Introduction - Dr. Easa

CEN800

Law and Ethics in Engineering Practice

Course Description

Study of the legal and ethical aspects of engineering practice, including Canadian legal system and business organizations, tort liability, business contract law, intellectual and industrial property, principles of arbitration and alternative dispute resolution, the practice of engineering, occupational health and safety, ethical aspects of engineering practice, ethical dilemmas in project management, sustainable development and ethical behavior, and globalization and international standards for ethical and social responsibility.

Instructors

Weeks

• Robert Beaumont 1, 6

• Rocco Sebastiano 2, 3

• Andrew Wong 4, 5

(7 midterm exam)

• Said Easa 8, 9

• Marc Rosen 10, 11

• Robert White 12, 13

Texts• Canadian Professional Engineering and Geoscience :Practice and Ethics, Andrews, G, 4nd edition, Thomson Nelson , 2009.

• Law for Professional Engineers, 4rd Edition, Marston, McGraw Hill Ryerson, 2008.

• Workbook and Handouts for Law and Ethics in Engineering Practice (CEN800), Ryerson University, 2010.

• ISO/DIS 26000 Social Responsibility:www.ISO.org or Ryerson Blackboard.

Course Evaluation

First Examination 45%

Second Examination 45%

Quiz on Health and Safety (online) 5% Quiz on Sustainable Development (online) 5%

Exams

Midterm exam Week 7 Two hours, multiple-choice, closed book (covers Weeks 1-6)

Final examDuring exam periodTwo hours, closed-book (covers Weeks 8-13)

Learning Objectives At the end of this course, the successful student will be able to:• Incorporate the public interest in decision-making processes (8b)• Become aware of regulations governing professional practice, such as

Professional Engineers Act (8c) • Consider economic, social, and environmental factors in decisions (9a)• Able to recognize and understand basic legal principles relating to

business organizations, the Canadian legal system, torts, contracts and other legal issues that are faced by engineers in their practices (10b)

• Able to evaluate competing legal principles and to analyze issues in terms of these legal principles and to either make decisions accordingly or to seek professional legal assistance (10b)

• Able to assess ethical risks and evaluate situations and actions in terms of the professional code of ethics for engineers, with a focus on that for Ontario (10a)

• Able to evaluate competing values in decision making, analyze components of a decision in terms of professional codes of ethics and other ethical guidelines, and make decisions accordingly (10a)

• Understands and accepts responsibility for the impact of his/her

decisions and activities on stakeholders including society and the environment (10a)

• Adheres to guidelines dictating use of intellectual property and contractual issues (10b)

• . Able to evaluate and apply equity principles.(10c)• Recognize the need to keep current regarding new developments in

the field (12b)

Note: Numbers in parentheses refer to the graduate attributes required by the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board. For more information, see: http://www.feas.ryerson.ca/quality_assurance/accreditation.pdf

Office Hours

Mondays: 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm.

MON409

Important Notes

2. All of the required course-specific written reports will be assessed not only on their technical/academic merit, but also on the communication skills exhibited through these reports.• Should a student miss a mid-term test or equivalent (e.g. studio or presentation), with appropriate documentation, a make-up will be scheduled as soon as possible in the same semester. Make-ups should cover the same material as the original assessment but need not be of an identical format. Only if it is not possible to schedule such a make-up may the weight of the missed work be placed on the final exam, or another single assessment. This may not cause that exam or assessment to be worth more than 70% of the student’s final grade. If a student misses a scheduled make-up test or exam, the grade may be distributed over other course assessments even if that makes the grade on the final exam worth more than 70% of the final grade in the course.3. Students who miss a final exam for a verifiable reason and who cannot be given a make-up exam prior to the submission of final course grades, must be given a grade of INC (as outlined in the Grading Promotion and Academic Standing Policy) and a make-up exam (normally within 2 weeks of the beginning of the next semester) that carries the same weight and measures the same knowledge, must be scheduled.4. Medical or Compassionate documents for the missing of an exam must be submitted within 3 working days of the exam. Students are responsible for notifying the instructor that they will be missing an exam as soon as possible.5. Requests for accommodation of specific religious or spiritual observance must be presented to the instructor no later than two weeks prior to the conflict in question (in the case of final examinations within two weeks of the release of the examination schedule). In extenuating circumstances this deadline may be extended. If the dates are not known well in advance because they are linked to other conditions, requests should be submitted as soon as possible in advance of the required observance. Given that timely requests will prevent difficulties with arranging constructive accommodations, students are strongly encouraged to notify the instructor of an observance accommodation issue within the first two weeks of classes. 6. The results of the first test of mid-term test will be returned to students before the dead line to drop an undergraduate course in good Academic Standing. 7. Students are required to adhere to all relevant University policies including:Student Code of Academic Conduct (www.ryerson.ca/senate/policies/pol60.pdf)Non-Academic Conduct (www.ryerson.ca/senate/policies/pol61.pdf)8. Students are required to obtain and maintain a Ryerson Matrix e-mail account for timely communications between the instructor and the students.9. Any changes in the course outline, test dates, marking or evaluation will be discussed in class prior to being implemented.