Code Analysis Assignment

A.  Choose the code of the engineering field you are studying (or if you are not an engineering major, simply choose one of the codes).  Many of the codes are found in the back of our textbook, HPR.   There are also links to most of the codes on the class website.

Here are a few likely to be relevant to our class:

Software Engineering Code of Ethics and Professional Practice at http://www.acm.org/serving/se/code.htm   and also at http://www.computer.org/portal/site/ieeecs/menuitem.c5efb9b8ade9096b8a9ca0108bcd45f3/index.jsp?&pName=ieeecs_level1&path=ieeecs/content&file=ethics.xml&xsl=generic.xsl&;jsessionid=FlTWsPm1qlLx78yZQF2cXPmJHkGFnCPN5LLLJv8N0z96pwgxLBnh!1932074387 Note:  This code is approved by ACM and the IEEE-CS

ACM at http://www.acm.org/constitution/code.html

ASME Ethics Center including Code of Ethics  at  http://www.asme.org/NewsPublicPolicy/Ethics/Ethics_Center.cfm

  IEEE at http://www.ieee.org/portal/pages/iportals/aboutus/ethics/code.html

NSPE (National Society of Professional Engineers) at http://www.nspe.org/ethics/eh1-code.asp#

B. Write a paragraph in response to each of the following questions. 

1.  How is the Code structured?  For example, Is it organized with general principles first and then detailed explanations?  Is it organized by groups of people to whom an engineer has responsibilities?   Does it treat obligations in rank order, i.e., in priority of importance?

2.  What areas of concern/practice does the code focus upon?   This might be general such as non-discrimination, health and safety, environment, etc.  Or, it might be more specific such as product standards, sealing documents, etc.

3.  How much weight is given to ethical issues in relation to various audiences such as the public,  clients,  employers, suppliers,  fellow engineers, the profession, and oneself?  (this may overlap with question 2.)

4.  To what extent does the code seem to reflect one or more of the following ethical approaches:  utilitarian (act and/or rule), Kantian (including universal law form and never as a means only form of the CI), rights based, or virtue?  Give an example to illustrate each approach that you find.

5.  Do you see any key points at which conflicts might arise for engineers trying to follow elements/items of the code?  Discuss at least one.

6.  What purposes does the code seem to have been designed to accomplish?   These may be explicit or implicit.  That is, some codes may spell out the purpose(s) and others may imply the purpose(s).  Even when codes spell out the purposes, there may also be implicit purposes as well.

7. Name one item you might add to the code and one you might eliminate.  Explain why briefly in each case.

8.  Any other comments that occur to you on analyzing the code.  One item it might be interesting to consider is whether the code appears to be responding to any famous (or notorious) real life cases.