2025 (Current Year) Faculty Courses School of Materials and Chemical Technology Department of Chemical Science and Engineering Graduate major in Chemical Science and Engineering

Researcher Ethics and Engineer Ethics

Academic unit or major: Graduate major in Chemical Science and Engineering
Instructor(s): Takashi Suzuki
Class Format: Lecture (Face-to-face)
Media-enhanced courses: -
Day of week/Period (Classrooms): 5-6 Fri (B2-223(B221))
Class: -
Course Code: CAP.E521
Number of credits: 100
Course offered: 2025
Offered quarter: 2Q
Syllabus updated: Apr 11, 2025
Language: English

Syllabus

Course overview and goals

Activities conducted by researchers and engineers must be trusted by society to gain social recognition. In order for researchers and engineers to be trusted, they must not only comply with the relevant laws, but also have a proper understanding of what they should be as researchers and engineers, and act with consideration for the public and the environment in the future. In this lecture, students can learn about the ethics that they should acquire as researchers and engineers.

Course description and aims

To acquire the ethical viewpoints necessary for researchers and engineers, as well as to understand how to solve ethical problems and to be able to think about actions that are acceptable to society.

Student learning outcomes

実務経験と講義内容との関連 (又は実践的教育内容)

For 16 years, the lecturer worked at a manufacturer of bulk pharmaceuticals and semiconductor-related electronic materials and chemicals, where the lecturer was involved in the mass production of research and development products. For 8 of those years, the lecturer held the position of plant manager, where the lecturer stood between researchers and engineers, resolving trade-offs in the organization. In 2019 the lecturer went independent as a consultant specializing in chemical plants, helping clients implement solutions to their problems, especially those related to people. Based on practical experience, the lecturer will explain the ethics of researchers and engineers.

Keywords

Researcher ethics, Engineer ethics Ethical values, Dual-use problem, Prevention of fraud, Autonomous management, Case study

Competencies

Specialist skills
Intercultural skills
Communication skills
Critical thinking skills
Practical and/or problem-solving skills

Class flow

Individual topics will be lectured.

Course schedule/Objectives

	Course schedule	Objectives
Class 1	Introduction / What are researcher ethics and engineer ethics?	To explore what it means for society to have trust in science, three globally recognized cases of research misconduct from the 21st century will be examined. To understand the impact of misconduct on the credibility of science and researchers, and to gain insight into the relationship between science and society, these cases will serve as key reference points.
Class 2	Responsibilities of researchers and engineers	To understand the ethical and professional responsibilities of researchers, the process through which research misconduct is carried out, detected, and addressed will be explored. The issue of dual-use technology, where scientific outcomes may be applied for military or harmful purposes, will also be discussed.
Class 3	Responsibilities of researchers and engineers ２	To understand who researchers and engineers are responsible to and how they should fulfil their responsibilities with regard to technologies that permeate society despite their unexplored aspects.
Class 4	Qualifications as a researchers and engineers	To understand that honesty is of paramount importance for researchers and engineers, using recent cases of research misconduct and corporate scandals as examples.
Class 5	Researchers / engineers in the organization and Organizational responsibility	To understand the position of researchers and engineers within the organization and consider the responsibilities of the organization. To consider the actions that should be taken when a conflict of interest arises.
Class 6	How to solve ethical problems	To understand traditional ethical problem-solving methods, such as utilitarianism and decision doubt theory, and their application to solving ethical problems related to researchers and engineers.
Class 7	International trends in chemical management	To understand what you should be as researchers and engineers living in internationalization through occupational accidents in the workplace, autonomous management of chemical substances, and risk assessment.
Class 8	Exam / Questionnaire

Study advice (preparation and review)

Textbook(s)

none

Reference books, course materials, etc.

Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Kagaku no kenzen na hatten no tameni, Maruzen Publishing, (2015)

Evaluation methods and criteria

The evaluation is based on essays and examinations assigned during lectures.

Related courses

none

Prerequisites

none