RESEARCH ETHICS IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES AND THE HUMANITIES

This course provides an overview of research ethics in the social sciences and the humanities, with a primary focus on anthropology and sociology. Through case studies, theoretical readings, and applied discussions, students will explore ethical dilemmas, institutional requirements, and methodological challenges involved in conducting social science research with human and non-human subjects. Emphasis will be placed on research agendas, power relations, positionality and reflexivity, information, consent, institutional requirements, professional duties and decolonizing methodologies. The course includes lectures, student-led discussions, and practical exercises.

At the end of this course, students will be able to:
*Understand the main principles of research ethics in the social sciences, with a specific focus on anthropology and sociology
*Analyse ethical dilemmas in social science research and in the humanities
*Reflect on power, positionality, and responsibility in fieldwork
*Critically evaluate ethical guidelines and institutional ethics requirements and review board processes
*Develop an ethically informed research proposal

Students are required to have an understanding of social science or humanities' research and have an interest in the process of research design and conduction.

This course will cover different ethics aspect of research in social sciences and the humanities in its comprehensive process, including: funding, design, ethics assessment, recruitment, data collection, data processing, data ownership, data analysis, data storage, dissemination, restitution and the aftermath of that. It will include discussion around research integrity, participation, data minimisation, cooperative research, institutional ethics assessment, requirements and bodies, legal frameworks, cross-cultural ethics, misconducts, power relations, vulnerable populations and other important ethics issues in the field. The course will include discussion around examples of research projects or case studies.

Students will be invited to read and engage with the following texts:
* Jaap Bos. Research Ethics for Students in the Social Sciences, chapt 1 to 5.
* ERC (2021) Ethics in Social Science and Humanities
o Israel, M. (2015). Research Ethics and Integrity for Social Scientists, Chapter 1
o Fine, G. (1993). Ten Lies of Ethnography. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography
o Mackenzie, C. et al. (2007). Beyond "Do No Harm": The Challenge of Research with Vulnerable People
o Tuhiwai-Smith, L. (2012). Choosing the Margins: The Role of Research in Indigenous Struggles
o Ticktin, M. (2011). Casualties of Care. Chapter on Ethical Dilemmas in Humanitarian Work

Students' work will be evaluated with a written exam where students will need to prove to have understood the main principles of research ethics, to be able to do an ethics assessment of research projects, and to write a research ethics protocol.

written

Evaluation system:
28-30L: the student masters the topics presented in the course and in the assigned readings; they are capable of
hyerarchizing information, makes use of a convenient scientific terminology, and can apply in a careful and precise way the knowledge they acquired in ethics assessment and ethics protocol design.
26-27: the student has a good knowledge of the topics presented in the course and in the
assigned readings; they generally succeed in hyerarchizing information, they are familiar with scientific
terminology, and they can apply in a good way the knowledge they acquired in ethics assessment and ethics protocol design.
24-25: the student does not always know thoroughly topics presented in the course and in the assigned
readings; their oral exposition is clear, although concepts are not always expressed through a convenient
scientific terminology, and they can apply in a sufficient way the knowledge they acquired in ethics assessment and ethics protocol design
22-23: the student has a mostly superficial knowledge of the topics presented in the course and in the assigned
readings; their oral exposition is not always clear and generally lacks scientific terminology; and they can partially apply the knowledge they acquired in ethics assessment and ethics protocol design
18-21: the student has a very superficial knowledge of the topics presented in the course and in the assigned
readings; his oral exposition is confused and does not resort to scientific terminology; and they can barely apply the knowledge they acquired in ethics assessment and ethics protocol design

The course includes lectures, student-led presentations and discussions, and practical exercises.