Material:

Chapter 3 of Murchison

2. "Ethics" by Karen O'Reilly, fromKey Concepts in Ethnography,available here.

3. Watch:"The Ethics of Social Research. Part 3 of 3 on Practical Issues and Ethics"

SLIDES:

Research Questions

You may need to do "exploratory" research before you settle on a research question

Make sure your research question is not a simple "yes/no" question

Think more in terms of "how" and "why" when developing a research question

Linking Research Questions to Methods

Think about methodology when choosing a research question

Are the questions you are considering well-suited for ethnography research?

Will be you be conducting more participant-observation or interviews? It will likely be a combination, but what does your field site selection lend itself towards more?

Could you consider doing an apprenticeship or volunteering at your field site?

Practicality & Feasibility

Make sure your research goals are practical and feasible

Keep in mind you only have one semester to complete this research project

Make sure you can easily access your field site at least once a week

Are there any language barriers?

Are there gatekeepers?

Are there other barriers for access-such as your personal characteristics (age, race, gender, etc.)?

Ethics: Covert vs. Overt

In ethnography, researchers usually fall within a continuum of being covert vs. overtwhere do you fall?

Think about the balance between the benefits of your research and the deceit involved

As most of you are researching in a public place, there is no expectations of privacy

But when you are conducting interviews, make sure to get informed consent from your participants

Confidentiality & Reflexivity

It's best to use pseudonyms and change identifying details of informants

Always check in with yourself (and your instructor and classmates) about any ethical dilemmas you are facing

"Concerns must be addressed on a case-by-case basis (O'Reilly 2008:6).

select a post roughly half a page of your field notes on the DB - either something you related to your research design (perhaps something that brings up questions about how to turn your topic into a research question) or something related to ethical considerations in your field site. (Please paste this excerpt directly into the DB thread; paste your short paragraph right below it.)

2) Then, please select one of these questions to discuss in a short paragraph in your post:

A) How will you turn your idea or topic into a research question? Do you have any concerns about the feasibility of your topic?

B) What are some key ethical concerns for ethnographic research? Explain any ethical questions you may be facing in your field site. How will you take into account ethical considerations as you proceed with your research project this semester? Fieldnotes #1 assignment

"After much consideration, I made my choice as to the discussion topic that dealt with pros and cons of being an insider or an outsider. The following points describe what I have learned.

The insider, as such, would have it easier to connect and build trust. Insider status implies that one is already known or, at least, fundamentally understood. For example, if you are studying a group you are already a member of, like students, the members of that group will probably be more frank or open-minded when they are talking to you. But this nearness could cloud objectivity, in which case it becomes impossible to discern thoroughly group experience from personal experiences.

An outsider, conversely, is in a position to see better, owing to their comparative detachment. The persons in the group may choose to go into such elaborate detail while explaining thing to you because they presuppose that you are not knowledgeable about their world. Other times, a matter of commonness in gaining trust within the group becomes difficult, limiting what you can see and learn.