Ethics

There are ethics to everything we do, in everything we see. As social workers we have an obligation to uphold the ethics of our profession.

When you studied for your Masters degree, you learned the social work code of ethics and applied it to practice. Now you'll be using similar principles for research.

Let's ask this question first. If social workers had produced the original Mash television series, would NASW have permitted the use of this song?



Watch these videos about research gone awry.

First we see Vanessa Northington Gamble, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor at Johns Hopkins University, and is an internationally recognized expert on the history of race and racism in American medicine,cultural competence, and diversity. She discusses the enduring causes and consequences of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study Series: LeNoir - NMA Pediatric Lecture Series [Health and Medicine] [Professional Medical Education] [Show ID: 7025] (less)




And this one is on the Milgram Studies. Can you see how people push that button? Why do you think people rely so much on authority? If you were to design a study about authority, how could you contribute to the literature and social science without using deception?



Our code of ethics is profound. It is required reading for this course. Not only does it illustrate the heart of ethical practice and research, but it might help you to see where you want to go with your doctoral research proposal. Keep in mind that your research should be important to our field, and that the primary mission of our field is to enhance human well-being.