Workshop: Codes of Ethics

In-class version, last update 3/10/2022

Every profession seems to have one

We could try searching for a couple of codes

• Idea: search for
  • boyfriend code of ethics
    • For a number of years this returned only
      • girlfriend codes of ethics
      • British Fencing (BF, get it?) code of ethics
      • A comment on our times?
    • F’21 – got one reasonable hit
    • Sp’22 – got one reasonable hit (same one?)
      • Still a comment on our times, just not as dramatic a comment!
    • Sp’24 – search algorithms are changing and results are more complicated
      • We could try or compare quoted search terms:
        • “boyfriend code of ethics” vs “girlfriend code of ethics”
        • Or try trends.google.com, e.g.:
          • https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=today%205-y&geo=US&q=%22boyfriend%20code%20of%20ethics%22,%22girlfriend%20code%20of%20ethics%22&hl=en
• We could try another experiment
  • online code of ethics?
  • chimpanzee code of ethics?
  • extraterrestrial code of ethics?
  • family code of ethics?

Codes of ethics vs. codes of conduct

• Code of ethics:
  • Principles, values for making ethical decisions
    • “Be friendly and respectful to all customers”
• Code of conduct:
  • Specifications about behavior
    • “Say, ‘Good morning/afternoon/evening, what can I help you with?’ ” when a customer walks in the door

• That’s the essence of it

• There is overlap/gray area between them

• Codes of ethics might be developed higher in the org chart than codes of conduct

• See https://keydifferences.com/difference-between-code-of-ethics-and-code-of-conduct.html
  • The keydifferences.com site is an interesting idea!

As a videoconference group, let’s…

• Make a code of ethics!
  
  • Pick your own idea!
    • . . . or . . .
  • Some ideas
    • Users of Facebook (or pick another service, or specify all social media)
    • Drivers
    • Bosses at work
    • Coworkers at work
    • Girlfriends
    • Mothers
    • Husbands
    • Wives
    • College students
  • Some ideas that groups chose in recent semesters
    • Engaged couple (for marriage)
    • Robots
    • Fathers
    • Boyfriends/guys code
    • Professors (sure, go ahead and say what you really think!)
    • Siblings
    • School project team members
    • Animal handlers for TV/movie

Videoconference class method: Put your suggested items for the code in the chat window. Feel free to suggest changes to someone else’s item(s), or add your own. If one code seems more or less done, we will go on to another code for another topic.

Covid update: put the code into the chat window and all participants will get credit for it.

Each student please hand in the code on a sheet of paper (people in the same group can have identical codes on separate paper).