Industrial Engineering & Management
Module 3: Introduction to Philosophy of Technology & Ethics
To provide a fruitful basis for further courses in Reflection on Science, Technology, and Society, students are first familiarized with the ways in which society, technology, and science are deeply interwoven. Next, those topics are brought in closer contact with students’ future professions by relating them to topics in engineering ethics and the ethics of design. Lastly, reflection skills are further developed by introducing normative theory and how to put it to work in ethical argumentation about technological interventions related to the theme of the module, and Industrial Engineering & Management more generally.
RESTS Teacher: Jan-Peter Bergen (Section Philosophy)
Module 6: Interdisciplinary Collaboration
In this joint module for Industrial Design Engineering, Industrial Engineering & Management, and Mechanical Engineering, students are introduced to a taxonomy of interdisciplinarity to stimulate critical reflection on disciplinary, multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary work. Students learn to better understand the epistemologies of their own disciplines in relation to other scientific fields. In addition, by describing a real lived experience of their own project group, and reflecting on other groups’ experiences, students gain deeper insight into the dynamics that are part of interdisciplinary teamwork.
RESTS Teacher: Andrea Kottmann (KiTeS)
Module 7: Corporate Social Responsibility & Societal Embedding
Students are introduced to basic questions and tensions related to corporate social responsibility and responsible innovation. Furthermore, they are introduced to a set of mapping tools to reflect on the societal embedding and societal impact of technologies in general and the product developed in their project in particular. On this basis, they develop a strategy for the responsible societal embedding of their project product.
RESTS Teacher: Kornelia Konrad (KiTeS)
Module 11: Philosophical Reflection on Scientific and Engineering Research (Ethics & Science Visions, Professional and Academic Development)
This module aims to help students develop the competence to critically but constructively reflect on (engineering) research. To do so, research is approached from different philosophical angles, including reflection on scientific approaches to knowledge and its justification, the political aspects of the scientific enterprise, the crucial overlap and differences between scientific and engineering research and between the knowledge they produce, research ethics and scientific integrity, and sources of (and possible conflicts between) professional responsibilities of engineering researchers.
RESTS Teacher: Jan-Peter Bergen (Section Philosophy)