2010 Courses

Courses for January Term 2010

EVSC 1050: The Ethics, Protocols and Practices of International Research [3]

Cross listed as STS 2500

www.people.virginia.edu/~rjs8g

Robert J. Swap, Research Associate Professor

Prerequisite: at least one general science course.

What are the ethics and protocols of conducting international research? And how faithfully does the actual practice of such research reflect these protocols and standards of ethics? How should students and scholars work to establish research partnerships that bring sustained benefits to the environment and to the people who inhabit the site of a given project? How can international research consortia establish a basis for community service and development? What are the ethical obligations of contemporary researchers and students who visit developing countries, especially in the light of contemporary researchers and students who visit developing countries, especially in the light of the legacy of colonialism? Through an intense combination of readings, discussions, guest presentations, and group projects, students will address all these questions. The class will be facilitated by the lead instructors with the active participation of a delegation of scholars from southern Africa; in addition the class will also have distinguished guest instructors from the university and the wider scholarly community. Drawing on all these resources, students working in autonomous small groups, will design a potential research project of their own and present it to the entire group.