General Information
Course Code | W_JSM_201 |
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Credits | 6 EC |
Period | P1 |
Course Level | 200 |
Language of Tuition | English |
Faculty | Faculty of Humanities |
Course Coordinator | prof. dr. ir. G.J. de Ridder |
Examiner | prof. dr. ir. G.J. de Ridder |
Teaching Staff |
prof. dr. ir. G.J. de Ridder |
Practical Information
You need to register for this course yourself
Last-minute registration is available for this course.
Teaching Methods | Lecture, Seminar* |
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*You cannot select a group yourself for this teaching method, you will be placed in a group.
Target audiences
This course is also available as:
Course Objective
• Students acquire knowledge of and insight in core issues, concepts,and problems in philosophy of (social) science.
• Students acquire the skills critically to evaluate theories and
positions in debates in the philosophy of (social) science.
• Students learn to apply insights and ideas from the philosophy of
science to assess and evaluate broader debates about the role of science
in society.
• Students develop their oral and written presentation and argumentation
skills further.
Course Content
This course provides an overview of core issues in the philosophy ofscience and social science, such as the demarcation problem, the nature
of induction and confirmation, scientific explanation and understanding,
the value-free ideal, the responsibilities of scientists, and the limits
of science. Students will examine case studies
to assess the reception and concrete implementation of scientific ideas
in a social context.
Teaching Methods
Lectures and seminars (active learning groups)Method of Assessment
Written exam (60%), three assignments (40%), and in-class participationand presentations (pass/fail).
Literature
The primary course materials will be a selection of articles/bookchapters.
In addition, students are expected to use any of the following four
textbooks as background reading:
• Lisa Bortolotti, An Introduction to the Philosophy of Science
(Chichester: Polity, 2008);
• Peter Godfrey-Smith, Theory and Reality: An Introduction to the
Philosophy of Science (Chicago: U of Chicago Press, 2003);
• Samir Okasha, Philosophy of Science: A Very Short Introduction
(Oxford: Oxford UP, 2002); or
• Alex Rosenberg, Philosophy of Science: A Contemporary Introduction,
2nd ed. (London: Routledge, 2005).