Abstract
A course focusing on ethical issues in physics has been taught to undergraduate students at Eastern Michigan University since 1988. The course covers both responsible conduct of research and ethical issues associated with how physicists interact with the rest of society. Since most undergraduate physics majors will not have a career in academia, it is important that a course such as this address issues that will be relevant to physicists in a wide range of job situations. There is a wealth of published work that can be drawn on for reading assignments.
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Notes
The Online Ethics Center for Engineering and Science at Case Western Reserve University maintains copies of relevant codes on its web site, www.onlineethics.org.
A good instructional laboratory safety manual can be found on a web site funded by the Maryland State Department of Education at http://www.mdk12.org/instruction/curriculum/science/safety/physics.html
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Thomsen, M. A course treating ethical issues in physics. SCI ENG ETHICS 13, 117–127 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11948-006-0004-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11948-006-0004-0