The first stage of this course requires developing a topic for research and presenting it in a formal manner for approval by the instructor. In order to do this, you will need to write a topic proposal of at least 500 words that addresses the following questions:
What is your research question/topic? State your topic and research question(s), if using a deductive approach, or what you seek to understand, if using an inductive approach, that enables you to integrate and apply your criminological knowledge and qualitative research skills; what are you trying to uncover and investigate about the subject that you will be studying?
What is the specific qualitative method that you will be using? Indicate what method you will be using to gain knowledge about your research subject. Why is this method the one that you chose for this research? What about this method makes it the best approach to study this subject as opposed to other possible qualitative methods? If you are doing interviews, you must include your list of questions with your proposal for approval prior to conducting any research.
Is the qualitative method proposed feasible? How much time do you plan to commit to this project (for example, if you are planning to do 10 interviews that last one hour each, you will need to spend about 8 hours per interview on transcription)? Can you access the population you plan to study? (Do you have access to key informants for interviews? Is the site of an ethnographic project publicly accessible?)
What are the potential ethical concerns regarding this project? Does this project meet the standards for minimal risk research as defined by the UFV Human Research Ethics Board (HREB)? What are the potential risks to participants or to you as a researcher (if there are none, you must indicate so)? What are the potential benefits to participants or to you as a researcher?
This paper will be graded as follows: An approved proposal will receive a score of 100. A rejected proposal will receive a zero (0) placeholder grade until a revision is submitted (revisions should be submitted within 48 hours of receiving feedback). Each subsequent revision of the proposal will receive a 25% deduction until it is approved. Students will not be able to proceed with their research project until their project has been approved by the instructor.
In crafting your proposal, please consider the following important points:
1. Your project must be “qualitative” as understood within the themes of the course. It is up to you to choose whether you would prefer to do an interview study, a content analysis, or an observation project. Whichever you choose, your project must involve the creation of new data.
2. As novice researchers, your research project must be “minimal risk” when considered in light of the definition for “minimal risk” that appears in the UFV ethics policy. In part this is simply good ethics – you need to build up experience with less complex situations before you (and the research participants for whom you are responsible) dive into more challenging ones. It is also the more pragmatic option: the HREB has delegated to me the responsibility for ethics review of minimal-risk class projects. Any research project that is “greater than minimal risk” needs to be approved by the university HREB which is not possible in a 13 week semester. You cannot begin to gather data until you have submitted a proposal and that proposal has been approved by me in accordance with the UFV ethics policy. Failure to comply with this criterion will result in a zero on your final project.
3. In order for me to approve your project, the UFV ethics policy requires that your project conform to the highest ethical standards of the discipline, i.e., criminology. We will be discussing these in class before your proposal is due; you may wish to review the Code of Ethics of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences at http://www.acjs.org/pubs/167_671_2922.cfm.
4. Because of both ethical complexities and pragmatic concerns, you should take the following into account when formulating your project for this course. Although these examples are not necessarily unethical, they do not satisfy the requirements of minimal risk.
Do not undertake situations/institutions/agencies where you have to apply for permission to engage in research; otherwise, the semester will be over, and you still will be awaiting approval. Consider picking situations and samples that are public and/or that involve people with whom you already have some rapport (e.g., work colleagues, fellow students, and/or relatives)
Do not undertake research involving the direct observation of, or questioning individuals about, criminal activities that would put you at risk during data collection
Do not undertake research involving children (defined in BC as an individua
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