Hi everyone, my name is Ryan Skinner, and I’m working with this research study called the Ohio Humanities Project alongside Morgan Liu and Nick Booker at The Ohio State University in Columbus.

We’re asking you to take part in this study because we’re trying to learn more about how people understand, perceive, and value the arts, humanities, and higher education in Ohio. We’re having a discussion today, and I’m hoping that we can focus on the ways you all think about human society, culture, and education. I really want you all to feel like you can direct this conversation toward topics that interest you, though. So, please feel free to ask questions of us and talk about issues that are important to you.

Our conversation should take just about an hour, and the thoughts you share during that time will contribute to a better understanding of public attitudes toward the arts and humanities in our Ohio communities. Please feel free to speak as much or as little as you want during our conversation. I also hope that you’ll feel free to leave at any point if you’re feeling uncomfortable with the conversation or if you just need to run to the restroom, get some air, or get to another engagement. Participating in this discussion is totally voluntary, and we won’t think less of you or penalize you in any way for choosing not to participate. We want this to feel like a safe place to have a valuable conversation about the arts and humanities!

With your permission, our conversation will be recorded so that we can be sure that we have an accurate record of what you said for our research, but we’ll do our best to keep that recording safe and secure in the Folklore Archives at Ohio State’s Center for Folklore Studies as a permanent record of our work here and as a resource for future researchers. We plan to use the recordings as part of our published research too, and I hope you’ll feel free to leave your name out of our conversation today if you don’t want it preserved in those recordings or in the things we publish.

Our study won’t benefit you directly with payment or anything like that, but participating also won’t cost you anything except maybe some travel expenses to get here and get home. I hope you’ll see a benefit in having a meaningful conversation today, learning something about us and about your community, and feeling a sense of pride in contributing to knowledge about the arts and humanities in the state of Ohio. If we find out anything about our study that we think would affect your decision to participate, we’ll do our best let you know. So, please feel free to reach out to any of us so we have your contact info.

We might share snippets of our recording publicly or quote you directly as part of our research work, and future researchers might reference what you say, too. We don’t foresee much personal risk to you in today’s conversations (like to your employment status, finances, education, reputation, and that sort of thing). But please let us know if you have concerns about any of the topics we discuss, and I’ll be happy to work with you on making sure you’re in control of how you appear in the recordings. I’m happy to talk with you after the event today, and we have business cards for Ryan Skinner and Morgan Liu scattered around the room as well as a more detailed description of our study and a sheet containing contact information for the research team and The Ohio State University Office of Responsible Research Practices. So, please feel free to use any of those materials if you have questions about the study, your rights, or anything else related to our work.

Does anyone have any questions about our research? If you don’t want to participate, you’re welcome to sit in and listen to the conversation or to leave any time you’d like, but let’s start our conversation now.