Rockwell F. Clancy

Research Statement

Rockwell Clancy conducts research at the intersection of technology ethics, moral psychology, and Chinese philosophy. He explores how culture and education affect moral judgments, the causes of unethical behaviors, and what can be done to ensure more ethical behaviors regarding technology. Central to his work are insights from and methodologies associated with the psychological sciences and digital humanities.

Biography

Rockwell Clancy is a Research Scientist in the Department of Engineering Education at Virginia Tech. Before moving to Virginia, he was a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences at the Colorado School of Mines, Lecturer in the Department of Values, Technology, and Innovation, at Delft University of Technology, Associate Teaching Professor at the University of Michigan-Shanghai Jiao Tong University Joint Institute, and Research Fellow in the Institute of Social Cognition and Decision-making, Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

Rockwell worked as a long-term educational to set up a course and write a corresponding textbook on global engineering ethics at Purdue University in 2016. He completed his PhD in philosophy and literature at Purdue University in 2012, was a doctoral exchange student at the University of Strasbourg, France in 2012, completed his MA in philosophy at the Katholieke Universiteit, Leuven, Belgium in 2007, and BA in philosophy at Fordham University in 2005.

Professional Affiliations

• American Society for Engineering Education
• Society for Philosophy of Technology
• Society for Philosophy and Psychology

Awards & Honors

ASEE Zone IV Conference 2022, Best Section Paper Award
Exploring the Ethical Perceptions of First-Year Engineering Students: Public Welfare Beliefs, Ethical Behavior, and Professional Values

Recent Publications

Books
Clancy, R., Zhu, Q., and Tang, X. (contracted). China, Engineering, and Ethics: A Sketch of the Landscape. Springer.

Luegenbieh, H. and Clancy, R. (2017). Global Engineering Ethics. New York: Elsevier Press.

Peer-reviewed journal articles
Clancy, R. and Zhu, Q. (forthcoming) Global Engineering Ethics: What? Why? How? and When? Journal of International Engineering Education.

Clancy, R. (forthcoming). Global Engineering Ethics at the University of Michigan-Shanghai Jiao Tong University Joint Institute (China): Research and Teaching in Cross-Cultural, International Contexts. Techné: Research in Philosophy and Technology.

Clancy, R. and Zhu, Q. (forthcoming). The Ultimate Goal of Engineering Ethics Education Should be More Ethical Behaviors. Business and Professional Ethics Journal.

Dennis, M. and Clancy R. (2022). Intercultural Ethics and Digital Wellbeing: Identifying Problems and Exploring Solutions. Digital Society. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44206-022-00006-2.

Clancy, R., Ge, Y., and An, L. (2022) Investigating Factors Related to Ethical Expectation and Motivation among Chinese Engineering Students. European Journal of Engineering Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/03043797.2022.2066509.

Bago, B., Aczel, B., Boudesseui, J. [et al., including Clancy, R.] (2022). Situational factors shape moral judgments in the trolley dilemma in Eastern, Southern, and Western countries in a culturally diverse sample. Nature Human Behaviour. https://doi.org

Clancy, R. (2021). The Merits of Social Credit Rating in China? An Exercise in Interpretive Pros Hen Ethical Pluralism. Journal of Contemporary Eastern Asia. 20:1. https://doi.org/10.17477/jcea.2021.20.1.102.

Clancy, R. (2021). The Development of a Case-Based Course on Global Engineering Ethics in China. International Journal of Ethics Education. 6:51-73. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40889-020-00118-8.

Clancy, R. (2020). The Ethical Education and Perspectives of Chinese Engineering Students: A Preliminary Investigation and Recommendations. Science and Engineering Ethics. 26: 1935-1965 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11948-019-00108-0.

Ge, Y., Song, L., Clancy, R., and Qin, Y. (2019). Studies on Left-Behind Children in China: Reviewing Paradigm Shifts. New Directions in Children & Adolescent Psychology. 163: 115-135. https://doi.org/10.1002/cad.20267.

Book chapters
Clancy, R. and Chevalier, A. (2021). Dockless App-Based Bicycle-Sharing Systems in China: Lessons from a Case of Emergent Technology. Technology and the City: Towards a Philosophy of Urban Technologies. Eds. Michael Nagenborg, Margoth González Woge, Taylor Stone, and Pieter Vermaas. Dordrecht: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-52313-8_9.

Clancy, R. (2017) Making the Case for Political Anthropology: Understanding and Resolving the Backlash Against Liberalism. Identity and Difference: Contemporary Debates. Ed. Rafael Winkler. London: Routledge. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-40427-1_6.

Popular media
Santoni de Sio, F., Capasso, M., Clancy, R., Dennis, M., Durán, J., Ishmaev, G., Kudina, O., Maas, J., Marin, L., Pozzi, G., Sand, M., van den Hoven, J., and Veluwenkamp, H. (2021 February 15). Tech Philosophers Explain the Bigger Issues with Digital Platforms, and Some Ways Forward. 3 Quarks Daily.

Clancy, R. (2020 March 2). Coronavirus crisis: lessons from moral psychology on why the blame game is the wrong way to go. South China Morning Post.

Peer-reviewed conference proceedings
Gammon, A, Zhu, Q., Clancy, R., Streiner, S., and Thrope, R. (2022). Exploring the Perceptions of Professional Values among First-Year Engineering Students: A Cross-Cultural Comparison. Proceedings of the 2022 IEEE International Symposium on Technology and Society.

Gammon, A., Zhu, Q., Streiner, S., Clancy, R., and Thrope, R. (2022). Developing Conceptual and Methodological Foundations for a Cross-Cultural, Multi-Institutional Study of Ethical Reasoning and Moral Dispositions of Engineering Students. Proceedings of the 2022 Frontiers in Education Conference.

Clancy, R., Zhu, Q., Streiner, S., Gammon, A., and Thorpe, R. (2022) Exploring the Relations between Ethical Reasoning and Moral Intuitions among First-Year Engineering Students across Cultures. ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition.

Clancy, R., Zhu, Q., Martin, D., and Bombaerts, G. (2022). From Value- to Norm-sensitive Design: An Empirical and Intercultural Framework. ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition.

Zhu, Q., Clancy, R., Streiner, S., Thorpe, R., Angeli, A. (2022) Exploring the Ethical Perceptions of First-Year Engineering Students: Public Welfare Beliefs, Ethical Behavior, and Professional Values. ASEE Zone IV Conference.

Streiner, S., Zhu, Q., Clancy, R., Gammon, A., and Thorpe, R. (2022). Examining the Relations between Moral Intuitions and Values among First-Year Engineering Students: Implications for Culturally Responsive Ethics Education. ASEE Zone II Conference.

Clancy, R. (2021). The Relations between Ethical Reasoning and Moral Intuitions among Engineering Students in China. ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition.

Clancy, R. and Gammon, A. (2021). The Ultimate Goal of Engineering Ethics Education Should be More Ethical Behaviors. ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition.

Clancy, R. and Zhu, Q. (2021). Global Engineering Ethics: What? Why? How? and When? ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition.

Clancy, R. (2020). Ethical Reasoning and Moral Foundations among Engineering Students in China. ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition.

Clancy, R., Charlemagne, M., Clancy, R.J., and Ge, Y. (2020). Mapping Concepts Engineering Students in China Use to Think about Ethics. ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition.

Clancy, R., Charlemagne, M., and Ge, Y. (2019). A Website to Host Educational Modules on Global Engineering Ethics and Conduct Research in Cross-Cultural Moral Psychology: A Work in Progress. ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition.

Clancy, R. and Hohberger, H. (2019). The Moral Foundations of Chinese Engineering Students: A Preliminary Investigation. ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition.

Clancy, R., Sessford, J., An, L., and Ge, Y. (2017). Which Factors are Correlated with Engineering Students’ Expectations of Ethical Issues? ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition.

Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science, Virginia Tech, Towards a Global Ethics of Artificial Intelligence (AI): Exploring and Assessing Intercultural Ethical Perspectives on AI, PI ($10,000) 2022-2023

National Science Foundation, Responsible Engineering across Cultures: Investigating the Effects of Culture and Education on Ethical Reasoning and Dispositions of Engineering Students (# 2124984), Senior Personnel ($401,135) 2021-2026

Shanghai Educational Commission Reform of Undergraduate Education Grant, Adaptive Web-Based Educational Modules on Engineering Ethics, PI (¥50,000) 2018-2019

Purdue University Innovative Education Grant, Global Moral Issues for Engineers, Co-PI with Christopher Yeomans ($10,000) 2016

Shanghai Jiao Tong University Improvement of Education Grant, Orienting Engineering Ethics in Terms of China and Chinese Values, Faculty Advisor (¥30,000) 2015-2016