What does it mean to use and practice Mathematics ethically? In our opinion, the professional community of mathematicians has not yet answered this question fully. Consequences of not addressing the ethics of our discipline have led to data-related scandals and sometimes questionable professional practices, and have contributed to decreased public trust in science. By integrating ethical reasoning into undergraduate mathematics classes, we can begin to alter the perception that because mathematics is founded on abstract and theoretical constructs, it somehow relieves the mathematics practitioner of ethical responsibility. Social and professional responsibilities are not limited to those mathematicians who design algorithms and interact with data. It is time that mathematicians recognize the importance of taking this responsibility seriously and training the next generation of mathematicians to identify and resolve ethical issues in their professional lives.
For this special issue, we invite papers describing the integration of ethics and ethical reasoning into the mathematics classroom. These papers can address any classroom environment, from service and general education mathematics courses to courses in programs in the mathematical sciences (broadly construed). We welcome papers describing entire courses dedicated to ethics in STEM or courses that integrate some ethical conversations into an existing mathematics course geared towards mathematics and other STEM students. Papers should specify, as applicable, how ethical considerations were addressed, include reflection or assessment on success, describe challenges and barriers to implementation with strategies to address those barriers, and include transferable advice to the reader.
Submission Deadline: March 1, 2024
Guest Editors: Catherine Buell (cbuell1@fitchburgstate.edu) and Victor Piercey (VictorPiercey@ferris.edu)
