Ethical Decision-Making in the Tech Industry

About this course

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.

Course objectives

• to cultivate ethical leadership qualities
• to encourage reasoned responses in stressful situations
• to explore the societal implications of ethical choices in tech