Preparing Ethical Chemists through a Sophomore Seminar Course

Abstract

Ethics is an important part of science and is often omitted from a packed undergraduate curriculum. This paper describes a sophomore seminar course developed for chemistry majors that focuses on career preparation and the improvement of essential student skills, such as communication skills and preparation for independent research. The central unifying theme of our course was scientific ethics. The seminar course offered multiple opportunities for students to evaluate, share, and develop an understanding of scientific ethics. Through this course we have demonstrated that sophomore students, who typically lack a higher understanding of chemistry, can still be exposed to, discuss and understand ethical ideas. The work completed by the students, including discussions and presentations, demonstrated their understanding of ethical concerns in a scientific environment and has better prepared them for advanced undergraduate work and their future careers in science.