Ethics in Contemporary Ethnographic Research  Check-in [d8437c8f7c]

# 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_.