A group photo of the workshop participants with their instructor, Ms. Kaneez Fatima, and the CBEC Faculty.
ETHICS IN SOCIAL SCIENCES RESEARCH
Kaneez Fatima*
While observing undergraduate dissertations, I noticed a concerning pattern. Research ethics is often treated as a mere footnote in the curriculum of research methodology, merely a slide or two during the whole semester. This results in students being completely oblivious to ethical concerns in the research they plan and how they execute it.
I reached out to the Centre of Biomedical Ethics and Culture (CBEC). Their faculty members, Farid bin Masood and Sualeha Shekhani, led our students through ethical issues that can arise in conducting research in disciplines across social sciences. Conducted on April 20 at CBEC, the workshop pedagogy was collaborative, a blend of interactive lectures and small group case discussions. This experience has oriented students with the sensitivity required to work on their dissertations during their final year. Student feedback indicated that they appreciated the interactive nature of the workshop, particularly small group discussions. However, they preferred shorter sessions spread across multiple days.