Course 2: Ethics and Law (Language Based)

Description

The Ethics and Law Exam Preparation course is designed to present both the content and language problems related to PEO's Professional Practice Exam (PPE). It highlights the grammar, technical legal vocabulary, and writing skills engineers should be aware of to successfully write the test. It covers the official syllabus dictated by PEO. We believe it takes more than just a crash course over the weekend to effectively learn the subject matter and answer PPE questions, and that is why the course is offered in eight 2.5 hour sessions to better understand and discuss engineering ethical and legal issues. The course length also provides an opportunity to see a significant improvement in the engineer's English professional language skills through a routine of communicative classroom activities and homework.

Objective

To help the engineer with both the content and language of the Professional Practice Exam administered by Professional Engineers Ontario. He or she will be able to solve engineering law and ethics problem and write coherent answers to exam questions.

Who should attend

Whether you want to pass the PPE and make a lifetime investment in the principles of ethics and law governing engineering in Canada, English is your second language, or you are an internationally educated engineer, this is the course designed for you. It is also particularly useful to improve the engineer's formal English speaking and writing skills.

An example of language (grammatical) analysis from the Law section

1. Rephrase the following sentence from a court ruling.

2. Explain its grammar.

"House of Lords held that, had there not been an express disclaimer of responsibility from the defendant bank, the defendant bank would have been liable to provide compensation to the plaintiff for the financial loss that resulted from the defendant bank's negligent misrepresentation." (Source: Law for Professional Engineers, D.L. Marston, 1996, p36)

Answer 1. " Because the bank had stated that its service was without responsibility , the bank could not have been held responsible for its negligence."

Answer 2. The sentence "... had there not been ..., the defendant bank ... ." is a conditional type III sentence. It can be rephrased as, "... if there had not been .... ."

3. What would be the difference between the "the defendant bank" and "the defendant's bank"?

Answer 3. "The defendant's bank" means the bank, which the defendant had an account, etc. with. The bank and the defendant would be two different persons. But " the defendant bank" means the bank was the defendant. There is only one person: only the bank, which was in the defendant position.

Program outcomes

The engineers will discuss the following topics and write the answers questions:

Engineering Law

• How does the Canadian legal system work?
  
• What is tort liability?
• Contract issues
  
  • What are limitation periods?
    
  • What is the difference between proof "beyond reasonable doubt" and proof "on a balance of probabilities?"
    
  • What are the elements of a contract?
    • What is an offer and acceptance?
      
    • What is an option contract?
      
    • What is intent?
      
    • What is consideration?
      
    • Who has the capacity to contract?
      
    • How can a contract be considered void?
  • How does the statute of frauds relate to contracts?
    
  • How can a contract be rescinded?
    • Misrepresentation
      
    • Duress
      
    • Undue influence
  • What should an engineer do in the event of a mistake?
    
  • What are Contracts A and B?
    
  • In what ways can contracts be interpreted?
    • Liberal v. strict interpretation
  • How are contracts discharged?
    • Performance
      
    • Agreement
      
    • Express terms
      
    • Frustration
  • What is a breach of contract?
    
  • What is fundamental breach?
    
  • What should an engineer know about his or her contract with clients?
    
  • Construction contracts
    • What are engineers' roles in a construction contract?
      
    • should an engineer give advice to a contractor?
      
    • what's the engineer's role in contract administration?
      
    • What kind of problems can arise as a result of preparing drawings a specifications?
      
    • What is the engineer's role in the tendering process?
      
    • What are the different forms of construction contracts?
• What are arbitration and mediation?
  
• What is a construction lien?
  
• What should an engineer know about industrial property rights?
  
• What employment laws should the engineers be aware of?

Text

D. L. Marston, Law for Professional Engineers, 3rd Edition 1996, McGraw-Hill Ryerson, ISBN: 007552628-X

Professional Ethics

• How is engineering regulated in Canada?
  
• What are definitions of professional status?
  
• What constitutes professional misconduct as per R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 941, s. 72?
  
• What is the engineer's code of ethics in Ontario as per R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 941, s. 77?
  
• What is the purpose of PEO?
  
• What are the philosophical foundations of ethics?
  
• What are the main ethical theories?
  • Utilitarianism
    
  • Duty ethics
    
  • Rights ethics
    
  • Virtue Ethics
• How can these theories be used to solve ethical problems?
  
• what are the classes of duties of an engineer?
  
• How can an engineer solve ethical problems in industry, management, and private practice?
  
• What are the disciplinary powers of PEO?

Text

Gordon C. Andrews: Canadian Professional Engineering and Geoscience: Practice and Ethics, Nelson Thomson Learning, ISBN: 0175415947