59-65. | Discussion Questions (PDF) |
| 11 | Structuring the Critique Writing a Summary Citing Sources | (no readings) | Citing Sources (PDF) |
| 13 | Review Student Written Abstracts Case Discussion: Tacoma Bridge Collapse General Introduction to the Literature Review | Warwick, Kevin. "Cyborg morals, cyborg values, cyborg ethics." Ethics and Information Technology 5, no. 3 (2003): 131-137. "Tacoma Bridge Collapse." In Engineering Ethics. | |
| 14 | Case Discussion: Bhopal Disaster Overview of Assignment Requirements for Formal Paper 3: Literature Review Overview of Sample Literature Reviews | "Bhopal Disaster." In Engineering Ethics. Sample Literature Reviews Brown, Robert D., and Copper, Susan M. "The Nutritional, Ecological, and Ethical Arguments Against Baiting and Feeding White-Tailed Deer." Wildlife Society Bulletin 34, no. 2 (June 2006): 519-524. Colvin, Jan, and Jane Lanigan. "Ethical Issues and Best Practice for Internet Research." Journal of Family and Consumer Science 97, no. 3 (September 2005): 34-39. Peslak, Alan R. "An Ethical Exploration of Privacy and Radio Frequency Identification." Journal of Business Ethics 59 (2005): 327-345. | Overview of Sample Literature Reviews (PDF) |
| 15 | Library Visit | MIT Libraries: Barton Basics | |
| 16 | Overview of (More) Sample Literature Reviews Structuring the Paper (Writing the Introduction, Body, and Conclusion) | Sample Literature Reviews Language and Gender: A Brief Literature Review Biosensors Class: Contact Guidance Apes and Langauge: Literature Review (PDF)# from the official Web site for Diane Hacker, author of A Pocket Style Manual (please see study materials for more information) Adolescent Depression (PDF)# from Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL) | Discussion Questions for Sample Literature Reviews (PDF) |
| 17 | Workshop: Literature Review Case Discussion: The Ford Pinto Case | "The Ford Pinto Case." In Engineering Ethics. | |
| 20 | Case Discussion: Whistleblowing Requirements for the Proposal Assignment | "Whistleblowing." In Engineering Ethics. | |
| 22 | Workshop: Proposal Strategies for Effective Visual Aids Case Discussion: Columbia Shuttle Disaster | "Columbia Shuttle Disaster." In Engineering Ethics. |
Courses:
Introduction to Technical Communication: Ethics in Science and Technology >> Content Detail
Table of Contents
Study Materials
Readings
| When you click the Amazon logo to the left of any citation and purchase the book (or other media) from Amazon.com, MIT OpenCourseWare will receive up to 10% of this purchase and any other purchases you make during that visit. This will not increase the cost of your purchase. Links provided are to the US Amazon site, but you can also support OCW through Amazon sites in other regions. Learn more. |
This section contains documents that could not be made accessible to screen reader software. A "#" symbol is used to denote such documents.
This section features the various reading material for the course. Readings range from articles to case studies to sample papers.
Main Texts
MacKenzie, Nancy R. Science and Technology Today: Readings for Writers. New York, NY: Bedford/St. Martin's Press, 1994. ISBN: 9780312096922.
Harris, Jr., Charles E., Michael S. Pritchard, and Michael J. Rabins. Engineering Ethics: Concepts and Cases. 3rd ed. Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2004. ISBN: 9780534605797. (See the book's companion site for brief summaries of some of the cases.)
Readings by Session
Please note: Not all sessions have assigned readings or handouts. Please refer to the calendar for details for all sessions.