Research Assistant: Ethical Sensitivity and the Role of the Body

Introduction to the topic

This project explores how bodily states, such as emotional conditions, postures, and temperament, shape our ability to notice and respond to moral situations – our ethical sensitivity. While often guided by social norms or personal values, moral awareness is also shaped by how we are bodily and emotionally attuned to the world.

We focus on how these embodied orientations influence what individuals see as moral duties, how they navigate ethical dilemmas, and how they relate to responsibility over time.

Project details

As a Research Assistant (RA), depending on your interests and the current project phase, you may be involved in theoretical work, empirical research, or both.

Tasks may include:

Literature review on relevant topics
Assisting in the design of research tools such as surveys, behavioral tasks, or qualitative methods
Contributing to data collection and analysis

The project spans multiple semesters, with each term structured around specific goals. You will receive mentoring and guidance appropriate to your experience level.

No prior research experience is necessary. Students from a range of disciplines are welcome, especially those with an interest in ethics (broadly understood), psychology, philosophy, or sociology.

This is a chance to gain academic research experience, engage in interdisciplinary discussions, and contribute meaningfully to a long-term study. While publishable results within one semester are not expected, your efforts will lay the groundwork for future phases.

Selected relevant publications:

Ratcliffe, M. (2012). The phenomenology of existential feeling. In J. Fingerhut & S. Marienberg (Eds.), Feelings of being alive (pp. 23–54). De Gruyter. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110246599.23
Bortolan, A. (2017). Affectivity and moral experience: An extended phenomenological account. Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences, 16(3), 471–490. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11097-016-9468-9
Nörenberg, H. (2021). Deontological feeling: The tranquil, the familiar, and the body. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.662675

Recommended experience

Experience in empirical research, conceptual analysis, or hermeneutics.

Additional research application required

You will need to submit an additional research application through Student Registration in order to enroll in this course.

To submit your research application, you must already be admitted to DIS.

All research application materials must be submitted on the following dates by 23:59 Central European Time:

November 1 for spring semester applicants
May 1 for fall semester applicants

Complete your additional research application through Student Registration.

If you are not already enrolled, use this link to apply to DIS before completing a research application.

Syllabus

Fall 2025

Go to syllabus

Faculty

Coming Soon

Faculty

The faculty teaching this course will be listed here soon.

Research Assistantship FAQ

Learn more about research at DIS.

: Earning authorship within the course of a semester is challenging. Exceptional Research Assistants may be considered for co-authorship, subject to evaluation from the supervising Research Mentor.

Though you may not ultimately become an author on a published paper, you will gain many practical skills and insights into the publication process.

: Many research projects last across several semesters, so not all RAs on the same project will conduct the same research.

: On average, students in 3-credit Research Assistantships spend at least 10 hours a week on research tasks. These 10 hours per week consist of a variety of different research-related tasks, including conducting a literature review, data collection, analyses, coding, documentation, and meetings with your mentor. You may decide on a particular block of time (consistent each week) for you to carry out the work, or adjust it on a week-by-week basis.

Students in a 6-credit Research Assistantships spend an average of 20 hours per week with lab and clinically based research tasks. You decide the exact meeting and lab times with your supervisor, but your schedule consists of classes at DIS two days a week, with two days a week in the lab.

There may be peak times in the research process where all Research Assistant students are expected to spend a few more hours, and then possibly fewer hours another week – to reflect the individual research project and process.

: Work for the 3-credit Research Assistantships may take place outside DIS, on your own time at a location of your choosing, or at DIS – this varies from project to project. The 6-credit research assistantships generally take place at labs in Copenhagen or Stockholm outside DIS.

: Students with a variety of academic backgrounds are encouraged to apply for the 3-credit Research Assistant course. While some courses do have prerequisites, many opportunities do not require prior research experience.

The 6-credit Research Assistant opportunity is designed for highly motivated students who have a strong science background within the field of interest and some basic research experience. The student must be willing to commit a large portion of their semester to an engaging opportunity involving hands-on research in universities and medical institutes in Copenhagen or Stockholm.

Introduction to the topic

Project details

Recommended experience

Additional research application required

Syllabus

Fall 2025

Faculty

Coming Soon

Research Assistantship FAQ

Will I publish a research paper?

What exactly will I do?

What is the time commitment for a 3-credit or 6-credit Research Assistantship?

Where is the research work carried out?

What type of student applies for the 3- and 6-credit Research Assistant courses?