What is my ethical parameter for doing my inquiry?

Most researchers, nowadays, tend to only consider the plagiarism as an unethical matter when conducting a research. Barnes(1979), on the contrary, defines the ethical parameter as a ‘standard applied during decision making whether to prefer efficiency and conformity or ethic.’ When the research result is affected heavily, researchers tend to prefer efficiency and conformity rather than the ethic. Even though our research is mostly focused on the object, ‘Jeepney’, the ethical matters are also concerned.

             The attitude that we should avoid the most is bias or prejudice. Conducting a research weights the responsibility on the researchers. The bias and the prejudice that we impose on our research process, position, and conclusion might marginalize the opposition group or some people. Even though our research analytical framework indicates that the nationalism, hybridity of culture, and struggle for national identity led to the survival of Jeepney, we would also open for the idea of conformity and acceptable price which also led to the existence of Jeepney on contemporary period of time. In order to conduct the true research, we would like to set the open-mindedness on conducting a research. Second ethical parameter is helpfulness. Our purpose of conducting a research is not to harm any group of people such as Jeepney manufacturers, drivers, or commuters, or government officials. The eagerness to discover the fact on the birth and the survival of Jeepney would require our research as accurate as possible.

             The best researchers are not those who conclude new fact of knowledge but those who ethically processed, positioned, and concluded on the research topic. Like the honor that has been bought could not ever last, the research that has been finalized by violating the ethics would not be honored or worthy. We would set and strictly follow the ethical parameter, because only through this, in my belief, the outstanding research paper can be realized.

REFERENCE

Burnham, P., Lutz, K. G., Grant, W., & Layton-Henry, Z. (2008). Research Methods in Politics. New York: Palgrave.

What is my discourse about discourse analysis?

     The events in our society are interpreted differently by various people. The language and communication play significant role on defining those events. Discourse analysis, on this regard, discovers how language and communication affect and construct the social world.

picture from
http://www.anunews.net/blog/?cat=97

     The policies, publications, journals, and thesis are defined as a discourse and affect significantly on policy making and, as a result, society. These outcomes explain the situation and dominant value of that period. The discourses can attach importance to some objects or situations by bestowing the values and importance. This process, however, would also marginalize some groups and values. The example of United States on Iraq War, as Burnham(2008) cited in his book, could explain the discourse analysis much easier. The assertion and discourse that former president George W. Bush made on Iraq invasion were the process of making a justification.

     Discourse analysis, in my opinion, explains the social world and structure. It explains why specific dominant discourses exist in our society. Discourse analysis also bestows researchers to establish counter-discourses in order to create alternative opinions. The discourses, as a result, provide us luxuriant research realms.

picture from
http://creatingspaceinc.wordpress.com/2012/07/19/ricky-francisco-talks-about-
collections-management-on-the-spill/

     Our group’s research topic on Jeepney can also be explained through discourse analysis. Dominant discourse on Philippine society explains and justifies the social structure and political agenda that prevented the Jeepney to extinguish. On this regard, our group would analyze what are the dominant discourses on supporting the Jeepney and how these discourses are successfully and justifiably established and embedded in the society. The post-colonialism and hybridity of culture, that we maintain, led the Philippine society to sustain the vitality of Jeepney. The culture that is embedded since colonization period allowed Filipinos to create their own national culture and national product. The Jeepney, therefore, became a indigenous Filipino product even though it is a product of post-colonialism and hybridity.

REFERENCE

Burnham, P., Lutz, K. G., Grant, W., & Layton-Henry, Z. (2008). Research Methods in Politics. New York: Palgrave.