The Berkeley Seminar Program is designed to provide students with the opportunity to explore an intellectual topic with a faculty member in a small seminar setting. Berkeley Seminars are offered in all college departments, and topics vary from department to department and semester to semester.

This seminar explores the ethical issues of corporate behavior as well as lack of government oversight leading to crashes of the newest commercial passenger airplane. Within two years of its first commercial flight, the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft suffered two crashes within five months of each other. In both incidents, pilots could not control the aircraft shortly after takeoff resulting in tragic crashes with no survivors. Despite the similar characteristics of the two crashes, the FAA resisted international pressure to ground the aircraft, but then grounded it for nineteen months. Due to concerns about financial losses, there was pressure to resume the use of the 737 MAX for commercial passenger flight as soon as possible notwithstanding continued safety concerns. The FAA ungrounded it in November 2020, despite many lingering safety questions. Examination of the many factors that led to these disastrous consequences illuminates disquieting ethical issues of corporate behavior and lack of government oversight. The crashes were due to a flawed design and there is a complex web of concerns involved. At the heart is a computer software that controls the aircraft (Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System, or MCAS) which was a key element in the crashes. Possible topics to be discussed include physics of flight, aeronautics, avionics, aircraft design, engineering ethics and the social responsibility of engineers, corporate interest and business ethics, the role of responsible government, issues of increased reliance on complex software replacing humans, etc. This seminar will require students to research and present some of the issues involved in this timely matter. Students from all academic disciplines are welcome and encouraged to enroll. The class will not meet every week. Professor Barsky will work out exact arrangements directly with the students. Attendance at all classes and other course-related activities is required to receive a “pass” grade, except for prior arrangement with the instructor or documented emergencies. “Guidelines Concerning Scheduling Conflicts with Academic Requirements” state “faculty may decline to enroll students in a class who cannot be present at all scheduled activities.” This class could switch to an online format if circumstances warrant. This seminar is participating in the Food for Thought program.

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