The American Anthropological Association is proud to announce a call for nominations for the AAA Award for Excellence in the Presentation of Anthropological Ethics in an Introductory Text. The award is to be presented to the author(s) of an introductory textbook in general anthropology or a specific subfield of the discipline based on the quality and depth of the presentation of ethical issues. The purpose of the award is to acknowledge and draw attention to enhanced presentation of ethical issues, effectiveness in the integration of ethical concerns with research and practice in anthropology, and success in communicating to students the fundamental importance of ethical issues and competence in anthropology. The award will be presented at the 2009 AAA Annual Meeting, based on a review of submitted texts by the AAA Committee on Ethics, and nominations are encouraged from textbook authors, publishers, and AAA members. Texts are eligible for nomination within three years of their initial publication or within two years of a new edition.

The nomination period will run from March 1st, 2009 to June 30, 2009, and nominee textbook titles and/or textbooks can be sent via electronic mail to ddozier@aaanet.org. Mailed submissions should be sent to:

AAA Excellence on Anthropolgical Ethics Nominations

c/oDamon Dozier

Director of Public Affairs

American Anthropological Association

2200 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 600

Arlington, VA 22201

All submitted texts will judged by the following six criteria:

1. success in demonstrating that ethical considerations and competence in the field of ethics are integral to anthropological research, scholarship and practice;
2. presentation of both a historical approach to ethics and anthropology that includes examination of key ethical considerations that emerged in the course of the development of the discipline and the global/cross cultural aspects of ethical debates/issues;
3. depth of discussion, as appropriate based on the scope of the text, of ethical issues and challenges confronted by anthropologists working in the various subfields of the discipline;
4. compelling examination of the unique ethical considerations that arise from traditional and emerging anthropological approaches to research and practice and approaches to responding to these challenges;
5. timely and practical consideration of current ethical issues, discussions and debates in anthropology, including the impact of ethics decision makers on anthropological research and practice; and
6. provision of “roadmaps” to resources for additional information about both general ethical issues in research and issues, concerns, and approaches that are specific to anthropology.

For additional information, of if you have any questions or concerns, please contact AAA Director of Public Affairs, Damon Dozier, at ddozier@aaanet.org, or Ethics Chair Dena Plemmons at dplemmons@ucsd.edu.