MA in Applied Ethics Online Executive Program: Responsibly Managing Technology

Masters of Arts in Applied Ethics and the Professions Online Executive Program

The Masters of Arts in Applied Ethics Online Executive Program: Responsibly Managing Technology is an ON-LINE DEGREE PROGRAM and will be available in January of 2011.  Please check back in March of 2010 for details and application information about the program.

In addition to tuition, A ONE-TIME REGISTRATION FEE OF $10,500 WILL BE DUE AT TIME OF ENROLLMENT.   This additional fee supports the on-line only aspect of this degree.

The Exectuive Program will be a 1-3 year program.  This will be an on-line degree program ONLY.  Applicants must have computer proficiency and expertise in using a word processing package, a presentation software package, an e-mail package, and an Internet browser with high-speed access.

2 courses, 9 credit hours

Required Courses:

• AEX 585: Future Tense: 20th Century Ethics and 21st Century Technologies (3 credit hours)

This course will examine the difficulties that the traditional ethical theories will encounter in dealing with the issues that have already occurred and that are anticipated to occur with the emerging technologies in our everyday lives. It will investigate the serious ethical and social concerns that are likely to arise with regard to pharmaceutical and genetic human enhancement, prolonged human lifespan, microscopic nano-sensors in most aspects of everyday life, lab-created life-forms, pervasive surveillance, tactile virtual world existence, etc. It will raise questions about what modifications will need to be made in our ethical evaluative practices to better handle the challenges of deciding on the moral value of the applications of the emerging technologies and what sort of regulation in managing transformational technologies can be justifiably and practically employed.

• AEX 586: Capstone Project (6 credit hours)

The purpose of the capstone project is for the students to apply their skills and abilities with identifying, analyzing, and resolving ethical issues within their professional context. This project will be a summative experience where students will bring their knowledge of ethics and reasoning about ethical issues to bear in a real life context. The Capstone supervisor must approve a student's project and examine the portfolio the student creates as evidence of completion of the project. The Capstone supervisor sets the requirements for what must be included in a portfolio for a student to demonstrate satisfactory completion of the project.

Course Selections

7 Courses, 3 Credit Hours Each, 21 Credit Hours Total

• AEX 570: Ethical Issues in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Robotics

An examination of the ethical and policy challenges of advanced ICTs (e.g. fourth generation wireless communication, radio frequency identification, face recognition, pervasive computing, virtual reality) and advanced robotics, including such issues as privacy, security, digital divide, freedom of choice, information overload, intellectual property, safety-critical systems, moral agency, free will, human identity, social roles, and potential marginalization of humans.

• AEX 571: Earth Systems Engineering and Management

An examination of the conceptual and practical challenges arising from the design, operation and management of earth systems in the context of the anthropogenic earth, characterized by integrated human/natural/built complex adaptive systems at local, regional and global scales. Emphasis will be on systems behavior and evolution, and associated cultural, ethical, and managerial behaviors, with a focus on the need for multidisciplinary approaches, and the historical and current patterns in technological evolution.

• AEX 572: Technological Catastrophes: Responsibly Management of High Risk Technologies

An interdisciplinary examination of the human, organizational and technical factors contributing to the causes and impacts of major technological accidents, such as the Bhopal chemical leak, the space shuttle Challenger explosion, the Chernobyl nuclear accident, and the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Evaluation of risk assessment, risk perception and risk communication strategies. Consideration of managing risk in complex technological systems.

• AEX 573: Biotechnology: Science, Law & Policy

This course will examine the legal, regulatory, scientific, policy and ethical aspects of biotechnology, focusing on genetically engineered plants, animals, foods, drugs, vaccines, and other products. Among the issues to be covered include an overview of the scientific methods for genetically engineering plants and animals, the risks and benefits of genetically modified (GM) crops and animals, the regulation of GM foods and other products, labeling of biotechnology products, regulatory issues relating to biopharmaceuticals, liability issues, intellectual property issues, antitrust and business law issues, contamination issues, the role of the public in GM decision, state and local regulation, international regulation, international trade, bioprospecting/biopiracy, and bioterrorism.

• AEX 574: Genetics and The Law

Many commentators have predicted that the next few decades will usher in a new era of genetics, in which advances in genetic technology will fundamentally transform society, the economy, and our day-to-day lives. This genetics revolution will likely have consequences even more dramatic and profound than the current revolution in computer technology. already, advances in genetic sciences are having a substantial impact on diverse areas such as criminal law, health care, agriculture and pharmaceuticals. This course will examine current and near future applications of genetics, and will explore the policy, legal and ethical aspects of genetic technologies including genetic testing, genetic therapy, genetic enhancement, stem cells, cloning, gene patenting, genetic privacy, forensic uses of DNA, and reproductive technologies.

• AEX 575: Bioethics and the Emerging Biotechnologies

 

• AEX 576: Neurotechnologies and the Future

 

• AEX 577: Nanotechnology, Law, and Policy

Nanotechnology, often described as the next "big thing" in technology, is the science of the small - the ability to manipulate and utilize materials at the "nanoscale" level, where they display unique and beneficial characteristics. Nanotechnology is expected to revolutionize electronics, medicine, agriculture, materials science, consumer products, manufacturing, and many other industries. Already, several hundred nanotechnology products are on the market, and many more are currently being developed. This course will provide an overview of the legal, policy and ethical issues relating to nanotechnology, including risk management, national and international regulation, intellectual property, privacy issues, and liability issues.

• AEX 579: Industrial Ecology and Design for Sustainability

An examination of the conceptual, ethical and practical challenges arising from the design, manufacture, and lifecycle performance of products, and the services they enable, in a global economy where environmental and social considerations are increasingly important, thereby enabling more competitive and functional product development and manufacture.

• AEX 580: Future Technologies and The Professions

This course will analyze how various professional managers (including corporate executives, attorneys, scientists, engineers, physicians, and other professionals) address ethical and policy challenges presented by new technologies. The course will use a case study approach that focuses on the analysis and lessons to be learned from the actions of various professionals in real-life examples.