Ethics of Science and Technology

Scientific knowledge and technology do not only shape the way its users live and act in the world, but also depend on specific visions about how they should live in it, about how the world should look like, and about how humans should relate to one another. This doctoral school is focused on developing critical awareness about the values that are embedded in science and technology throughout the lifecycle from design to development, and management, control, production, adoption and use.

  • Module 1: 22/04/2021 through 25/04/2021
  • Module 2: 26/05/2021 through 29/05/2021
  • Module 3: 23/06/2021 through 26/06/2021

Keywords: Ethics, Responsibility, Values, Governance

Where

The school is composed of three modules. The first two modules will take place online, the third will take place online and on the Lecco campus of Politecnico di Milano if the Covid situation allows this.

Application

The course is full at the moment. To be placed on the waiting list, qualified and interested applicants may provide a CV and motivation letter to the course coordinator based at their home university: PoliMi, TU Delft, ETH Zurich, Chalmers or RWTH

Expenses

Normally, there are no registration, tuition, and accommodation fees. Typically, students from IDEA League member universities selected to participate in this doctoral school only have to pay for their own travel costs.

The school is organized around 3 main themes: responsibility, values and governance. Each theme is the focus of one of the 3 long weekends of which the school is composed. These themes are articulated under different disciplinary and methodological perspectives.

After having completed this doctoral school, you will:

  • be acquainted with established ethical norms and concepts
  • be able to identify ethical issues in their domain of research
  • develop the ability to argue about ethical issues in science and technology drawing on specialized literature and ethical frameworks
  • learn about challenges, opportunities and criticalities of addressing
  • ethical issues through design.

Find more detailed information about the content in the brochure linked here.

Programme

Module Details
Module 1: Responsibility 22/04/2021 through 25/04/2021

This module is organized by RWTH Aachen and will be held online

Coordinators: Saskia Nagel (RWTH Aachen), Behnam Taebi (TU Delft)

Module 2: Values 26/05/2021 through 29/05/2021

This module is organized by TU Delft and will be held online (if possible in a hybrid form)

Coordinators: Behnam Taebi and Janna van Grunsven (TU Delft), Viola Schiaffonati (Politecnico di Milano)

Module 3: Governance 23/06/2021 through 26/06/2021

This module is organized by Politecnico di Milano. It will take place in Milan, but also online for those who cannot travel. 

Coordinators: Viola Schiaffonati (Politecnico di Milano), Alessandro Blasimme (ETH Zurich)