Ethics and Responsibilities

As we continue to consider the nuances of researching sexuality, one issue of vital consideration is research ethics, particularly given the sensitive nature of the kinds of issues sexuality researchers are studying, and the often vulnerable status of the people with whom they may be collaborating on this research (i.e. sexual minorities, sex workers, etc.).  

Choose one of the course readings

TOPIC:  Racism and Research: The Case of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study 

Explain the potential ethical considerations/complications/challenges of doing research on that particular community or subject.  

a)  How might power dynamics between the researcher and “human subjects” impact the data collected, whether in interviews, surveys, or ethnography? 

b)  How would the context in which research might be done impact the researcher and/or human subject? 

c)  Explain why, despite these challenges (ethical and logistical), scholars should still study the community or subject in the selected reading.  What insights does it offer about sexuality not only in that particular community or context, but also more broadly? 

d)  Finally, as a broader question, what are the responsibilities of the sexuality researcher when working with vulnerable/marginalized populations, and how might he or she go about ensuring that those responsibilities are met? our course schedule, and explain the potential ethical considerations/complications/challenges of doing research on that particular community or subject.