Studying case studies is a tried and true component of ethics instruction.  Educators will find the following three books particularly useful for their selections.  All of them were specifically designed for use in a research ethics course.  Professors may also have students discuss current issues in the news. Appropriate articles from Science, Nature, and similar journals will help with this process.

Kovac, J. The Ethical Chemist.  College of Liberal Arts, Dept. of Chemistry, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

This pamphlet is widely considered the best selection of case studies for chemical research ethics education. Copies are available from Dr. Kovac for $15 (to cover copying and mailing costs).

 

Bebeau, Muriel J., et al.  Moral Reasoning in Scientific Research: Cases for Teaching and Assessment.  Bloomington, IN: Poynter Center for the Study of Ethics and American Institutions, 1995.

Created for the Poynter Center's Teaching Research Ethics project, this is a brief booklet with an introduction to case study usage, an essay for students, and six short case studies for students to discuss.  More information on the book and a PDF version can be found at <http://www.indiana.edu/~poynter/mr-main.html>.

 

Elliott, Deni, and Judy E. Stern, eds. Research Ethics: A Reader. Hanover, NH: University Press of New England, 1997.

This volume was created to complement the course outlined in The Ethics of Scientific Research (see Core Texts) at Dartmouth College.  The reader includes case studies, original material, and reprints of papers.