Ethical Perspectives for Records Management

This course deals with ethical perspectives for records management in a broader organizational, professional and societal context. One important topic is the significance of records management for democracy and transparency. Other topics are what influence various organizational and professional culture types might have on records management, factors that might influence the selection and description of records for long-term preservation, and ethical perspectives concerning use of artificial intelligence in records management.

The Nordic countries are often characterized as having low levels of corruption and a high degree of trust in public administration. The background for this is in part to be found in public administration traditions and in the interaction between regulations and professional attitudes, where ethics often play a central role. Ethics in relation to records management lies within the framework of archival science, social science, law and practice.

In both the public and private sectors, as a records manager, you may encounter conflicting expectations from various actors and user groups, for example between politics and administration, authorities and citizens, management and employees. Records managers need to be able to relate to, see and reflect on different ethical perspectives in the face of challenges and dilemmas that may arise in this field.

Knowledge

The student has knowledge of

• different sets of values ​​and norms that influence records management from a societal and business perspective
• central organizational and management models and their relevance for ethical perspectives in records management

Skills

The student can

• apply relevant social science theory to discuss ethical challenges of relevance to records management
• discuss different sets of ethical values ​​and considerations of relevance to records management

General competence

The student can

• identify and reflect on challenges within the field of records management at the intersection of organizational, professional and societal ethical perspectives
• assess and decide on appropriate strategies for dealing with various ethical challenges within the field of records management
• communicate ethical challenges and strategies for interaction to relevant professional groups, both in writing and orally

Seminars, lectures and group work. This takes place primarily digitally (in real time), but teaching and learning activities on campus may occur. Active student participation in the seminar topic discussions is expected.