This seminar explores the ethical issues of corporate behavior as well as lack of government oversight leading to several accidents
of the newest commercial passenger airplane, the Boeing 737 MAX. Within two years of its first commercial flight, it suffered two
crashes within five months of each other, on October 29, 2018 and March 10, 2019. Despite the similar characteristics of the two
crashes, the FAA resisted international pressure to ground the aircraft, but then grounded it for nineteen months. The FAA
ungrounded it on November 18, 2020, despite many lingering safety questions. On January 5, 2024, a door plug blew out on a 737
MAX at 16,000 feet altitude. These incidents were due to a flawed design and fundamental manufacturing issues. Examination of the
many factors that led to these disastrous consequences illuminates disquieting ethical issues of corporate behavior and lack of
government oversight. 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 necessarily 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.

Prof. Barsky became involved in this topic when his friend’s granddaughter was among the 346 people killed in the crashes. He met
with the head of the Aviation Accident Investigation Sub-Committee of the National Transportation Safety Committee of Indonesia in
Jakarta to obtain first-hand the details of the first crash. He is in frequent contact with many engineers, pilots, and consumer
advocates about this issue. Prof. Barsky has lectured globally on this topic. He was featured prominently in a recent Smithsonian
documentary shown in the U.S. and U.K. His has written about this issue in the Globe and Mail and Salon.com

Please email instructor for enrollment permission.

Repeat Rules

Course is not repeatable for credit.