UGS0126 &0128

On Thu, Jan 26, 2012 at 3:56 PM, <schueler@udel.edu> wrote:

26 January 2012

To: Charles Boncelet, Electrical & Computer Engineering
      Fred T. Hofstetter, UGS Chair

From: Fred Schueler, Chair, Philosophy

The Philosophy Department supports the proposed changes in ELEG 491 from a 2 unit to a 3 unit course, as described below.

ELEG 491 is a requirement for the major, and a substantial component of the ELEG efforts to fulfill the ethics requirement of ABET.  It is now a 2-credit course; the content of the new course (see below), taught by Dr. Tom Powers (Philosophy and Director of the Center for Science, Ethics, & Public Policy), justifies more instruction and contact hours. A move to 3 credits is therefore advisable based on content alone, and has been suggested by external reviewers to ELEG. Dr. Powers has published widely in the subject area of the course, including in engineering (IEEE) and philosophy outlets.  It would be advantageous to the department and to students to have an instructor for this course who also has a research interest in the field....

There are no other ethics courses in this specific area taught at UD . PHIL 341 "Ethics of the Engineering Profession" was taught by  Philosophy Prof. (Emeritus) Paul Durbin in the 1990's and was an ELEG requirement.



Fred Schueler


G. F. Schueler
Email: schueler@udel.edu
Web Site: http://udel.edu/~schueler/

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