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Newly Updated Graduate Course - Fall 2020 CSI 639: Ethics in Scientific Research (3 credits) Dr. John Lyver - Tuesdays 7:20-10 p.m.

CSI 639 presents the basics of ethics as they relate to a MASON researcher and as a scientifically-related professional. This course will focus on needed skills to be ethical in your work as well as protecting yourself from unethical people. Topics will include: 

  • What is Ethics, Trust, and Honor?
  • Protecting your reputation, your data, and your intellectual property
  • Ethics and the Law
  • Ethical scientific research
  • Critically examining data for ethical fairness
  • Ethics in the workplace and standing up for ethical principles.

 The class will use a combination of readings and short case studies. Student discussions will be extensively used to analyze, defend, and examine ethical topics through collaboration. Additionally, guest lecturers from ethically related fields within and outside of MASON will be used. Students will use ethical principles to be critical in developing and reviewing scientific research. The final week of the course will be to examine the NASA Space Shuttle Challenger Accident for ethical successes and failures that led to the accident.

CSI 639 is intended for scientifically oriented graduate students without getting too involved in psychology, societal, and legal backgrounds. The instructor, Dr. John Lyver, is a retired Navy veteran with nearly 4 decades in government service as an Engineering manager with a career that spanned from R&D to the White House and beyond. 

Seating for CSI-639 scheduled Tuesday evenings this fall will be limited, so sign up early to reserve a spot for this thought-provoking course.