Discussion Tools: Videos

Introduction

What is Research Ethics

Why Teach Research Ethics

Evaluation

Topics

Overview

Animal Subjects

Authorship

Biosecurity

Collaboration

Conflicts of Interest

Data Management

Human Subjects

Mentoring

Peer Review

Publication

Research Misconduct

Social Responsibility

Stem Cell Research

Whistleblowing

Educational Settings

Descriptions of educational settings, including in the classroom, and in research contexts.

Discussion Tools

Case Studies

Debates

Literature

Textbooks

Videos

Other Discussion Tools

About the RCREC

Information about the history and authors of the Resources for Research Ethics Collection

Videos

One of the challenges for teachers is to fully engage their students. To meet that goal, research ethics dilemmas can be made more compelling if the scenarios are presented in the form of video. In this context, video is meant to include:

• Full length movies
• TV shows
• Custom presentations designed to address research ethics topics (e.g., whistleblowing, mentoring, authorship disputes)*

With the ready availability of many movies on video, and the high interest in newly released movies, teachers of research ethics have many opportunities to raise issues such as the portrayal of scientists in popular media, the role of whistleblowers, or protections of the interests of human subjects.

Video can be used in many ways, for example:

• Short video (5-10 mins) presented in class and followed by discussion.
• 3-hour session devoted to showing a movie in its entirety followed by discussion.
• In class discussion of selected parts of very well-known movies.
• Students assigned to view a video or movie currently showing; hold discussion during following class meeting.
• Student groups assigned to write scripts and create videos for presentation to the rest of the course; following showing of each video, group members responsible for leading a discussion of the case presented in the video.

* Because many videos specially made to address research ethics topics may fall short of the highest production standards, it is valuable to preface the discussion by pointing out the need to look past the flaws in production and to focus on ethical dilemmas and possible solutions.

Resources

• The Lab: Avoiding Research Misconduct, Office of Research Integrity
• The Research Clinic, Office of Research Integrity

Selected Movies

• Arrowsmith
• Awakenings 
• Blade Runner
• Brazil
• Charlie
• The China Syndrome
• Coded Bias
• Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 
• Extreme Measures
• Ex Machina 
• Frankenstein: The True Story
• The Fugitive
• Gattaca
• The Lawnmower Man
• Lorenzo's Oil
• My Fair Lady
• Picture a Scientist 
• Silkwood
• Three Identical Strangers
• Wit

Selected Documentaries

• Deadly Deception
• Quiet Rage: The Stanford Prison Experiment
• The Race for the Double Helix
• The Secret of Photo 51 (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/photo51/)
• Unnecessary Fuss

Selected TV Movies and Episodes

• Brave New World (90's made-for-Television version)
• Dateline (9/20/02) film on Jessie Gelsinger
• Nothing Human (Star Trek Voyager episode, analogy to Nazi Research)
• NOVA and Frontline shows that highlight ethical issues (e.g., Making Babies and Sixteen ways to Make a Baby)

Selected Movies with General Ethics Themes

• A Dangerous Woman
• Erin Brockovich
• Gentlemen's Agreement
• Ghostbusters
• The Insider
• Glengarry Glen Ross
• A Man for All Seasons
• Mississippi Burning
• Moonstruck
• Our Mutual Friend
• Paradise Road
• Serpico
• To Kill A Mockingbird
• The White Rose
• The Winslow Boy
• Twelve Angry Men