This week you identify ethical issues and mitigation strategies for your proposed project. Let’s discuss how you are addressing the ethical issues and the myriad of mitigation actions you might apply. Address one of the following in your post:

Discuss the types of data you are planning to use in your project. How do your sources connect with the topic/problem/gap you have identified, and with the answers or outcomes you are seeking? What are some favorite sources that might your peers learn from?
Share your questions about collecting data according to your chosen methodology. What are some possible support connections that could be made to address these questions?
After reviewing the IRB Campus site and considering the ethical challenges your project may face, discuss your ethical concerns and how you will address or prevent them. What lingering questions or concerns do you have about ethical challenges?

Sample solution

Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell. 

In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.

God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.

Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.

To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.

 

References

Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.

Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies4(8), 487.

Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.

Let’s delve into the ethical considerations and mitigation strategies for a hypothetical project focused on analyzing online discourse surrounding climate change. My project aims to understand how different online communities frame climate change, identify common misconceptions, and explore the potential for using online platforms to promote more effective climate communication.

Data Types and Sources:

The project will primarily utilize publicly available data from social media platforms like Twitter, Reddit, and online forums dedicated to environmental issues. This data will include text posts, comments, and user engagement metrics (likes, shares, etc.). Additionally, I might explore data from news articles and blog posts related to climate change to provide context and compare public discourse with journalistic or expert narratives.

Let’s delve into the ethical considerations and mitigation strategies for a hypothetical project focused on analyzing online discourse surrounding climate change. My project aims to understand how different online communities frame climate change, identify common misconceptions, and explore the potential for using online platforms to promote more effective climate communication.

Data Types and Sources:

The project will primarily utilize publicly available data from social media platforms like Twitter, Reddit, and online forums dedicated to environmental issues. This data will include text posts, comments, and user engagement metrics (likes, shares, etc.). Additionally, I might explore data from news articles and blog posts related to climate change to provide context and compare public discourse with journalistic or expert narratives.

These sources directly connect with the research problem. Online platforms are where much of the public conversation about climate change occurs, making them crucial for understanding public perceptions and identifying misinformation. Analyzing user-generated content allows for a nuanced understanding of how different communities construct meaning around climate change, revealing potential barriers to effective communication. The data will help answer questions like: What are the dominant narratives about climate change in different online communities? How do these narratives differ? What are the common misconceptions or misinformation circulating online? How does user engagement vary across different types of climate-related content?

Favorite Sources for Peers:

For my peers, I’d recommend exploring resources like:

  • Pew Research Center: They conduct extensive research on public opinion and social trends, including climate change. Their data and reports offer valuable insights into public perceptions.
  • Yale Program on Climate Change Communication: This program conducts research on climate change communication and public engagement. Their resources include reports, articles, and tools for effective communication.
  • Climate Feedback: This website analyzes the accuracy of climate-related articles and provides feedback from climate scientists. It’s a valuable resource for identifying misinformation.
  • Social media APIs: Learning to use platform APIs (e.g., Twitter API) is crucial for accessing and collecting social media data for research.

Ethical Concerns and Mitigation Strategies:

My primary ethical concerns revolve around:

  1. Privacy and Anonymity: While the data is publicly available, it’s crucial to protect the privacy of individuals. Mitigation: I will anonymize data by removing usernames and other identifying information. I will aggregate data where possible to avoid focusing on individual users. I will also avoid quoting individual posts verbatim in publications unless absolutely necessary and with explicit permission.

  2. Informed Consent: Obtaining informed consent from every user whose data is analyzed is impractical with large datasets. Mitigation: I will focus on analyzing public discourse rather than targeting specific individuals. I will clearly state in my research materials that the data being used is publicly available and that the research focuses on aggregate trends. I will also acknowledge the limitations of not obtaining individual consent.

  3. Data Sensitivity: Online discussions about climate change can be highly polarized and emotionally charged. Mitigation: I will be mindful of the potential for my research to inadvertently contribute to online harassment or doxxing. I will avoid revealing the specific online communities where data was collected if it could lead to targeting individuals. I will prioritize respectful and objective analysis of the data.

  4. Bias in Data: Social media platforms are not representative of the entire population, and data can be skewed by algorithms and user demographics. Mitigation: I will acknowledge the limitations of using social media data and avoid overgeneralizing my findings. I will strive to include data from diverse online communities to mitigate bias. I will also consider supplementing social media data with other sources, like surveys or interviews, to get a more comprehensive picture.

Lingering Questions and Concerns:

One lingering concern is the potential for my research to be used for malicious purposes, such as manipulating public opinion on climate change. While I can’t completely prevent this, I can promote responsible use of my findings by publishing my data analysis methods transparently and emphasizing the importance of ethical data interpretation. I also have questions about the long-term storage and management of large datasets. I need to develop a clear data management plan that addresses data security and retention. Finally, I am concerned about the evolving nature of online platforms and the potential for changes in platform policies to affect my research. I will need to stay up to date with these changes and adapt my research methods accordingly.

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