Research Assistant: Ethical Sensitivity and the Role of the Body

Introduction to the topic:

Ethical sensitivity is a complex idea that often operates in the background, without us noticing it directly.

It has many aspects, each of which can be studied in different ways. These include things like: rules and norms, common practices, personal moral judgments, and basic moral intuitions. One important aspect of ethical sensitivity involves our bodily background orientations. This refers to how our body and emotions shape our moral decisions.

Examples include:

Temperaments (e.g., being gentle or strict),
Emotional states (e.g., feeling disconnected or lonely),
Body postures or behaviors (e.g., being physically constrained or open in movement).

These bodily orientations influence what we see as our duties or rights, which we consider morally important, how we handle moral conflicts, and how far we look into the future when taking responsibility.

Project details:

In this project, we explore how different bodily orientations like emotional states or physical posture affect ethical sensitivity.

Research assistants (RAs), will contribute to theoretical and empirical aspects of the research involving tasks such as:

Literature review and theoretical analysis
Development of strategies for empirical research
Collection and analysis of data based on the selected strategies

The project will extend over several semesters where each term will be structured around specific tasks, ensuring that RAs gain in-depth knowledge of the subject and develop research skills tailored to the objectives of that term.

As a newcomer to this project, you will receive mentorship and guidance to ensure you are equipped with the necessary tools and knowledge to contribute meaningfully. RAs will be encouraged to present their progress regularly, to foster a collaborative research environment.

While achieving publishable results within the DIS semester timeframe is unlikely, the collected data will significantly contribute to advancing subsequent project 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

The syllabus for this course is currently under development. A draft syllabus will be posted here as soon as it is available.

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

The syllabus for this course is currently under development. A draft syllabus will be posted here as soon as it is available.

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?