Online Course

“Good chemistry – Methodological, Ethical, and

Social Dimensions”

Introduction and Instructions

Conceptualisation and realisation by a cooperative task force:

• EuCheMS executive board

o President Pilar Goya

o Former president David Cole-Hamilton

o Secretariat (Nineta Hrastelj, Alex Schiphorst)

• EuCheMS Division of Chemical Education (DivCEd)

o Iwona Maciejowska

o Rachel Mamlok-Naaman

• European Chemistry Thematic Network (ECTN)

o Walter Zeller

o Bill Byers

o Paola Ambrogi

• EuCheMS Working Party on Ethics in Chemistry (WP EiC)

o Hartmut Frank

o Luigi Campanella

o Jan Mehlich

Table of Content Abstract ................................................................................................................................................... 2

Goals and Objectives ............................................................................................................................... 3

Target group ............................................................................................................................................ 4

Concept, content, intended learning outcomes ..................................................................................... 4

Organisation, recommended procedure ................................................................................................. 8

Technical Details for the Pilot Phase ................................................................................................. 10

Appendix: Class Details .......................................................................................................................... 11

Abstract This is the description of a course entitled "Good Chemistry - Methodological, Ethical, and Social

Dimensions", conceptualised and realised by a EuCheMS task force consisting of members of the

Division of Chemistry and Education (DivCEd), the Working Party on Ethics in Chemistry (WP EiC), and

the EuCheMS secretariat, with guidance and support from the former and the current EuCheMS

presidents, Prof. David Cole-Hamilton and Prof. Pilar Goya. The undertaken efforts are the response

to a growing demand for educational material on matters of research ethics and science ethics. It has

been concluded from insights collected in recent years that such a course should not only cover

aspects of good scientific practice (or negatively: scientific misconduct), but also address societal and

environmental impact, dual-use problems, sustainability and science communication. Moreover, the

course should start at the methodological level in order to connect the other topics closely to the

basics of scientific methods and the historical, philosophical and social roots of scientific inquiry. The

course syllabus consists of 16 classes covering various aspects of research methodology, research

ethics and social/environmental impact of chemical activity. Each class is structured around a video

lecture as its core and features pre-assessments and warm-up questions, introductory cases with

historical or fictional chemistry-related scenarios, reading assignments, interactive discussions and

workshops, and quizzes that allow instructors to check the students' progress. All material is

available through e-learning platforms like Moodle so that the whole course can be completed

online. It has been a central concern of the course creators that universities, faculties and institutes

that make use of the offer can be flexible in their choices according to their needs and preferences.

Completing the entire course is worth 2 ECTS, whereas a compilation of 8-10 of the classes may be

rewarded 1 ECTS. In the following, more details on idea, concept, goals and content on the course

are presented, as well as technical instructions for local moderators and the progress sheets for each

class.

Goals and Objectives The EuCheMS Working Party Ethics in Chemistry has discussed the possibilities of and requirements

for a university course "Ethics in Chemistry" since its formation about ten years ago. After collecting

and compiling insights on all the "ethical" facets of chemical activity (as in Mehlich et al., Chem. Eur.

J. 2017), it became clear that this topic covers more than the often mentioned good scientific

practice and scientific integrity. Moreover, reportedly, not all universities (or better: chemical

institutes at universities) offer training in research methodology and science theory, which - in many

ways - serve as the basis for normative evaluations of chemical activity (When is scientific practice

good? How can social and environmental impact be assessed, and what is the role of chemists in this

assessment?). Therefore, a course on ethics in chemistry should also cover this topic. In order to

avoid misunderstandings, especially the common worry that ethics has to do with moral restrictions

or highly specialised and practically irrelevant moral philosophy, it has been decided not to call the

course Ethics in Chemistry, but to capture the above mentioned notion of the overall goal: Educating

chemists to become good researchers with high scientific integrity and an awareness of sustainable

scientific and technological progress. Thus, the course is entitled Good Chemistry - Methodological,

Ethical, and Social Dimensions.

The course aims to equip the attendees with competences and skills in basic research methodology

and its philosophical foundations on the one hand, and in overseeing, understanding, evaluating and

assessing contemporary ethical and social issues arising from scientific and technological activity and

progress on the other hand. The course is designed and planned in particular for chemistry students

and their related fields, requiring no philosophical or ethical background knowledge. The course

content is strongly related to the students' daily research activity: Science conduct, logic and theory

of science, experimentation, writing publications, dealing with uncertainty, social impact of scientific

activity. Applying the fundamentals in philosophy of science and research ethics to the particular

conduct of science and its internal and external domains of responsibility is expected to sharpen and

solidify the students' awareness for the theory of research practice, their knowledge of ethics and

their ability to exploit ethical thinking for the application in the social sphere science and technology

as a field of human activity that impacts the quality of life of people all over the planet. As a major

field in applied ethics, science and technology ethics touches the domains of bioethics, medical

ethics, environmental ethics, profession ethics and business ethics. With the help of countless

examples from chemistry, science in general, research, engineering, R&D, etc. in the history of

societies worldwide, the students will get a sense for the ethos of scientific conduct on the one hand,

and of the ethical and social implications of science and technology (S&T) on the other hand. While

the former is a matter of internal responsibility for individual researchers and their institutions, the

latter topic will address risk issues, responsibility for outcome of S&T progress, and the social

construction of technology. The overall objective of this course is to contribute to a more "complete"

education of young researchers and scientists as important enactors of progress and influential

decision-makers in the future. It shall provide them with the skills to reflect on and deal with the

major contemporary challenges in society and environment with a higher degree of sustainability.

Summary:

• Understanding basic science theory and applying it in daily research activity,

• Increasing knowledge on theory, conduct and communication of chemical science,

• Applying ethics to scientific practice and science assessment,

• Learning concepts of responsibility and sustainability in the context of chemistry,

• Acquiring skills for interdisciplinary normative discourse.

Target group This course is recommended for an audience of 2nd year master students or PhD students, at the

beginning of their research project. This recommendation is based on the perception that students

with lab experience and their own research projects will be better able to understand the practical

significance of research ethics for their own work than will younger students who tend to operate at

a rather theoretical level.

It is important to keep in mind that the course aims at skills that are applied in all kinds of chemical

professions and not just in academic environments at the student level. The course content tries to

cover three important domains of chemical expertise and activity. First of all, of course, we think of

academic chemistry at universities and in other research institutes. In the former environment,

besides basic and applied research, the education of the future generation of chemists also plays an

important role.

Then, there is the big field of The Chemical Industry. Many companies, of course, do conduct

research and development, but with motivations and goals that might differ from those encountered

in academic institutions. More importantly, chemists working in industry also deal with the

production, storage, and transport of chemicals. Moreover, marketing and sales of chemicals may

also be part of the required work activities in this field. In any case, it is highly likely that chemists in

industry will have to deal with the application of chemicals in one way or another.

A third often-overlooked area in which chemical competence is required can be found in agencies

and public service. Examples include environmental protection agencies or other political and

regulatory bodies that deal with the regulation of chemicals and their impact, and also patent offices

as well as science consulting and counselling services.

Concept, content, intended learning outcomes

As mentioned above, three categories of Good Chemistry have been identified:

1. Research Methodology: "What is it that I am doing, and why am I doing it THIS way?" -

Accordingly, a good chemist is someone who understands the theoretical foundations of his/her

profession, who knows how to apply the scientific method properly and adequately, and who is

aware of the special position that scientific inquiry has in the society that affords such an

expensive endeavour.

2. Good Scientific Practice: "What does it mean to do my job well?" - This field covers questions of

research ethics, scientific integrity, and what kind of behaviour may be labelled scientific

misconduct or even fraud.

3. Chemistry and Society: "How does my work impact the life world of society, and what is within

my responsibility to do about it?" - In this understanding, chemistry is good when its impact on

environment and society is sustainable, when it supports a reduction of risks and a maximisation

of benefits, and when chemists with their competence and expertise engage in science and

technology (S&T) discourse and governance.

The first category covers aspects of science theory and scientific method(s), fed by experiences from

the history of science. The second category includes common forms of scientific misconduct (data

fabrication and falsification, plagiarism), but also publishing issues, conflicts of interest, intellectual

property right protection, mentorship, and possibly animal experiments. The third category discusses

matters of dual use of chemical compounds and their application, risk and precaution, sustainability,

responsibility and science governance.

The first field, research methodology, is often acquired by chemistry students during their practical

training, in lab courses, during their Master or PhD thesis, or with their supervisors in group seminars

and personal conversations and discussions. The coverage of this topic in formalised curricular

courses on research methodology, science theory, or science history at the university level varies

strongly across Europe, and even from university to university. Yet, an understanding of logic, or

heuristic and conceptual analysis, of strengths and limits of science (truth? facts? generalisability?

universalisability?), of the characteristics and justification of scientific statements, especially in view

of uncertainty, and of statistical analysis like frequentist and Bayesian approaches, seems extremely

important for doing good research work. Good and practice-oriented books on this topic have been

provided by Pruzan (2016) and Shrader-Frechette (2014), both pointing out clearly the ethical

dimension of appropriate and incorrupt application of scientific methods.

For many proponents of ethics in chemistry, the only relevant topic is good scientific practice as in the

second mentioned category. Indeed, in view of countless cases of misconduct, fraud, betrayal and

violation of the codes of conduct that chemists are required to comply with, a demand for raising the

awareness of research ethics may be identified. Fabrication and falsification of data, cases of

plagiarism or other improper publishing practices, conflicts of interest and unscientific handling of

intellectual property rights issues, academic freedom that is at risk in view of contemporary funding

and collaboration practices, all motivated by non-scientific goals and dispositions like careerism,

financial benefits, greed for fame and power, but also systemic and organisational stress and

pressure, are reported on a daily basis (see, for example, the blog forbetterscience.com, run by

science journalist Leonid Schneider). Insightful overviews with manifold researcher's possible real-life

cases to practice one's scientific integrity are provided by Macrina (2015), Shamoo and Resnik (2015),

and Greer (2017), and in particular for chemists by Kovac (2003).

The connection between chemical activity and society and the environment - the third category in

our list - is often overlooked. Too complex are the various responsibility attributions; too uncertain

are the causal trajectories of scientific and technological progress; and too far seem the actual

impacts from the chemist's lab. Yet, there is an obvious impact of chemistry on society and culture:

On the one hand, it facilitates a significant increase in the quality of life through new products and

possibilities; on the other hand, at the same time, it contributes to environmental pollution,

increased risk exposure (workers in factories, consumers through food chain and global water

cycles), creating challenges for regulation of new compounds and chemical processes. This inherent

potential of dual use of the manifestations of chemical progress is, probably, the most obvious

ethical aspect in terms of societal impact of chemistry (see Tucker 2012). A reflection on the role of

chemists in S&T progress and its societal and environmental impact must be pragmatic and goal-

oriented: In view of the duality of desirable and undesirable effects of chemical activity, what is in

our power to do about it? Chemistry, from basic science to engineering, is not only part of the

problem, but also above all part of the solutions. That is why it is not only a matter for engineers and

chemical industry, but - in specific ways - also an issue for chemical researchers and scientists.

Accusations of guilt and blame do not contribute to responsible debate, since they are neither

justified nor in any way supportive of solutions for contemporary challenges posed by S&T progress.

The three thematic fields - methodology, research ethics, social and environmental impact - serve

well as an orientation for the structure of this course. We will first talk about the nature of scientific

inquiry and its methods and strategies (classes 2-4). Then, we will learn important aspects of good

scientific practice and the daily pitfalls of research conduct and lab practice (classes 5-9). Classes 10-

15 deliver concepts and practices in managing the social implications of chemical activity, with a

focus on the role played by chemists themselves in this process. Class 16 summarises all these topics,

using the example of a recent socio-techno-scientific system, nanoscience and -technology. The

following table gives an overview and a summary for each class.

No. Title Content and comments

1 Introduction • Brainstorming: What is a "good chemist"? What does it

mean, "to do chemistry well"? Three fields:

Methodological aspects

Profession ethics (good scientific practice)

Impact of chemistry on society

• Definition of normativity/ethics for this course: What

do I mean by it and what not?

• Purpose, goal and structure of the lecture.

2 Scientific Inquiry • History and paradigms of science

Realism, Anti-realism, constructivism

Truth, viability

Causal determinism, conditionality

Reductionism, Holism (system thinking)

Neutrality thesis

Science as social endeavour

3 The scientific method • What is it that chemical researchers/scientists are

doing? Definition of "scientific method(s)"

• Lee's scientific knowledge acquisition web

introduced with a "chemical" example

4 Good Scientific Practice • Scientific reasoning: Logic, explanation and prediction,

proper hypotheses, correlation vs. causation, etc.

• Measurement and Experimentation

• Processes, Instruments, Operationalisation

• Measurement errors

• Validity and reliability in experimentation, design of

experiments

• Record keeping

5 Scientific misconduct • Research ethics as virtue ethics:

"Scientist" as a social role Expectations

What is the "ideal scientist"?

Virtues of "good science". Scientific integrity.

• FFP definition: Fabrication of data, Falsification of

results, Plagiarising of research.

• Reasons for fraud: Institutional pressure, conflicts of

interest, pride, etc.

6 Publishing Issues • Doing science vs. writing science

• Publication of research

• Ethics of publishing

• Writing science: trivial? Ethics of science

communication.

• Publishing practices:

1. Peer reviewing,

2. Impact factors,

3. Citation practices.

7 Mentorship, Collaborations

and sources of conflict

• Chemistry as teamwork

o Group hierarchies and harmony

o Mentorship, PI-student relationship

• Collaborative Research, Interdisciplinary research

8 Academic freedom,

Intellectual property

• Chemistry and politics (funding, impact on academic

freedom, basic vs. applied research)

• Academia and industry

• Conflicts of Interest

• Intellectual Property

9 Animal experiments • Animal rights?

Utilitarian vs. deontological positions

Means-ends relationships

• "3R" regulations

• Legal issues

10 Sustainability • What is sustainability?

Sustainability as the "call for ethics" in science and

technology assessment.

History, definitions, normative foundations.

11 Science and values • How to fill the "hollow" concept sustainability with

normative content?

• Scientific and technological progress

o Determinism or constructivism? Historical cases,

current views.

o Impact on society, impact on S&T governance and

institutions.

o Neutrality claim?

12 Responsibility • 4 Dimensions of responsibility:

o Who? (Individual, shared, collective responsibilities)

o attributed by who? (The chemist as a social role)

o for what? (Implications of chemical activity)

o concerning what factor? (Chemical knowledge and

expertise)

13 Risk, uncertainty, and

precaution

• Risk Governance

o Definition of risk, risk assessment, risk management.

o Ethical dimensions of risk: normative frameworks for

risk governance.

o Precautionary Principles

14 Science governance and

technology assessment

• Professional arenas of S&T-related ethical discourse

o S&T governance, Science policy

o ELSI commissions, interdisciplinary expert

roundtables

• The role of chemists in discourse

Difficulties and obstacles

15 Science communication • Communication with non-experts

o Science journalists

o Public

• Techniques and tricks for "successful" communication

16 Example case: Nanosciences • NT as the perfect example for a socio-techno-scientific

system:

experiences from established normative discourse,

blurry boarders between "basic" and "applied"

research,

wide variety of risk types,

relevant for many chemists,

illustrative in all three fields (methodology,

profession ethics, societal implications).

The class content is presented by Jan Mehlich in a video lecture. Each class is 45-60 minutes long. A

lecture script with additional "further reading" suggestions is provided on the e-learning platform. In

addition - and this is the most important part - the e-learning fashion enables various technical

possibilities such as pre-assessments of students' existing knowledge, interactive discussion of

exemplary cases, links to background material (web articles, videos), workshops that encourage

students to relate the class content to their own research activities, and quizzes to check the

students' learning progress. Find detailed descriptions of each class including a suggested course of

progress in the appendix. The list of tasks for each class also contains an estimation of the time that

should be invested for it. It is important to keep these numbers in mind as an orientation, especially

for the provided reading material. Students can spend hours on one article if they check all the

vocabulary and read everything carefully. Instead, they should be advised to stick to the given time

and practice efficient reading techniques.

Organisation, recommended procedure Universities, faculties, departments or institutes that make use of the offer have a high degree of

freedom and flexibility in their choices. First of all, it should be decided which of the class topics are

already covered in the local curricula so that unnecessary repetitions can be avoided. Even though

the lecturer makes connections between different classes, they stand more or less independently.

Since each class requires a workload of approx. 2-3 hours, we recommend that employing the entire

course is worth 2 ECTS, whereas a compilation of 8-10 classes equals a course with 1 ECTS.

In case a faculty/department decides to select some of the classes rather than offering the complete

course, we would like to recommend the following classes as core classes that should not be skipped:

• Classes 1 and 16 as introduction and summary both have rather low workload. They are

important as the "frame" of the class;

• Class 4, Scientific Practice, including advice on record keeping;

• Class 5, Scientific misconduct, introducing the virtues of science, addressing the most

common forms of fraud in research;

• Class 6, Publishing Issues, important for every chemical researcher;

• Class 8, Conflicts of interest, intellectual property rights, academic freedom in the

connections between academia, industry and politics;

• Class 10, Sustainability, important framework for assessments of dual use;

• Class 12, Responsibility, attribution of responsibilities to chemists;

• Class 13, Risk and precaution, seeing the larger picture of risk assessments and risk discourse;

• Class 14, Science governance and technology assessment, established political procedures to

reduce risks and promote benefits of S&T (a topic in which chemistry plays an important

role).

A faculty/department should appoint a local instructor who can manage the e-learning module

according to the local needs (compiling the obligatory class list, check students' quizzes and

assessments) and who interacts with the IT support in the EuCheMS secretariat. The local instructor

should prepare a detailed programme of the course (which topic will be considered in which week,

etc.) for the students. The items for each class on the e-learning platform are numbered in

accordance with the numbers assigned to the items on the class sheets included in the appendix of

this document.

Screenshot of class 10 of the course on the Moodle platform of EuCheMS

It is, of course, possible for a local instructor to choose to lecture face-to-face with the class (on-site

instead of online). In this case, the provided material may serve as helpful input for the lecturer.

Blended forms of teaching - a mix of online course and real classroom - are also possible, but are

likely to impose a much higher workload on the local instructor.

Technical Details for the Pilot Phase

Unfortunately, for various reasons, it is not possible to disseminate the course and its content to

each university that participates in the pilot phase as a separate e-learning module. All participants

(moderators and students) share the same platform on the Moodle account of EuChemS. This has

the following consequences:

• The "teachers" of this course during the pilot phase are Jan Mehlich and Iwona Maciejowska.

Only they have the rights to change class content and settings.

• Each participating university assigns a responsible person (in this document often referred to as

"instructor"). In the Moodle system, these instructors will be assigned the role of "moderators".

As those they may organise students in groups and see students' progress, participation

statistics (number of forum posts, for example), and quiz results. This is necessary for the

assessment.

• All the items in the 16 classes are marked as "completed" when certain conditions are met, for

example after a student watched it (clicked on it), answered a question, or made a forum post.

Yet, none of the items is "obligatory" in the sense that the student can't continue with other

items when one is not finished. It is on the instructors to tell their students what they are

expected to do.

• All students see each other's contributions in the discussion forums. It is advised that students

of one university create one forum thread to communicate within their circle.

An important task for instructors is the supervision of the students' assessments. In general, an

assessment of learning outcomes in a field of soft skills is more difficult than checking factual

knowledge levels. The main goals of this course are to raise awareness of the ethical dimensions of

chemistry, to reflect on and think about issues (rather than to merely memorise facts), and to

improve discourse skills. This makes it difficult to offer computer-markable assessments. Even though

all classes feature short computer-markable quizzes (a pool of 20 questions out of which students

will be asked to answer randomly chosen 5), these can only be a part of a final assessment.

Moderators (but not students) will find a "Class 17" at the bottom of the course page. Here, all quiz

questions are available in editable format for usage in possible pen-and-paper exams. Additionally, in

that section, a list of suggestions for "open" exam questions can be downloaded.

Most classes include peer assessment activities like workshops and discussion forums that should

also contribute to the final mark. Students' active participation can be monitored and assessed with a

statistics tool of Moodle. In case an instructor would like to assess reflection and argumentation

skills, it may be appropriate to ask students to write short reports or statements on questions related

to the presented historical and fictional cases. All in all, the assessment fully depends on the local

conditions, for example the availability and capacity of the local instructor, the choice of classes, the

chosen way of delivery (on-site, online, b-learning), etc. One important function of this pilot phase is

to find out how the provided material can facilitate and support student assessments, and what kind

of difficulties will be faced.

Appendix: Class Details

Class No.

1 Class Title

Introduction

Summary of content

• Brainstorming: What is a good chemist? What does it mean to do chemistry well? Three fields:

Methodological aspects

Profession ethics (good scientific practice)

Impact of chemistry on society

• Definition of normativity/ethics for this course: What do I mean by it, and what not?

• Purpose, goal and structure of the lecture.

Goals of the class

1. Understand the logic behind the structure of the course, and the significance of its themes

and topics.

2. Definition of ethics and normativity.

3. Getting a rough idea of the touching points between chemistry, society, and ethics.

4. Information on course objectives, additional course material, further reading, etc.

Course of progress

Step Task est. time

1 Reflection: What is a good chemist? (draw and discuss in forum) 15 min.

2 Pre-assessment: What have you heard about already? 3 min.

3 Video lecture, part 1: Dimensions of Good Chemistry 22 min.

4 Reflection: What is ethics? 10 min.

5 Video lecture, part 2: Definition of ethics, normativity, discourse 12 min.

6 Reading assignment: Mehlich et al., CEJ 2017 20 min.

7 Video lecture, part 3: Course organisation, literature advises 10 min.

8 Reflection: Personal interests and expectations on this course. 5 min.

9 Quiz 5 min.

Class No.

2 Class Title

Scientific Inquiry

Summary of content

• History and paradigms of science

Realism, Anti-realism, constructivism

Truth, viability

Reductionism, Holism (system thinking)

Neutrality thesis

Science as social endeavour

Goals of the class

This class - the only within this lecture - attempts to cover the aspects of science theory, philosophy

and history of science, and epistemological considerations. This can't be done in a 45 minutes class

in a complete and profound manner. The focus is put on some clarifications that are of practical

significance for a chemical researcher's daily work. In this class, we want to learn:

• what it means to gain knowledge about the world, and how changes in our understanding of

knowledge also change the way we characterise scientific inquiry,

• what presuppositions science is built upon, including the role of meaning construction,

experience, education, etc.,

• the importance of communication and discourse for the validity of scientific claims,

• how science (with technology) as a social sphere impacts other realms of human activity,

• that science is a powerful instrument for the generation of reliable knowledge that is at threat

from contemporary developments towards post-factualism and political or religious ideology,

• what the limits of science are (truth? viability?), and how a change of perspective (from

reductionism to holism, from dualism towards integration) can improve scientific inquiry.

Course of progress

Step Task est. time

1 Introduction case: Albertus Magnus vs. Linus Pauling 10 min.

2 Video lecture, part 1: Epistemology in a nutshell 25 min.

3 Reading assignment: Wilhelm Ostwald (Ziche 2012) 30 min.

4 Video lecture, part 2: A Tree of Knowledge 40 min.

5 Discussion case: The Lysenko case (Reading material: Sheehan 2005) 25 min.

6 Quiz 5 min.

Class No.

3 Class Title

The Scientific Method

Summary of content

In class 2 we have learned how scientific inquiry can be characterised, distinguished from other

ways of knowledge construction, and that scientifically acquired knowledge has a high chance of

being viable, reliable, and of withstanding critical scrutiny. It is concerned with naturalistic aspects

of our world and enables evidence-based factual statements and judgments. But how can we make

sure that a statement is scientific in a way that it fulfils certain requirements of scientific knowledge

generation? What is the method with which scientists come to insights that deserve the label

scientific? This class and the next seek to describe all the features that make scientific research such

a powerful way of gaining viable insights.

• What is it that chemical researchers/scientists are doing?

Definition of "scientific method(s)"

• Lee's scientific knowledge acquisition web

introduced with a fictional example

proper hypotheses, validity and reliability in data analysis

Goals of the class

After this class, you should be:

• aware of the steps involved in scientific research, and the importance of each step,

• able to identify where you are with your own research in the scientific knowledge acquisition

web, and what this stage requires from you,

• equipped with insights on the difference between scientific researchers and other personnel

involved in research (like lab technicians, editors and publishers, or engineers).

Course of progress

Step Task est. time

1 Introductory case: Is Umbrellaology a science? 15 min.

2 Pre-assessment: What are elements of a scientific method? 10 min.

3 Video lecture, part 1: Elements of a scientific method 7 min.

4 Reflection: How do you proceed with your own research project? 10 min.

5 Video lecture, part 2: Scientific Knowledge Acquisition Web 35 min.

6 Continue reflection: Forum presentation/discussion 15 min.

7 Quiz 5 min.

Class No.

4 Class Title

Good Scientific Practice

Summary of content

Besides the technical and experimental skills in daily lab work and a profound knowledge of one's

professional field, chemical scientists need competence in analysing and interpreting their acquired

experimental data in view of the claims they made in their research hypotheses. Both - making

proper hypotheses and interpreting data in a scientific manner - are topics in this class. It also

addresses record keeping as a proper way of data handling and facilitating fruitful and defendable

reporting and interpretation.

• Scientific reasoning: Logic, explanation and prediction,

• heuristic and conceptual analysis,

• Bayesian vs. Frequentist statistical analysis,

• Record keeping.

Goals of the class

This class is intended to equip you with:

• basic logic skills for scientific thinking and reasoning,

• strategies for heuristic and conceptual analyses of hypotheses and research questions,

• an awareness for the importance of statistical analysis (but not the mathematical tools

themselves, since that would exceed the scope of this class by far!),

• a short guide for record keeping.

Course of progress

Step Task est. time

1 Warm-up question: George Berkeley's Esse est percipi in chemistry? 5 min.

2 Introductory case: The Calabrese case (Shrader-Frechette 2014) 20 min.

3 Video lecture, part 1: Logic and scientific reasoning 36 min.

4 Further information: Bayesian vs. Frequentist Statistics (youtube video) 25 min.

5 Watch the video, 36:29-45:21 10 min.

6 Discussion: The Baltimore case (Reading: Lang 2015) 20 min.

7 Watch the video, 45:22-end 10 min.

8 Quiz 5 min.

Class No.

5 Class Title

Scientific Misconduct

Summary of content

In the previous class, we considered scientific practice in a positive sense: What is it that scientists

are doing when they do it properly? This bridges the mere methodological look upon chemical

research with one from a profession ethics perspective: What can go wrong in research conduct?

When may a certain practice be claimed to violate the expected guidelines of good scientific

practice?

• Research ethics as virtue ethics:

"Scientist" as a social role Expectations

What is the "ideal scientist"?

Virtues of "good science". Scientific integrity.

• FFP definition: Fabrication of data, Falsification of results, Plagiarising of research.

• Reasons for fraud: Institutional pressure, conflicts of interest, pride, etc.

Goals of the class

This class will:

• introduce the virtues of science, and explain why compliance with them is important for

researchers;

• convince you with empirical data and example cases that fraud in science (FFP, but also other

forms) is, indeed, a big issue;

• reflect on causes for researchers' susceptibility to committing fraud,

• thus, enable you to reflect on your behaviour and choices, understand the mechanisms that

lead to scientific misconduct, and prevent you from slipping into this vicious cycle.

Course of progress

Step Task est. time

1 Warm-up question: Everyone cheats? 10 min.

2 Introductory case: Bengü Sezen (Schulz, C&EN 2011) 10 min.

3 Video lecture, part 1: Virtues of science 19 min.

4 Reading material: Fraud in science (Martinson et al. 2005) 10 min.

5 Video lecture, part 2: Data falsification, fabrication, plagiarism 7 min.

6 Further information: Robert Millikan (youtube video) 25 min.

7 Video lecture, part 3: Millikan, grey zones, reasons for fraud 19 min.

8 Quiz 5 min.

Class No.

6 Class Title

Publishing Issues

Summary of content

Ethical issues in the field of publishing arise in terms of authorship, citation, peer reviewing, impact

factors, duplicative publication, multiple submissions of one essay to different publishers, or

publishing of controversial research. We will see how the virtues we compiled in the previous class

can help to solve conflicts that may arise in this area of science endeavour, and may serve to provide

a decision orientation when finding yourself in a contentious situation.

• Doing science vs. writing science

• Publication of research

• Ethics of publishing

• Writing science: trivial? Ethics of science communication.

• Publishing practices:

1. Peer reviewing,

2. Impact factors,

3. Citation practices.

Goals of the class

• Be aware of publishing-related ethical issues.

• Learn possible solutions for arising conflicts like authorship discussions or peer review

problems.

• Apply the virtue approach to publishing-related professional conduct.

• Become a responsible member of the scientific community by engaging in improving the

fairness and ethical integrity of practices like peer reviewing and impact factors.

Course of progress

Step Task est. time

1 Pre-assessment: Publish or perish? 5 min.

2 Introductory case: Predatory publishing (reading material: web articles) 15 min.

3 Video lecture, part 1: Publishing research, overview 23 min.

4 Reading assignment: Citation and Carbon allotropes (Hoffmann et al. 2016) 30 min.

5 Video lecture, part 2: Citation practices 12 min.

6 Discussion case: Peer review 20 min.

7 Video lecture, part 3: Peer review, impact factors, controversial research 23 min.

8 Workshop: Submission for publication 15 min.

9 Quiz 5 min.

Class No.

7 Class Title

Mentorship, Collaborations, Interdisciplinarity

Summary of content

Chemistry is - on several levels - teamwork, and as such embedded into a wide network of actors

and stakeholders. This and the next class will focus on issues that arise in the context of

collaborations and co-operations across these levels. We will see in this class what kind of conflicts

can arise when chemists work with fellow chemists (including PI-student interaction), with other

(natural) scientists, or with completely different scientists (social sciences, humanities).

• Chemistry as teamwork

o Group hierarchies and harmony

o Mentorship, PI-student relationship

• Collaborative Research, Interdisciplinary research

Goals of the class

After this class you will be:

• a better mentor/superior, or a student/inferior with the ability to solve conflicts with

convincing discourse skills and good arguments.

• a better collaborator with high scientific integrity, credibility and positive influence.

• an open-minded interdisciplinary bridge builder that can see beyond the narrow margin of

your own professional expertise and competence.

Course of progress

Step Task est. time

1 Warm-up reflection: To cooperate, or not to cooperate? 10 min.

2 Introductory case: Compete or collaborate? 15 min.

3 Video lecture, part 1: Chemistry as network activity 22 min.

4 Discussion case: Proper mentorship 15 min.

5 Video lecture, part 2: Mentorship 15 min.

6 Reading assignment: Interdisciplinarity in nanoscale research (Schummer 2004) 20 min.

7 Video lecture, part 3: Multi-, trans-, inter-disciplinarity 10 min.

8 Creative task: Types of collaborations 15 min.

9 Quiz 10 min.

Class No.

8 Class Title

Academic Freedom, Intellectual Property

Summary of content

In the previous class we talked about some aspects of chemistry as a network activity. We learned

about group-internal conflict potential (for example, in mentoring) and different forms of

collaborations with other scientists or academic disciplines (for example, interdisciplinary co-

operations). In this class, we turn to two instances in the network that are outside the academic

community: Politics (and its role for chemistry), and industry. Typical ethical issues arising in these

contexts are conflicts of interests, academic freedom (in the light of contemporary science funding

practices), and intellectual property right protection.

• Chemistry and politics (funding, impact on academic freedom, basic vs. applied research),

• Academia and industry,

• Conflicts of Interest,

• Intellectual Property.

Goals of the class

After watching/listening to/reading this class, you should be able to:

• identify potential conflicts of interests that underlie your motivations for and decision-making

in your research activities and collaborations;

• help solving conflicts in your academia-industry collaborations with proper goal-oriented

argumentation based on scientific integrity;

• maintain a reasonable balance between interest- and purpose-driven science (topics that are

promising for acquiring funding) and academic curiosity-driven basic science;

• identify your main interest (for example doing something useful for society, understanding the

material world, advancing knowledge, performing experiments) and choose your future job

wisely.

Course of progress

Step Task est. time

1 Warm-up reflection: Whatever makes you happy? 5 min.

2 Case: Misuse of public funding? 15 min.

3 Video lecture, part 1: Chemistry and politics, public funding 17 min.

4 Discussion: Academic freedom at threat? 15 min.

5 Case: Conflict of interest 15 min.

6 Video lecture, part 2: Academia and industry collaboration 17 min.

7 Assessment: COIs at your university? 5 min.

8 Case: Intellectual property violation 15 min.

9 Video lecture, part 3: Intellectual property 10 min.

10 Activity: Create a wiki on copyrights 15 min.

11 Quiz 10 min.

Class No.

9 Class Title

Animal Experiments

Summary of content

A special critical issue in chemical science and research is experiments that involve animals. This

topic can't be sufficiently covered with the virtue approach described in class 5. Arguments in favour

and against animal and human experimentation as well as on procedural questions are more

sophisticated and need deeper insights into ethical reasoning. Following an introduction to the

debate on animal testing and ethical dimensions of human subjects in research, this class will,

therefore, also provide an overview of utilitarian and deontological ethical thinking as well as

bioethical considerations.

• Animal rights?

Utilitarian vs. deontological positions

Means-ends relations

• "3R" regulations, legal issues

Goals of the class

Chemists might be affected by the ethical debate on animal experiments in two ways: They might

find themselves attacked or criticised by opponents of animal testing (sometimes unjustified or

unreasonably), or they might be asked to fulfil legal and ethical guidelines for animal

experimentation. Admittedly, the bioethical discourse on animal experiments exceeds the ethical

competence of chemists by far! Therefore, it is attempted in this class to discuss the topic with a

clear practical purpose:

• Chemists need to have a rough overview of the positions and arguments in the debate, so that

they are able to respond to objections (and verbal attacks) with proper and plausible

arguments, so that their credibility is maintained and their argumentation is reasonable and

convincing.

• Chemists that conduct animal experiments are required by regulations and guidelines to fill out

forms in which they explain and reason their choice of study, experimental setup, animal

model, research goal, etc. It is useful to understand the ethical background of these regulations

and to gain competence in responding to such inquiries professionally and satisfyingly.

These two competences will be covered in this class.

Course of progress

Step Task est. time

1 Pre-assessment I: Experience with animal experiments and its debate? 5 min.

2 Pre-assessment II: Opinion on animal experimentation? 5 min.

3 Opening discussion: PETA on animal treatment 15 min.

4 Reading assignment: Animal testing (Olsson, Sandoe 2012) 20 min.

5 Video lecture, part 1: Arguments 42 min.

6 Activity: Moderate a talk show discussion 20 min.

7 Discussion case: Considering alternatives 20 min.

8 Video lecture, part 2: Regulations and requirements 10 min.

9 Further reading: The ECHA website on animal testing 10 min.

10 Quiz 5 min.

Class No.

10 Class Title

Sustainability

Summary of content

With this class, we start another section of the course: The impact of chemistry on society and the

environment. Here, the normative framework in the form of an ethos of science that has been used

in previous classes is not sufficient. We will exploit a concept that served as a normative orientation

for science- and technology-related (S&T) decision-making and assessment in recent decades:

sustainability.

• What is sustainability?

→ Sustainability as the "call for ethics" in science and technology assessment.

→ History, definitions, normative foundations.

• Sustainable Chemistry examples

→ Chemical leasing,

→ REACH and sustainability.

Goals of the class

This class sets the scene for the following classes. It is necessary to understand that evaluations of

risks, responsibilities, desirable or undesired developments of science and technology take place in

professional realms (governance, commissions, academic and economic decision-making) in

discourses among stakeholders on the basis of plausible principles of justice and fairness. In

principle, the question is "How do we want to live, and how can we make sure that future

generations also have the freedom to ask this questions and decide upon it?". This is the idea of

sustainability. Therefore,

• actors in S&T development - here: chemical professionals - need to understand what

sustainability implies and what it means in practical terms for their job,

• it is useful to understand the paradigms and concepts of contemporary S&T governance and

policy (which is currently sustainability) in order to play one's role as chemical practitioner and

decision-maker successfully,

• this class will equip the future generation of chemists with the skill to analyse the

consequences of their decisions in terms of sustainability, so that related processes (in R&D, in

industry, in economy) become, indeed, sustainable.

Course of progress

Step Task est. time

1 Warm-up reflection: My own research project and sustainability 10 min.

2 Reading assignment: Sustainable and Green Chemistry (Albini, Protti 2016) 15 min.

3 Video lecture, part 1: Definition of sustainability 33 min.

4 Further information: Chemical leasing (youtube video) 10 min.

5 Video lecture, part 2: Chemical leasing 4 min.

6 Reading material: REACH and sustainability (read only chapter 2 of the provided

report, the rest is optional)

20 min.

7 Video lecture, part 3: Sustainability and REACH 10 min.

8 Discussion/reflection: Chemistry and Sustainability 15 min.

9 Quiz 5 min.

Class No.

11 Class Title

Science and Values

Summary of content

In the previous class, we have set the normative framework for the evaluation of ethical and social

implications of chemical activity. It is now time to fill this framework with life. First, it is necessary to

show why science and research are not by definition neutral or value-free, but are rather based on

the same normative presuppositions and relations as technological development. Therefore, we will

outline the ties between science and technology, and how progress and development are

embedded in the social and culture lifeworld of the people that it effects. Moreover, the class will

introduce the contemporarily predominant social constructivist view of S&T progress and provide a

short historical comparison with earlier understandings. This will help us understand why reflecting

on normative dimensions of scientific activity is not trivial or a waste of time, but an important

element of research on how to make S&T progress sustainable and beneficial.

• How to fill the "hollow" concept sustainability with normative content?

• Scientific and technological progress

o Determinism or constructivism? Historical cases, current views.

o Impact on society, environment, dual use.

o Neutrality claim?

Goals of the class

This class will convince you that:

• scientific activity is not neutral or value free but embedded in social practices and normative

frameworks,

• science is a main driver and facilitator of technological development, and as such subject of the

same ethical considerations,

• an ethical evaluation can't start at the application level where it has a visible impact on society

and environment, but must start at the early development level (scientific research) in order to

identify and push trajectories of development that are desirable and beneficial.

Course of progress

Step Task est. time

1 Pre-assessment: Neutrality of science? 5 min.

2 Introductory case: The Case of Agent Orange (Galston, 1972) 20 min.

3 Video lecture, part 1: Neutrality of science? 31 min.

4 Reading material: Social and ethical dimensions of sciences (Develaki 2009) 20 min.

5 Video lecture, part 2: Social construction of science 20 min.

6 Discussion: Should scientists serve the common good? (Reading material:

Ioannidis Interview, 2015)

20 min.

7 Quiz 5 min.

Class No.

12 Class Title

Responsibility

Summary of content

In the previous class, we have refuted the neutrality thesis and learned how scientific activity -

through its entanglement with technological development - affects and impacts normative and

other value-related discourses concerning social and environmental dimensions of S&T progress. It

is now time to introduce the concept of responsibility in order to clarify the position of chemists in

this discourse. Many responsibility attributions (especially from the public), apparently, are not

justified and mere accusations, others are justified but chemists might not be aware of them.

• 4 Dimensions of responsibility:

o Who? (Individual, shared, collective responsibilities)

o attributed by who? (The chemist as a social role)

o for what? (Implications of chemical activity)

o concerning what factor? (Chemical knowledge and expertise)

Goals of the class

After attending this class, you should be able to:

• oversee, and apply, the four dimensions of responsibility attribution,

• respond to unjustified responsibility attributions and accusations convincingly and with proper

arguments,

• see more clearly exactly where the responsibilities of chemists as professional actors in

academia, industry or governance lie and how they manifest themselves in particular calls for

action and participation in public discourse on the social and environmental impact of

chemistry.

Course of progress

Step Task est. time

1 Warm-up reflection: Responsible for… responsible to… 10 min.

2 Introductory case: Agent Orange (revisited) 20 min.

3 Video lecture, part 1: Four dimensions of responsibility 23 min.

4 Reading assignment: Responsibilities of Nanoscientists (McGinn 2010) 25 min.

5 Video lecture, part 2: Chemists' responsibilities 25 min.

6 Discussion cases: Chemical weapons, POPs 20 min.

7 Activity: Reflect on your own responsibility as a chemist, discuss with peers. 15 min.

8 Quiz 5 min.

Class No.

13 Class Title

Risk, Uncertainty, Precaution

Summary of content

Almost all debates in the discourse on social and ethical implications of S&T are - in one way or

another - about risk and uncertainty. Sustainability is at risk, values are at risk of being impacted or

violated, responsibilities are attributed concerning the competence of dealing with risks and keeping

them at a low level. Therefore, this topic deserves its own section in which we will shed light onto its

definitions, its handling and its institutional implementation in the form of the precautionary

principle.

• Risk Governance

o Definition of risk, risk assessment, risk management.

o Ethical dimensions of risk: normative frameworks for risk governance.

o Precautionary Principles

Goals of the class

In this class, it is intended to:

• sharpen your awareness for various levels of risk types and the demands on their respective

discourses,

• describe the role of chemical scientists and researchers in such discourses,

• motivate you to participate actively in multi-stakeholder discourse in ways that your

professional position provides, so that the goal of reducing risks and increasing benefits can be

reached.

Course of progress

Step Task est. time

1 Warm-up reflection: What does risk mean? 5 min.

2 Introductory reading: Chemical risk assessment (web article) 15 min.

3 Video lecture, part 1: Risk definition, risk assessment 22 min.

4 Assignment: My own risk assessment 1 ("classical") 15 min.

5 Discussion case: The Nano-Sunscreen case (Jacobs et al. 2010) 25 min.

6 Video lecture, part 2: Risk discourse types 17 min.

7 Reading assignment: Precautionary Principles in Chemistry (web article) 15 min.

8 Video lecture, part 3: Precautionary principles 10 min.

9 Discussion: My own risk assessment 2 ("The larger picture") 15 min.

10 Quiz 5 min.

Class No.

14 Class Title

Science Governance and Technology Assessment

Summary of content

After introducing concepts like sustainability, responsibility, risk, and the connection between

scientific activity and ethical values, we still have a missing link: Why should this matter to chemists,

and what is within their power to control about the impact of chemical R&D on society and the

environment? In this class, I will introduce channels and established procedures for scientists like

chemists to contribute their competence and expertise in the context of S&T governance and

policymaking, in public stakeholder discourse, or in any form of S&T assessment.

• Professional arenas of S&T-related ethical discourse

o S&T governance, Science policy

o ELSI commissions, interdisciplinary expert roundtables

• The role of chemists in discourse

o Difficulties and obstacles

Goals of the class

This class will help you to

• set the insights from the previous classes (sustainability, responsibility, risk discourses) into

perspective and understand their meaningfulness and relevance for chemical professions,

• see the possibilities for chemists to engage in S&T-related discourses on desirable and

undesirable implications and effects of progress and development,

• avoid common fallacies and misunderstandings concerning the role of scientists in such

discourses, and apply your competences in the most credible and fruitful way.

Course of progress

Step Task est. time

1 Warm-up reflection: The role of science for regulation and decision-making. 10 min.

2 Introductory reading: Nanoscientists in ELSI (Shumpert et al. 2014) 20 min.

3 Video lecture, part 1: Scientific policy-advise 35 min.

4 Activity: Advise your parliament 15 min.

5 Further reading: RRI in a nutshell (web article) 10 min.

6 Video lecture, part 2: Chemists' contribution 15 min.

7 Discussion case: Chemical expertise in tackling plastic pollution of oceans 15 min.

8 Reflection: ELSI assessment of your own research 15 min.

9 Quiz 10 min.

Class No.

15 Class Title

Science Communication

Summary of content

While former classes pointed out the importance of communication and discourse as an element of

the scientific method itself (classes 2 and 3), communication with peers and members of your

scientific community (publications, conference talks) (class 6), with collaboration partners and

practitioners from outside your own field (class 7), and with regulators, decision-makers and other

stakeholders (class 14), this class wants to elaborate further on communication with non-scientists,

the general public, often through channels of mass media.

• Communication with non-experts

o Science journalists

o Public

o Techniques and tricks for "successful" communication

Goals of the class

In this class, you will learn:

• that effective communication with scientific laymen requires training and practice in order to

avoid pitfalls and common mistakes. While this class can't offer the required level of training, it

will give advice and hints on where and how you can obtain it.

• how to respond to public concerns and questions properly, to distinguish scientific knowledge-

directed questions from those concerning worldviews and values, and to increase your

credibility as an important public figure with competence and influence.

• that the ethical call for engaging with public communication of chemistry arises from the fact

that chemistry is an institution based on societal acceptance and justification, that scientists

have an authority for evidence-based factual knowledge that would be filled by others when

not actively occupied by scientists, and that such public communication makes your scientific

research better.

Course of progress

Step Task est. time

1 Warm-up reflection: Layman - who cares? 10 min.

2 Introductory cases: Baking soda as cancer treatment, water memory, chemtrails 15 min.

3 Reading assignment: Why public communication? 20 min.

4 Video lecture, part 1: Public communication of chemistry 24 min.

5 Example case: Explain organic Chemistry (TED talk) 20 min.

6 Video lecture, part 2: Practicing public engagement 12 min.

7 Further information: EU project "Irresistible" 10 min.

8 Discussion case: Advantages from misrepresentation? 20 min.

9 Video lecture, part 3: Scientists in public discourse 16 min.

10 Activity: Write for non-chemists 20 min.

11 Quiz 5 min.

Class No.

16 Class Title

Summary, Example case: Nanosciences

Summary of content

In this last class, we will summarise all the aspects that we talked about throughout the course. I

chose nanoscience as an exemplary topic for that because it is a perfect example of a socio-techno-

scientific system in which the borders between social sub-spheres, especially science and

technology, get blurred, creating a need for new forms of responsibility and risk assessments. In the

last two decades, the connections between various stakeholders and their roles have been studied

extensively in STS, TA and science ethics, so that we can benefit from these well-grounded insights.

NT as the perfect example for a socio-techno-scientific system:

experiences from established normative discourse,

blurry borders between "basic" and "applied" research,

wide variety of risk types,

relevant for many chemists,

illustrative in all three fields (methodology, profession ethics, societal implications).

Goals of the class

Since this is a summary, I want you to:

• see all the topics introduced throughout the course in perspective,

• understand why all three fields (methodology, research ethics, social implications) have their

justification in a class on Good Chemistry.

• be able to transfer the acquired knowledge of this course onto your own particular research

field, and later your professional niche,

• apply all the insights from this course in order to contribute with your expertise to a sustainable

and beneficial progress of science and technology, thus fulfilling your social responsibility as a

chemist.

Course of progress

Step Task est. time

1 Warm-up reflection: Why nanoscience? 10 min.

2 Video lecture, part 1: Short overview of nanotechnology 30 min.

3 Reading assignment: Overview of "Nanoethics" (Grunwald 2012) 15 min.

4 Video lecture, part 2: The Nanopil project 15 min.

5 Further reading: The Nanopil project (Lucivero) 20 min.

6 Video lecture, part 3: Course summary 13 min.

7 Final reflection and discussion 20 min.

8 Quiz 5 min.