Ethics in Contemporary Ethnographic Research  Changes On Branch 29d919ada3ca1a08

# Assignment 1: Data Walk

Due date
: April 23, 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 600 words) with supporting materials such as maps, photographs and notes taken en route.

# Assignment 2: Hacking Ethnography

Due date
: May 17, 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 several forms:

1. An instructional video (for instance, to show how to use a certain tool to secure research data).
2. A zine (for instance, to provide guidelines for how to protect the identities of your research participants).
3. A curated list of resources (for instance, to help qualitative researchers understand potential risks of data-saturated environments).

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/share-your-work/) under which to release your work into the public.



## Instructional Video

Create a video that conveys a useful skill for ethnographers in 4--9 minutes. Aim to make an engaging and concise video that (1) incorporates visual cues highlighting important information, (2) uses minimal text, and (3) has some personality!

You can find a rushed (i.e., poorly made) example [here](https://video.leidenuniv.nl/media/t/1_onr7x18p). You can definitely do better!

Once you have chosen a Creative Commons license for your video, upload it to [archive.org](https://archive.org/create/), the university's [Kaltura site](https://video.leidenuniv.nl/), or a PeerTube instance like [TubEdu](https://tubedu.org). Submit the public link through Brightspace.

## 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.

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":

# Assignment 3: Essay Questions

Due date
: May 26, 15:00

This assignment consists of essay questions that will be posted to Brightspace ahead of the final tutorial session. In your answers to these questions, you will have the chance to demonstrate what you have learned about ethical issues 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_.

: Semester 2, Block 2

## Instructors

| Name                                    | Email                                   |
|-----------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------|
| [John Boy, PhD](https://www.jboy.space) | <j.d.boy@fsw.leidenuniv.nl>             |
| Anne Veens                              | <j.b.m.veens@fsw.leidenuniv.nl>         |
| Irene Moretti                           | <i.moretti@fsw.leidenuniv.nl>           |

| Ruben Reus                              | <r.t.reus@fsw.leidenuniv.nl>            |
| Tim van de Meerendonk                   | <t.van.de.meerendonk@fsw.leidenuniv.nl> |
| Wiebe Ruijtenberg                       | <w.d.ruijtenberg@fsw.leidenuniv.nl>     |
| Willem van Wijk                         | <w.l.van.wijk@fsw.leidenuniv.nl>        |

## Dates

|      week       | theme                                            | lecture              | tutorials  | due                              |
|:---------------:|--------------------------------------------------|----------------------|------------|----------------------------------|
| [1](weeks/1.md) | Contemporary Challenges to Ethical Research      | Apr 12, 9:15--11:00  | Apr 12--13 |                                  |
| [2](weeks/2.md) | Data, Data Everywhere                            | Apr 19, 9:15--11:00  | Apr 19--20 | [Assignment 1](assignments/1.md) |
| [3](weeks/3.md) | Hacking Ethnography I                            | Apr 26, 9:15--11:00  | **none**   |                                  |
| [4](weeks/4.md) | Hacking Ethnography II                           | **none**             | May 3--4   | [Assignment 2](assignments/2.md) |
| [5](weeks/5.md) | Metrics, Impact and Academic Audit Cultures      | May 6, 14:30--16:00  | **none**   |                                  |
| [6](weeks/6.md) | The Open Imperative                              | May 17, 9:15--11:00  | May 17--18 | [Assignment 3](assignments/3.md) |

Please consult [MyTimetable 🐓][rooster] for the schedule of your tutorial sessions.

*All times CEST unless otherwise noted.*

## Readings

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/EfzhBGe2M1G5vy5
[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.

## Tutorial



Homework
: - Find the ethics code of an anthropological association in your home country or region and read it with Mutaru (2018) in the back of your mind.
- Read Kell (2021) and find at least one other story about the same issue.

During tutorials, you will study and discuss ethics guidelines of various professional associations. You will also discuss controversies around anthropology's historical entanglement with imperialist or settler-colonial projects and their perduring implications for research ethics.

# Week 3

## Lecture

Readings
: - Markham (2012)
- De Seta (2020)


We have discussed challenges we face as we want to conduct ethnographic research in an ethical manner in today's world. But what can we do as researchers to put ethical principles into practice? How can we avoid causing harm and protect those in the field, ourselves included? We will draw on a range of practices and literatures to think through ways of "hacking" ethnography.

**No tutorials this week.**

# Week 4


**No lecture on Monday, but we do have a special lecture on Thursday (see [week 5](5.md)).**





## Tutorial

Homework
: - Come up with a fictional research scenario and complete the [EFF risk assessment](https://ssd.eff.org/en/module/your-security-plan) for that hypothetical scenario. Think about what skills or tools you would need to mitigate the risks you identified.
- Browse some of the following resources and write down a few ideas for what you would like to work on for your second assignment:
    - <https://defendourmovements.org/resources/>
    - <https://myshadow.org/>
    - <https://securityinabox.org/en/>

During tutorials, you will discuss and plan the [second assignment](../assignments/2.md). This will require forming groups with two or three other students in your tutorial group and coming up with a contribution to the Hacking Ethnography collection.

# Week 5

## Lecture

**This lecture is scheduled for Thursday, May 6, at 14:30.**

Readings
: - Wouters (2017)
- [Leiden Manifesto](http://www.leidenmanifesto.org/)

For this session we are honored to welcome Professor **Paul Wouters**, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, who will speak from his vantage point about the ethics and politics of scientific knowledge production. Dean Wouters was a driving force behind the Leiden Manifesto on Research Metrics and, as a scholar of science and technology, he has studied important trends such as open science and mixed-methods research. He will also talk to us about issues that are unique to the Dutch social sciences and our own Faculty.

**No tutorials this week.**