Readings

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.

Course readings.
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	Carson, Rachel. "The Obligation to Endure," chapter 2 in Silent Spring. 104th anniversary ed. New York, NY: Mariner Books, 2002. ISBN: 9780618249060. (Originally published in 1962. Any edition will do.) "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.
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 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.