An Ex-Con Teaching Criminal Justice: The Etics-Emics Debate and the Role of Subjectivity in Academia

The etics-emics debate, "neutral objectivity" versus "biased subjectivity," is ongoing within the academy. As academics we are indoctrinated into, and convince ourselves of, the ideology of objectivity. We are subjective human beings who attempt to develop objective standards. Th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Policy File 2007
Main Author: Murphy, Daniel S
Format: Report
Language:English
Subjects:
Crime/Criminal justice
Education
Justice Policy Institute
Online Access:Request full text
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Summary:The etics-emics debate, "neutral objectivity" versus "biased subjectivity," is ongoing within the academy. As academics we are indoctrinated into, and convince ourselves of, the ideology of objectivity. We are subjective human beings who attempt to develop objective standards. This stated, we are subjective by nature yet strive for the arcamedian point of absolute neutrality. The present paper explores the positive-negative aspects of incorporating personal-subjective experience(s) in teaching criminal justice. The reality of subjectivity is explored within the context of the unobtainable pursuit of pure objectivity.