Rationale:

Inspired by my work during the Inclusive Practices unit, I wanted to explore the intersection of decoloniality and the everyday technology we use in university settings. The University of the Arts London (UAL) outlines its commitment to sustainability through the UAL Climate, Racial, and Social Justice Principles, as detailed in its 2023 updates. These principles aim for net-zero emissions by 2040 and encourage creative approaches to sustainability through education and research.

While the UAL Climate Action Plan (2023) is commendable, it doesn’t consider the rechargeable technology we use—such as laptops and cameras—prompted my research focus. As a Specialist Technician for Media and a passionate video essayist, I aim to address the use of cobalt, a rare earth material essential for rechargeable batteries. Although touted as vital for green technologies, cobalt mining causes significant environmental damage, habitat destruction, and human exploitation, particularly in the Global South.

My research seeks to examine how cobalt mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) impacts the environment and human rights, while also investigating the ethical implications for educational institutions. By integrating ethical considerations into our teaching practices and advocating systemic reforms in the technologies we rely on, we can strive for a truly holistic approach to climate justice.

Cobalt is central to the rechargeable technology used in education, including laptops and cameras. This is particularly relevant to my work, as I utilise object-based learning in my filmmaking workshops. During informal conversations with colleagues and students, I discovered a significant lack of awareness about the environmental and social impacts of cobalt mining.

This gap in knowledge has shaped my research hypothesis: that students and staff may not fully understand the environmental consequences of cobalt mining or the unethical conditions faced by miners, especially in the DRC, which supplies 70–74% of the world’s cobalt. Currently, seven documented instances of slavery exist in the DRC’s cobalt mining operations, underscoring the urgency of raising awareness.

Using practice-led methods, I plan to create a video essay that incorporates archival material, informed by findings from my object-based learning workshops and data gathered via questionnaires. This approach aligns with the principles of Arts-Based Action Research (ABAR) (Huhmarniemi & Jokela, 2019), where creative outputs are both tools for inquiry and mediums for dissemination.

The video essay will aim to educate audiences about the human and environmental toll of cobalt mining while advocating for ethical practices in the use of technology. The artistic process will serve as a reflective and critical lens, bridging research and advocacy in an accessible and engaging format.

To guide my investigation, I have drafted preliminary research questions:

1. What gaps exist in university students’ and staff’s awareness of the environmental and social consequences of cobalt mining, and how can these findings be communicated through a video essay?
2. How can knowledge about cobalt mining’s impact on climate change and social justice be transformed into compelling educational materials for university settings?
3. What insights can be gathered from university staff and students regarding ethical consumption, and how can these insights shape a creative response?

These questions will evolve as my research progresses, with data gathered shaping the final focus and output.

Below is my initial submission for the ethical action research project. It includes my reading list and methods of research. I submitted this on time on moodle on 05/10/2024

Ensuring participant data is handled ethically is central to my research, in line with the UK Data Protection Act 2018. My ethical framework includes:

• Informed Consent: Participants will receive clear information about how their data will be collected, stored, and used, allowing them to provide consent with confidence.
• Anonymisation: Personal data will be anonymised or pseudonymised to prevent identification in the final outputs.
• Data Minimisation: Only data essential for the research will be collected, respecting participants’ privacy.
• Secure Storage: Data will be securely stored using encryption and access controls to prevent unauthorised access or breaches.
• Participant Rights: Participants will have the right to access, correct, or request the deletion of their data at any stage.

These measures ensure adherence to ethical research standards while fostering trust and comfort among participants.

I have drafted an initial questionnaire aimed at assessing awareness levels among staff and students regarding cobalt mining. Feedback on this draft will refine its clarity and alignment with the study’s objectives. The insights gathered will directly shape the script for my video essay, ensuring it effectively educates audiences about the environmental, ethical, and climate-related implications of cobalt mining.

By investigating the ethical and environmental impacts of cobalt mining, my research aims to fill an overlooked gap in UAL’s Climate Action Plan. Through the creative medium of a video essay, I intend to bridge critical inquiry with accessible advocacy, encouraging ethical reflection on the technology we use in education. My work seeks not only to raise awareness but also to inspire systemic changes in how institutions like UAL approach climate and social justice holistically.

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Alvesson, M. (2012) ‘Views on Interviews: A Sceptical Review,’ in Interpreting Interviews. London: Sage, pp. 25-40. Available at: https://methods-sagepub-com.arts.idm.oclc.org/book/interpreting-interviews/n2.xml.

Amnesty International (2016) This is What We Die For: Human Rights Abuses in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Power the Global Trade in Cobalt. Available at: https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/afr62/3183/2016/en/ [Accessed 27 May 2024].

Benjamin, R. (2019) Race After Technology: Abolitionist Tools for the New Jim Code. Cambridge: Polity Press.

BERA (2024) Ethical Guidelines for Educational Research. 5th edn. Available at: https://www.bera.ac.uk/ [Accessed 15 November 2024].

Cobalt Institute (n.d.) Cobalt Mining. Available at: https://www.cobaltinstitute.org/about-cobalt/cobalt-life-cycle/cobalt-mining/ [Accessed 23 July 2024].

Converse, J. M. and Presser, S. (2011) ‘Survey Questions: Handcrafting the Standardised Questionnaire,’ in Thousand Oaks: Sage. Available at: https://methods-sagepub-com.arts.idm.oclc.org/book/survey-questions/n3.xml.

Faden, E. (2008) ‘A Manifesto for Critical Media,’ Mediascape Journal.

Free the Slaves (2013) The Congo Report: Slavery in Conflict Minerals. Available at: https://freetheslaves.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Congos-Mining-Slaves-web-130622.pdf [Accessed 20 July 2024].

Grant, C. (2013) ‘Déjà-Viewing? Videographic Experiments in Intertextual Film Studies,’ Mediascape: UCLA’s Journal of Cinema and Media Studies.

HEFCE (2009) Supporting Higher Education in Further Education Colleges: Writing Higher Education Strategies. Available at: https://dera.ioe.ac.uk/141/1/09_05_supp.pdf [Accessed 15 July 2024].

Huhmarniemi, M. and Jokela, T. (2019) Environmental Art for Tourism: Arts-Based Action Research and Sustainable Practices. Available at: https://core.ac.uk [Accessed 15 November 2024].

Irvine, A., Drew, P. and Sainsbury, R. (2012) ‘“Am I not answering your questions properly?” Clarification, Adequacy and Responsiveness in Semi-Structured Telephone and Face-to-Face Interviews,’ Qualitative Research, 12(1), pp. 87–106. Available at: https://doi-org.arts.idm.oclc.org/10.1177/1468794112439086.

Kara, S. (2023) Cobalt Red. London: Macmillan.

Lury, C. and Wakeford, N. (2012) Inventive Methods: The Happening of the Social. London: Routledge. Available at: https://dpu.au.dk/fileadmin/edu/Forskning/Fremtidsteknologi/Lury_and_Wakeford_intro_2012.pdf [Accessed 10 August 2024].

PEW Research Centre (2021) Writing Survey Questions. Available at: https://www.pewresearch.org/our-methods/u-s-surveys/writing-survey-questions/ [Accessed 10 August 2024].

Seidman, I. (2019) Interviewing as Qualitative Research: A Guide for Researchers in Education and the Social Sciences. New York: Teachers College Press.

Stokes, J. (2002) How to do Media and Cultural Studies. London: Sage.

UAL Climate Policy (2023) UAL Climate, Racial and Social Justice Principles.

UK Government (n.d.) Data Protection Act 2018. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/data-protection [Accessed 1 August 2024].