Epistemic Approaches, Critical Research, & Research Ethics Research Design PADMN 6289// WEEK 2

Research Ethics 03 Critical Research 02 Epistemic Approaches 01 This Videocast

Epistemic Approaches Assumptions and understandings about the nature, origins, and limits of human knowledge 01

—Norma M. Riccucci Conflict and dissonance arise...over the relevancy of the diverse epistemic traditions that have evolved in public administration. Should the field be regarded as a “science”? Or should public administration be predisposed to at least the tools of science?

Epistemic Approaches Empiricism/Positivism Interpretivism Critical Theory Postpositivism Rationalism

Knowledge is derived from interpretations Knowledge can be acquired through measurement (empiricism) and verification of hypotheses (positivism) Knowledge is acquired through social construction Interpretivism Empiricism/Positivism Critical Theory Epistemic Approaches

Qualitative Ethnography, case studies, content & narrative analysis Knowledge can be acquired through measurement (empiricism) and verification of hypotheses (positivism) Knowledge is acquired through social construction Interpretivism Empiricism/Positivism Critical Theory Epistemic Approaches

Qualitative Ethnography, case studies, content & narrative analysis Qualitative/Quantitative Case studies, small/medium/ large-n interview or survey- based studies, secondary data analysis Knowledge is acquired through social construction Interpretivism Empiricism/Positivism Critical Theory Epistemic Approaches

Qualitative Ethnography, case studies, content & narrative analysis Epistemic Approaches Qualitative/Quantitative Case studies, small/medium/ large-n interview or survey- based studies, secondary data analysis Qualitative Literary criticism, discourse analysis, historical analysis, field research Interpretivism Empiricism/Positivism Critical Theory

Critical Research The study of various types of power relations within myriad aspects of culture. Instead of studying social phenomena through a general (i.e. dominant) lens, critical research recognizes the various hegemonies created and maintained by and over the various identity groups in society. 02

Critical Research Postcolonial theory, queer theory, critical race theory, intersectional feminism, critical theories of ableism & fatness, etc. e.g.

What explains the persistence of residential segregation amid growing ethnic diversity in the United States ?

Awareness of the social location from which research is conducted Awareness of intersecting and overlapping systems of oppression Awareness of how researcher impacts data collection/ knowledge Situated knowledge Intersectionality Reflexivity Critical Research Research implications for both understanding and addressing inequality Research is Political

Understanding and appreciating the power differentials/ dynamics between researcher and research participants/ subjects Power in Research

Ethics in Research 03

Ethics Participants are knowledgeable about the research and voluntarily agree to participate Informed Consent E.g. Are research participants/ subjects being exploited for benefits that they are unlikely to enjoy? Dilemmas of Power E.g. Does researcher presence expose individuals to social, financial, physical, political (etc) risk? Dilemmas of Proximity E.g. Consider the information that is being released and the various manners in which all potential readers might use that information Dilemmas of Publication

̶ Lee Ann Fujii If scholars and graduate students are uncomfortable with navigating the many ethical challenges that arise when conducting research with human beings, we must remind ourselves that to enter another’s world as a researcher is a privilege, not a right. ”

Epistemic Approaches, Critical Research, & Research Ethics Research Design PADMN 6289// WEEK 2