Ethics in social science 7,5 Credits

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2023-05-29 - Until further notice 2020-06-10 - 2023-05-28 2017-04-27 - 2020-06-09 2015-06-10 - 2017-04-26
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Syllabus:
Etik inom samhällsvetenskaperna, 7,5 hp
Ethics in social science 7,5 Credits

General data

  • Code: SOA011F
  • Subject/Main field: Sociology alt. No subject
  • Cycle: Third cycle
  • Credits: 7,5
  • Answerable faculty: Faculty of Human Sciences
  • Answerable department: Humanities and Social Sciences
  • Approved: 2015-09-11
  • Date of change: 2023-08-23
  • Version valid from: 2023-05-29

Aim

The aim of the course is to provide an orientation on contemporary research ethics; principles, perspectives, theory, and applications of ethical issues on research applicable to social science.

Course objectives

After completing the course the student is expected to:
• Through writings and seminars show knowledge in the major areas of ethics in research; issues, principles and rules with a particular emphasis on human research
• Give evidence of knowledge about how to apply ethical standards in different research projects.
• Through writings and seminars show knowledge of ethics in the researchers role in research planning and methodology
• Demonstrate ability to apply the conventions, agreements, principles laws and regulations regarding research ethics to contemporary research problems
• To be able to pinpoint ethical dilemmas in own and other research, and to suggest solutions in such situations

Content

Fundamentals in moral philosophy will be covered as well as the emergence of research ethics as based on ethics in social sciences. Reviews of the ethical principles governing research on humans, mainly in the social sciences, health sciences and the humanities, and the corresponding inventory of laws and government guidance relevant to research, will be included. Special attention is given to problems relating to sensitive personal data, data protection, and research on vulnerable groups, storage, archiving and honesty in research. Recent cases of suspected scientific dishonesty are discussed. Graduate students are assumed, in addition to the common literature, to immerse themselves in research ethics problems in various applied areas.

The course will give the opportunity to discuss advantages and problems on ethical principles for research, from both a national and an international perspective, as well as Swedish laws and regulations in the area. Ethical dilemmas in different kinds of empirical research are discussed and evaluated.

Entry requirements

A person meets the entry requirements for the course if he or she has been admitted to a third-cycle study programme and will be given credit for the course in that study programme.
(Äldre gymnasiebetyg)

Selection rules and procedures

The selection process is in accordance with the Higher Education Ordinance and the local order of admission.

Teaching form

Teaching is in the form of lectures and seminars, discussions, and independent literature studies on ethical problems related to the student’s dissertation project, evaluating the body of knowledge in research methods and ethics regarding the subject of study. Approaches to problems which the participants have elected to reflect on will be discussed during the seminars.

Examination form

Examination in the form of a written presentation covering the body of knowledge in ethics regarding a specific subject of study. Presenting a discussion on an ethical problem and suggest possible solutions at a seminar. Design an admit to the ethical reviewboard on the subject. Attendance is compulsory.

Grading system

Fail (U) or Pass (G)

Course reading

Select litterature list:

Required literature

  • Author: Zimmer, Michael
  • Article title: 'But the data is already public': on the ethics of research in Facebook
  • Journal: Ethics Inf Technology
  • Year/Volume/nr/pages: 2010/12/313-325
  • Author: Williams, Matthew L, Burnap, Pete and Sloan, Luke.
  • Article title: Towards an ethical framework for publishing twitter data in social research: Taking into account users' views, online context and algorithmic estimation
  • Journal: 2017/51/6/1149-1168
  • Year/Volume/nr/pages: Sociology
  • Author: Taquette, S. R., & Borges da Matta Souza, L. M.
  • Article title: Ethical dilemmas in qualitative research: A critical literature review
  • Journal: 2022/21
  • Year/Volume/nr/pages: International Journal of Qualitative Methods
  • Author: Sultana, Farhana
  • Article title: Reflextivity, positionality, and participatory ethics: Negotiating fieldwork dilemmas in international research.
  • Journal: 2007/6(3)/374-385
  • Year/Volume/nr/pages: ACME: An International Journal for Critical Geographies
  • Author: Skloot, Rebecca
  • Title: The immortal life of Henrietta Lacks (or the Swedish version)
  • Edition: 2011 (or other)
  • Publisher: Pan Macmillan
  • Author: Schrag, Zachary M.
  • Article title: The case against ethics review in the social sciences
  • Journal: Research ethics
  • Year/Volume/nr/pages: 2011/7/4/120-131
  • Author: Robertson, Maxine
  • Article title: The caste for eithcs review in social sciences: Drawing from practice at Queen Mary University of London
  • Journal: Research Ethics
  • Year/Volume/nr/pages: 2014/10/2/69-76
  • Author: Ratnam, C. & Drozdzewiski
  • Article title: Research ethics with vulnerable groups: ethics in practice and procedure
  • Journal: 2022/29/7/1000-1030
  • Year/Volume/nr/pages: Gender, Place & Culture
  • Author: Oliver, Paul
  • Title: The student's guide to research ethic
  • Edition: Latest edition
  • Publisher: Berkshire, CA: Open University Press
  • Author: Nilan, Pamela
  • Article title: Dangerous fieldwork re-examined: The question of the researcher subject position
  • Journal: 2002/2(3)/363-386
  • Year/Volume/nr/pages: Qualitative Research
  • Author: Miller, Tina, Mauthner, Melaine, Birch, Maxine, & Jessop, Julie
  • Title: Ethics in qualitative research
  • Edition: 2012
  • Publisher: Sage Publications, London
  • Author: Ludvigsson, J.F., Håberg, S.E, Knudsen, G.P., Lafolie, P., Zoega, H., Sarkkola, C., Nörgaard, M.
  • Article title: Ethical aspects of registry-based research in the Nordic countries
  • Journal: 2015/7/491-508
  • Year/Volume/nr/pages: Clinical Epidemiology
  • Author: Kovats-Bernat, J.
  • Article title: Negotiating dangerous fields: Pragmatic strategies for fieldwork among violence and terror
  • Journal: 2002/104(1)/208-222
  • Year/Volume/nr/pages: American Anthropologist
  • Author: Jacobsen, Karen and Landau, Loren B
  • Article title: The dual imperative in refugee research: some methodological and ethical considerations in social science research on forced migration
  • Journal: 2003/27(3)/185-206
  • Year/Volume/nr/pages: Disasters
  • Author: Gross, Charles
  • Article title: Medical ethics: four principles plus attention to scope
  • Journal: 1994/67/693-711
  • Year/Volume/nr/pages: Annual Review of Psychology
  • Author: Gross, Charles
  • Article title: Scientific Misconduct
  • Journal: Annual Review of Psychology
  • Year/Volume/nr/pages: 2015/67/639-711
  • Author: Denzin, Norman K. & Lincoln, Yvonna S.
  • Title: The landscape of qualiative research
  • Edition: 2013
  • Publisher: Sage publications
  • Comment: selected parts

Reference literature

  • Author: Skloot, Rebecca
  • Title: The immortal life of Henrietta Lacks
  • Publisher: Pan Macmillan
  • Title: Inquiery: Ny ordning för att främja god sed och hantera oredlighet i forskning (SOU 2017:10) (Summary in Swedish and English, 10 pages)
  • Title: Personal Data Act (1998-204) (Personuppgiftslagen)
  • Title: The Act (2003:460) concerning the Ethical Review of Research Involving Humans (Etikprövningslagen)
  • Title: Unik kunskap genom registerforskning, SOU 2014:45 Betänkande av registerforskningsutredningen
  • Edition: 2014

Check if the literature is available in the library

The page was updated 1/9/2024