In 2018, the Academic Degrees Office of the State Council made Engineering Ethics a compulsory course for graduate students pursuing professional degrees in engineering. "Ethics of Water Engineering" imparts elementary knowledge of engineering ethics and guides future engineers to prioritize the safety, health, and welfare of the public, and to implement the concept of green and sustainable development in engineering.
With the development of modern engineering technology, ethical conflicts constantly emerge in engineering decision-making and practice, triggering people's reflection on engineering behavior and engineers' identification of ethical choices in concrete engineering practices. Why is Dujiangyan a great marvel of ancient Chinese hydraulic engineering? What development stages does Erhai Lake go through from initial development to lake closure? Why do citizens in multiple locations gather to oppose the PX project? What are the details of the escalator accident caused by a single screw? Why is the water area of the Aral Sea gradually disappearing? What ethical issues are involved in the Chernobyl nuclear disaster? What is the " Engineer’s ring "? What reflections does the Quebec Bridge's truss instability incident trigger? Why is there widespread controversy over the Nu River hydropower development project? What impacts did the Minamata disease incident in Japan bring? What caused the Songhua River water pollution incident... With these questions in mind, welcome to join this course.
The course revolves around the significance of engineering ethics education, with main topics including: introduction; engineering and ethics; risk, safety, and responsibility in engineering; values, interests, and fairness in engineering; sustainable development in engineering; environmental ethics in engineering activities, ecological civilization and engineering ethics, case studies in hydraulic engineering ethics, and professional ethics for engineers in engineering activities.
The course is delivered in a lively manner, with rich and easy-to-understand content. It organically integrates theoretical learning with engineering case analysis, and incorporates implicit ideological and political education into the course. Guided by Xi Jinping's ecological civilization ideology, the course aims to cultivate a strong awareness of engineering ethics and guide learners to practice an engineering perspective that promotes green and sustainable development. The ultimate goal is to build a modern and powerful nation that fosters harmonious coexistence between humans and nature.
