URL study guide

https://studiegids.vu.nl/en/courses/2024-2025/S_PS

Course Objective

In this course you will learn: 1. to recognise and characterise different philosophical views on social science and (research) ethics in the social sciences; 2. to recognise and reflect on the ways in which (i) society, (ii) one's education, and (iii) one's individuality might influence the practice of science; 3. to reflect on the social and cultural character of scientific knowledge acquisition; 4. to recognise and articulate philosophical and ethical issues in contemporary debates within the social sciences; 5. to reflect on your position within the academic world and to develop your academic attitude; 6. to form, express, and support your own views on philosophical and ethical debates pertaining to the social sciences; 7. to develop valid and persuasive arguments, both in speaking and writing.

Course Content

Social science features prominently in public discourse. Social scientists frequently make the news, they appear on talkshows, and are called upon to explain and interpret social developments and processes. Policy making sometimes also draws heavily on findings from the social sciences. The role of social science in society is just one example that raises fundamental philosophical questions about the nature and responsibilities of the social sciences. This course will help you to think through some of these fundamental questions about what social science is and what can be expected of it. When and why do the results of research count as scientific knowledge? What's so special about scientific knowledge, in contrast with other forms of knowledge? In what ways do social contexts and factors influence the production of scientific knowledge? Are researchers neutral and objective knowers or does their position and context affect the knowledge claims they produce? What ethical dilemmas are raised in and by the practice of research and in your future rol as social scientist in society? Philosophy of science is a course for social sciences students and forms part of the ‘academic core’ curriculum. The wider objective of this course is to expand your understanding of the process of knowledge acquisition in the social sciences more generally, and of your own position as a scientist in particular. The course starts from three fundamental philosophical questions about the social sciences. Can human behavior be explained and understood from an 'outside' perspective or is empathetic understanding of other people's minds necessary? What is the relation between individual-level and social-level factors in explaining behavior? And: can and should social scientists be objective and value-free or are they inevitably value-laden and (therefore?) subjective? Lectures will cover possible answers to these questions, as well as applications and cases. Tutorials serve to discuss and apply the literature and key themes covered during the lectures.

Teaching Methods

12 lectures, 3 tutorials

Method of Assessment


- Multiple choice exam (60%, goals 1–5)
- Self-study assignments (20%, goals 5–7)
- Essay (20%, goals 6, 7)
- Mandatory tutorial participation (goals 5–7) Partial grades can compensate each other, but must individually be higher than 4.0.

Literature


- Risjord, Mark. 2022. Philosophy of Social Science. A Contemporary Introduction. 2nd ed. New York: Routledge.
- Digital reader, which will be made available on Canvas.

Target Audience

2nd year bachelor students in Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology
Academic year1/09/2431/08/25
Course level6.00 EC

Language of Tuition

  • English

Study type

  • Bachelor