research ethics and the rd1 ethics form - rdp 09-11-16

Research ethics in art, design and media

John Spencer

MIRIAD Research in Practice Programme 2011 -2016

…Ethical thinking

+ from Sept 15 an insurance form

MIRIAD Ethical checklist

Ethical Issues in Art, Design and Media: Workshop Format

1. Research ethics in art, design and media: An introduction to the issues

2. Activity: Ethics case study examples (see selection of case examples)In small groups discuss individual case examples: identify ethical issues and how they might be handled.

3. Using the 2016 MIRIAD Ethics checklist (paper or interactive version)An opportunity for participants to test the prototype and raise any questions or issues connected to their own research.- https://www2.mmu.ac.uk/research/our-research/ethics-and-governance/ethics/- http://www.artdes.mmu.ac.uk/administration/ethics/

4 (Intellectual property within research) copyright and/or consent

Questions

• Why do ethics matter? • How could we embed a consideration for ethics in our

practice?

• The ‘problem’ with art, design and media

• Does ‘good art’ have to be ‘ethically good’? (Or … does contemporary art need to be ethically justifiable?) • In extremis, are good things beautiful and bad things

ugly?

Introduction• Recent examples of ethical issues

• MMU New three part approval process from Dec. 2012

• MMU Difficult ethics cases – use of scrutiniser

• Health and safety (competence/reasonably practical)

• Consent

Example slides

…but what do these examples illustrate?

• Research or teaching activity within an institution or artistic endeavor outside these confines.

• Morality versus Ethics?http://www.philosophersbeard.org/2010/10/morality-vs-ethics.htmlhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02bx2hh

http://www.philosophersbeard.org/2010/10/morality-vs-ethics.html



Introducing ethical thinking

Obstacles to theoretical engagement include complexity of the ethical academic discourse (e.g. original texts – Kant, Bergson etc). Excessive complexity - Monteverde, (2014)

For there to be a chance of making people act more ethically you have ‘to engage them in serious dialogue’ (Cederblom and Spohn, 1991)

Example slides

• Why does art, design and media research needs ethics? What are the possible positive and negative affects of ethical scrutiny?

• What are the key ethical issues or principles that apply in our subject areas?

Development of our original questions

Ethics: definition

Schools of ethics in Western philosophy can be divided, very roughly, into three sorts.

The first, drawing on the work of Aristotle, holds that the virtues (such as justice, charity, and generosity) are dispositions to act in ways that benefit both the person possessing them and that person's society.

The second, defended particularly by Kant, makes the concept of duty central to morality: humans are bound, from a knowledge of their duty as rational beings, to obey the categorical imperative to respect other rational beings.

Thirdly, utilitarianism asserts that the guiding principle of conduct should be the greatest happiness or benefit of the greatest number

Source: http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/ethics?view=uk (10/05/11)

Virtue

Duty

Utilitarianism

‘The Golden Rule’ – do until others…

Example slides

The new post graduate ethics process• Introduced from December 2012 – RD1

submissions• Agreed by MMU Academic Board on 3rd October

2012

• Faculty Head of Academic Ethics • Scrutiniser

Using the electronic form

• Only use the form in Acrobat Reader• Open, complete save it in Acrobat• Use the interactive elements• The form will open in Preview – but it will

not view correctly and will corrupt on saving

• You can use a printed version but you will not have access the interactive elements (extended text boxes etc.)

Example of completed form(Note: earlier version of form - but principle the

same)

Risk assessment

• ALL research projects MUST have a risk assessment attached to the ethics form. (Oct 2012 Academic Board Ethics committee)

• Whilst the principles of health and safety assessment remain constant, it is worth noting that there is range of specific assessment paperwork produced to meet needs of differing creative disciplines. These should be used where appropriate.

• There is currently a generic MMU form – in the medium term a new assessment for post graduate research projects is to be developed.

Intellectual property

• Ethical and legal issues

• https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/375951/Education_and_Teaching.pdf

• https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-copyright-law

Guidance

• There are both legal and there are ethical considerations.

• Acknowledging sources• ‘Fair dealing’• Consent, if appropriate • Care connected to commercial situations, e.g. for

profit (e.g. book or performance). • Published work?• Copyright guidance on academic

submission/exhibition or competition

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