Imagination and Moral Deliberation: A Case Study of an Ethics Discussion Session

Despite the important advances in engineering ethics education, key problems with mainstream engineering ethics instruction have not been completely addressed. One critical aspect that has been overlooked in engineering education literature is the role of imagination in our moral deliberation. The lack of attention to one's values, background and experiences, treating mind and body as two separate entities, and downplaying the role of imagination as merely an emotional regulator, contribute to neglect for imaginative rationality one may engage in dealing with moral problems. We designed and implemented an ethics discussion session as part of the professional development activities in a National Science Foundation's Research Experiences for Undergraduate (NSF REU) program, in which we prioritized imagination as an essential character of moral reasoning and deliberation. In this paper, we describe the theoretical perspectives, the innovative ethics curriculum, and evaluation methods. Finally, we conclude with the results and reflection on the connection between the conceptual foundation and instructional choices.