EPRS 9830 - Research Ethics in the Professional and Social Sciences

3 Credit Hours
Prerequisites: Any prior course in the Quantitative or Qualitative sequence with a grade of C or higher.
Description
This course explores ethical and moral dilemmas researchers have encountered in conducting research in the social, professional, and human sciences and the sources of ethical principles and practices they have used in addressing these dilemmas. Philosophical traditions in ethics from around the world and codes of ethical practice from professional associations, government agencies, and other relevant institutions are examined for their applications to choices researchers make and challenges they face. This course is designed to equip researchers studying human behavior and experience to engage in ethical analysis and concrete ethical problem solving when designing, conducting, analyzing, reporting, and applying research design. It is not intended to provide definitive answers to ethical conundrums, but rather to orient the researcher to the moral complexity inherent in all inquiry and present a collection of tools for navigating ethically ambiguous research situations. Students apply these frameworks to their own and others’ research dilemmas.Drawing from personal experiences and the professional, social, and human science literature, students develop their own principles for ethical research practice.