Overview

Some believe that ethics cannot be taught; that is, that our morals are hardwired and that, in stressful situations or in situations where our personal interests are at stake, we will always respond instinctively rather than with a reasoned response. This course assumes that this is not true, that ethical decision making is a worthy goal, and that every conscientious leader should work toward perfection in that quality of their character. The overall goal of this course is to help you explore and appreciate the fundamentals of ethics, the importance of a leader's ethics, and the indisputable effect of a leader's ethics on their team, their organization, and on society as a whole. This specialization can be taken for academic credit as part of CU Boulder’s Master of Engineering in Engineering Management (ME-EM) degree offered on the Coursera platform. The ME-EM is designed to help engineers, scientists, and technical professionals move into leadership and management roles in the engineering and technical sectors. With performance-based admissions and no application process, the ME-EM is ideal for individuals with a broad range of undergraduate education and/or professional experience. Learn more about the ME-EM program at https://www.coursera.org/degrees/me-engineering-management-boulder.

Syllabus

Course 1: A Theoretical Origin of Ethics in Business and Tech Industry
Course 2: Avoiding Ethical Pitfalls in the Tech Industry
Course 3: Ethical Decision Making for Success in the Tech Industry

Courses

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15 hours 6 minutes
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This course focuses on the theoretical origins of ethics. There are many possible paths, but it seems that ethics found its origins in the early days after the emergence of Homo Sapiens. The discussion here recognizes that many believe in Creation and many believe in Evolution. For the purposes of this study, the evolutionary path is assumed and the course develops from there. Included in the discussion are summaries from various sources about the time of emergence of Homo Sapiens, the slow development of group dynamics, the establishment of what we now call human nature, and a brief discussion of where we, as a culture, are going – at least from an ethical perspective. This course can be taken for academic credit as part of CU Boulder’s Master of Engineering in Engineering Management (ME-EM) degree offered on the Coursera platform. The ME-EM is designed to help engineers, scientists, and technical professionals move into leadership and management roles in the engineering and technical sectors. With performance-based admissions and no application process, the ME-EM is ideal for individuals with a broad range of undergraduate education and/or professional experience. Learn more about the ME-EM program at https://www.coursera.org/degrees/me-engineering-management-boulder.
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15 hours 17 minutes
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This course focuses on what went wrong. That is, it focuses on the difficulty every manager experiences and how some make the mistake of following an incorrect ethical path. Examined are operating “in the gray”, whether we are driven by rational thinking or intuition, and the possibility of the deliberate infliction of a negative act. Each of these is not an uncommon occurrence. Indeed, operating in the gray is a topic that comes up often in conversations with managers and leaders at every level. The goal of this course is to understand how things can go wrong and how those ethical mistakes affect one’s team, the company, and the society at large. These possible errors are not easily seen and sometimes, for leaders and managers, appear without warning. Stopping them is, many times, a function of ethical awareness and the courage to act. This course can be taken for academic credit as part of CU Boulder’s Master of Engineering in Engineering Management (ME-EM) degree offered on the Coursera platform. The ME-EM is designed to help engineers, scientists, and technical professionals move into leadership and management roles in the engineering and technical sectors. With performance-based admissions and no application process, the ME-EM is ideal for individuals with a broad range of undergraduate education and/or professional experience. Learn more about the ME-EM program at https://www.coursera.org/degrees/me-engineering-management-boulder.