ACADEMIC ETHICS + LABOR
Everything comes from somewhere, including ideas. It is crucial to the ethos of this class to acknowledge the conditions of our academic production. That most often means good citational practices consistent withe University’s guidelines on Academic Honesty, reproduced below. However, it also means acknowledging that intellectual work is work, and that work is a) collaborative in some form and b) done differently (and often unevenly) by each person depending on diverging and converging abilities, experiences, and needs. Academic integrity requires openness to the many modes, spaces, and histories within and beyond academia that make our collective work possible. This openness is a necessary (but not sufficient) step beyond “academic integrity” and toward a more active ethics.
QUESTIONS OF ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The context in which those ethics are put into practice is important. At root this course is about how collective spatial imaginaries are mediated by complex entanglements between ways of thinking and seeing. In that spirit, it is crucial to resituate and reground where we understand ourselves to be imagining from — the homelands of Peoria, Miami, Kickapoo, and Potawatomi Nations— and how these social spaces have been built — with unfree and economically exploited African and African American labor. The tools of geographic visualization, moreover, have often been central to abetting or perpetuating those legacies in and around Chicago, whether through settler-colonial land surveys or practices of redlining.
There are many critical perspectives on the importance of acknowledging these truths that simultaneously point out their necessity (as part, for instance, of Native protocols of hospitality) while critiquing the all-too-often performative aspects of acknowledgment without concrete action (especially, for instance, around the return of stolen and illegally occupied Native land). Similar critiques have been levied from the point of view of Black labor, accompanied by powerful arguments for reparations here at UChicago.
Because this course does not directly contribute to those struggles, we offer this land and labor acknowledgment with humility and the hope that the tools of critical spatial media can be put to work for justice.
To learn more, the library has assembled some excellent resources that inform this section.
Everything comes from somewhere, including ideas. It is crucial to the ethos of this class to acknowledge the conditions of our academic production. That most often means good citational practices consistent withe University’s guidelines on Academic Honesty, reproduced below. However, it also means acknowledging that intellectual work is work, and that work is a) collaborative in some form and b) done differently (and often unevenly) by each person depending on diverging and converging abilities, experiences, and needs. Academic integrity requires openness to the many modes, spaces, and histories within and beyond academia that make our collective work possible. This openness is a necessary (but not sufficient) step beyond “academic integrity” and toward a more active ethics.
QUESTIONS OF ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The context in which those ethics are put into practice is important. At root this course is about how collective spatial imaginaries are mediated by complex entanglements between ways of thinking and seeing. In that spirit, it is crucial to resituate and reground where we understand ourselves to be imagining from — the homelands of Peoria, Miami, Kickapoo, and Potawatomi Nations— and how these social spaces have been built — with unfree and economically exploited African and African American labor. The tools of geographic visualization, moreover, have often been central to abetting or perpetuating those legacies in and around Chicago, whether through settler-colonial land surveys or practices of redlining.
There are many critical perspectives on the importance of acknowledging these truths that simultaneously point out their necessity (as part, for instance, of Native protocols of hospitality) while critiquing the all-too-often performative aspects of acknowledgment without concrete action (especially, for instance, around the return of stolen and illegally occupied Native land). Similar critiques have been levied from the point of view of Black labor, accompanied by powerful arguments for reparations here at UChicago.
Because this course does not directly contribute to those struggles, we offer this land and labor acknowledgment with humility and the hope that the tools of critical spatial media can be put to work for justice.
To learn more, the library has assembled some excellent resources that inform this section.
Politics of Citation
Be reflective and honest about the sources of your work, and always give credit where credit is due. Cite widely and generously; think of whose voice you are amplifying, what that amplification does, and for whom. If using AI tools is useful for you, that’s fine. Consider, however, that insights from AI are a kind of “view from nowhere.” Whose perspective is being reflected through AI? How do you know? What voices do AI tools amplify, if any?
Citational Style
Use the Chicago Manual of Style, Author-Date references. For AI tools, see these new citation guidelines.
Plagiarism
If you’re not sure, ask. This is especially important for the brave new worlds of digital making, including coding and cartography. Plagiarism is not acceptable under any circumstances, and it’s your responsibility to make sure your work maintains integrity as required by the University and demanded by the ethics of the academic community.
Just so we’re entirely clear, if you need a refresher, here is the University policy on Academic Honesty and Plagiarism from the Student Manual:
It is contrary to justice, academic integrity, and to the spirit of intellectual inquiry to submit another’s statements or ideas as one’s own work. To do so is plagiarism or cheating, offenses punishable under the University’s disciplinary system. Because these offenses undercut the distinctive moral and intellectual character of the University, we take them very seriously…
Proper acknowledgment of another’s ideas, whether by direct quotation or paraphrase, is expected. In particular, if any written or electronic source is consulted and material is used from that source, directly or indirectly, the source should be identified by author, title, and page number, or by website and date accessed. Any doubts about what constitutes “use” should be addressed to the instructor.
AI
Last but not least: AI tools. We’re all cyborgs already! You may use any and all AI tools as you see fit. However, you must CITE any tool you use, clarify WHY you’re using that tool, and reflect on HOW it shapes your critical and creative process.
It’s unclear what positive role AI tools will play in course assignments and projects; we’re skeptical that you’ll find obvious ways in which AI will make your workflows more efficient, enhance your critical perspective, or open up many creative possibilities beyond what you could come up with without that tool. The two exceptions are when we begin to work with i) the Javascript-based coding environment of Google Earth Engine and ii) new generative image-making tools in Photoshop. You are more than welcome to experiment with these and other tools, as long as you follow the guidelines above.
Finally, we occassionally use AI in our own work, and are still figuring out when it’s useful and when it’s a distraction. We’re happy to have those conversations openly and honestly, and will demand that same openness and honesty from you.
Be reflective and honest about the sources of your work, and always give credit where credit is due. Cite widely and generously; think of whose voice you are amplifying, what that amplification does, and for whom. If using AI tools is useful for you, that’s fine. Consider, however, that insights from AI are a kind of “view from nowhere.” Whose perspective is being reflected through AI? How do you know? What voices do AI tools amplify, if any?
Citational Style
Use the Chicago Manual of Style, Author-Date references. For AI tools, see these new citation guidelines.
Plagiarism
If you’re not sure, ask. This is especially important for the brave new worlds of digital making, including coding and cartography. Plagiarism is not acceptable under any circumstances, and it’s your responsibility to make sure your work maintains integrity as required by the University and demanded by the ethics of the academic community.
Just so we’re entirely clear, if you need a refresher, here is the University policy on Academic Honesty and Plagiarism from the Student Manual:
Proper acknowledgment of another’s ideas, whether by direct quotation or paraphrase, is expected. In particular, if any written or electronic source is consulted and material is used from that source, directly or indirectly, the source should be identified by author, title, and page number, or by website and date accessed. Any doubts about what constitutes “use” should be addressed to the instructor.
AI
Last but not least: AI tools. We’re all cyborgs already! You may use any and all AI tools as you see fit. However, you must CITE any tool you use, clarify WHY you’re using that tool, and reflect on HOW it shapes your critical and creative process.
It’s unclear what positive role AI tools will play in course assignments and projects; we’re skeptical that you’ll find obvious ways in which AI will make your workflows more efficient, enhance your critical perspective, or open up many creative possibilities beyond what you could come up with without that tool. The two exceptions are when we begin to work with i) the Javascript-based coding environment of Google Earth Engine and ii) new generative image-making tools in Photoshop. You are more than welcome to experiment with these and other tools, as long as you follow the guidelines above.
Finally, we occassionally use AI in our own work, and are still figuring out when it’s useful and when it’s a distraction. We’re happy to have those conversations openly and honestly, and will demand that same openness and honesty from you.