Ethics in Contemporary Ethnographic Research  Check-in [2270b8a9ae]

# Assignment 1: Data Walk

Due date
: April 25, 15:00

The goal of this assignment is to sensitize you to the ways in which data is continually produced in contemporary social settings. In another context we might talk about the *opportunities* this holds for social researchers, many of whom have welcomed the "data deluge" as an opportunity to invent new ways of knowing the social. In the context of this class, however, we will mostly discuss its ethical implications---the ways in which the research process is shot through with ethical concerns when it takes place in data-saturated environments.

Canadian media scholar [Alison Powell](https://www.alisonpowell.ca/?page_id=71) came up with the idea for **data walkshops** with the express purpose of "opening up civic discussions about data and its ethics within urban space." A variation on the ethnographic go-along method, it has been adopted by scholars around the world, including the [Centre for BOLD Cities](https://www.centre-for-bold-cities.nl/projects/data-walks) in our own region.

In this assignment, you will plan, carry out and report on a data walk. Each student will submit **a brief report** (around 800 words) with supporting materials such as maps, photographs and notes taken en route.

# Assignment 2: Hacking Ethnography

Due date
: May 9, 15:00

Working in groups of up to four students, you will design and produce a contribution to a collection of public-facing resources on the theme of Hacking Ethnography. Your contribution can take one of two forms:

1. A zine (for instance, to provide guidelines for how to protect the identities of your research participants).
2. An instructional video (for instance, to show how to use a certain tool to secure research data).

**You will find a selection of earlier assignments in [this collection](https://www.jboy.space/blog/hacking-ethnography.html).**

Regardless which format you choose, try to create your resource in such a way that it will be useful to others like you wondering what kinds of practices they can adopt in the course of ethnographic research to protect research participants, secure data, and otherwise ensure that their research is ethical. We will discuss possible topics during tutorials in [week 4](../weeks/4.md).

When you have created your resource, [choose a Creative Commons license](https://creativecommons.org/choose/) under which to release your work into the public.

## Zine

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.

# Assignment 3: Essay Questions

Due date
: June 7, 15:00

Self-assessment due date
: June 9, 23:59

This assignment consists of **essay questions** that will be posted to Brightspace in the final week of May. In your answers to these questions, you will have the chance to demonstrate what you have learned about ethical issues contemporary ethnographers face and ways they can respond practically. Successful answers will make connections between the course content (lectures, readings, and discussions in tutorials) and _Dealing in Desire_.

This assignment is **self-assessed**. This means that, after submitting your answers, you will grade your own effort. Here's how that works:

1. We will prepare a "model answer" for each of the essay questions. Read these model answers and the assessment criteria that they are intended to demonstrate. The "model answers" are *not* the definitive answers, and it is possible that a good answer will differ significantly in its content provided it successfully demonstrates understanding and analytical thinking.
2. You will write a brief reflection on your own answers. Think of your reflection as a letter addressed to the instructors in which you explain what you think was successful about your answer, and what, with the benefit of hindsight, you think could have been improved. What did you find challenging about writing your answer? What did you learn as a result of preparing your answer and reviewing it?
3. Finally, you will tell us what grade you would give yourself for the assignment as a whole. (Ideally, we would give everyone the grade they give themselves, but we reserve the right to raise or lower grades as appropriate.)

You will find the self-assessment as a "quiz" on Brightspace after you submit this assignment and the deadline has passed.