About the lecture

In this lecture, we think about ethics and the constraints sociologists face when conducting research, focusing in particular on: (i) two important areas of debate in research ethics – whether it is ever permissible to not obtain informed consent from participants, and what ethical constraints apply when researching criminal groups; (ii) two perspectives on ethics – the deontological position that there are fixed rules regarding ethical conduct, and the consequentialist view that such evaluations should be based on the actual outcomes of research; (iii) the relationship between power and ethics; (iv) practical constraints in research, such as issues around funding, time, and resources.

About the lecturer

Professor Tim May is Honorary Distinguished Professor at Cardiff University. He has a wide range of expertise relating to research methodologies, sociological theory, and the philosophy of social science. His recent publications include Social Research: Issues, Methods and Process (2021, co-authored with Beth Perry), Thinking Sociologically (2019, co-authored with Zygmunt Bauman), Reflexivity: The Essential Guide (2017, co-authored with Beth Perry).