Ethics in Contemporary Ethnographic Research  Check-in [5882fc1f16]

Zines are a self-published format with a DIY aesthetic. They usually consist of literally cut-and-pasted texts and graphics, and traditionally they have been reproduced using copying machines. Zines have been associated with a variety of subcultures, such as the punk scene of the seventies and riot grrrl scene of the nineties.

ABC No Rio, a cultural institution in New York that archives zines, has the following [advice](http://www.abcnorio.org/facilities/zine_library.html) for "new zinesters":

> Look at a variety of zines before starting out on one of your own, to really take your time with the layout, and to think about how your zine might be different, depending on where you are in the world: does it have a sense of PLACE? Be specific and descriptive. ... Just to let you know, there are a LOT of punk rock zines out there, so if you're doing one, go the extra mile to make yours stand out. 

You can find lots of examples of zines created through the ages on [archive.org](https://archive.org/details/zines). For additional inspiration, look at the zines created by [Nika Dubrovsky](https://a4kids.org/), [Psaroskala](https://psaroskalazines.gr/zines/), and [Julia Evans](https://wizardzines.com/zines/wizard/). You may also want to build on [a template](https://medium.com/data-feminism-lab-mit/announcing-a-beautiful-open-source-zine-template-76d6279831f4) (though that may not exactly help with standing out).

After choosing a Creative Commons license for your zine, submit it, preferably as a single PDF, through Brightspace. Making hard copies to distribute to your friends is optional but encouraged!

## Curation

What do we mean by curation? Allow us to quote liberally from [this resource](https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/curation/):

# Frequently Anticipated Questions



## How much work is this class?

ECER is a class of 5 EC, which corresponds to 140 hours of work total. That means that, in addition to attending lectures and tutorials, you should plan on spending an average of 12 hours per week on readings, homework, and assignments.

## What will we work on?

Attendance during lectures is voluntary but strongly advised. Participation in tutorials is obligatory. You may miss one session, but your tutorial instructor may ask you to complete an additional assignment to make up for the missed session. Students who miss more than one session without valid reasons will have a penalty of half a grade point applied to their final grade.

## What is my grade based on?

Assessment in this class is based on three assignments:

1. Your [research report](assignments/1.md) on a data walk (40 percent).
2. Your [group contribution](assignments/2.md) to the Hacking Ethnography collection (pass/fail, 10 percent).
3. Your answers to [essay questions](assignments/3.md) relating the course content to _Dealing in Desire_ (50 percent).

We will discuss all three assignments during tutorials.

## Can I redo any of the assignments?

In accordance with Institute and Faculty policies, you can redo an assignment if your overall grade is lower than 5.5. Your revised assignment will need to be a noticeable improvement over your original assignment to be considered for an improved grade. Be sure to incorporate any feedback provided on your first attempt.

We will refer **all suspected violations** of these regulations to the examination committee. Be careful to **properly cite** all works you draw on in your assignments. The University Library offers [tutorials and advice][lib-tutorials] on what and how to cite.

## Changes

This syllabus is a living document and may be adapted as the course progresses. You can keep track of changes in the [timeline][].

[rooster]: https://rooster.universiteitleiden.nl
[readings-link]: https://surfdrive.surf.nl/files/index.php/s/hAn2GFKRE2yvT05
[plagiarism-rules]: https://www.organisatiegids.universiteitleiden.nl/en/regulations/general/plagiarism
[lib-tutorials]: https://www.library.universiteitleiden.nl/students/citing
[timeline]: https://code.jboy.space/ecer/timeline

# Week 1

## Lecture

Readings
: - Le Guin (1973)
- Mutaru (2018)

Contemporary ethnographic research continues the tradition of ethnographic inquiry in anthropology and sociology, but has some distinguishing characteristics. We will discuss the past and present of ethnographic research and how at every stage it involves decisions where ethical concerns are at stake, forcing us to ask what "the good" is in society and how we are meant to act. Further, we will cover the current research ethics regime, where it comes from, what it entails, and why it is at times contested.

**No tutorials yet this week.**

Homework
: Find the ethics code of an anthropological or sociological association in your home country or region and read it with Mutaru (2018) at the back of your mind. How well do you think the code could guide you when dealing with emerging ethical dilemmas?

# Week 4

## Lecture

Readings
: - TK

In this lecture, we will be joined by **Danny Spitzberg**, a user researcher.

**No tutorials this week.**

Homework
: - Learn about the Crisis Text Line scandal by reading McNeil (2022) and at least one additional source of your own choice.
- Take some notes to prepare for a discussion in next week's tutorials.

# Week 6

## Lecture

Readings
: - Fassin (2013) 
- Reyes (2017)
- Dilger et al. (2018)
- De Koning et al. (2019)

Researchers have a responsibility to address issues of public concern, and critical scholars in particular have the ambition of making public interventions. This requires finding formats for scholarly communication that can reach the public, but also resisting tendencies that enclose scholarly knowledge behind paywalls or within proprietary systems. In that sense, ethnographers are champions of opening up our work. The demand to be "open" can also be a challenge to those conducting critical research, particularly for ethnographers who are unable to share their data or be totally transparent about their research process. We will discuss a variety of ethical issues that are at stake in this tension.

## Tutorial

Homework
: Review your notes and come prepared with questions.

During tutorials, you will discuss [assignment 3](../assignments/3.md).

  title   = {Datafication},
  journal = {Internet Policy Review},
  volume  = {8},
  number  = {4},
  year    = {2019},
  doi     = {10.14763/2019.4.1428},
}
@ARTICLE{McNeil2022,
  author  = {Joanne McNeil},
  title   = {Crisis Text Line and the Silicon Valleyfication of Everything},
  journal = {Motherboard},
  date    = {2022-02-10},
  url     = {https://www.vice.com/en/article/wxdpym/crisis-text-line-and-the-silicon-valleyfication-of-everything},
}