Ethics and Philosophy of Science
• Core concepts and ideas in philosophy of science: Hypothesis testing, explanation and understanding, causation and correlation, positivism and beyond: falsificationism, hypothetico-deductive method; social constructionism, postmodernism, empiricism vs rationalism and holistic vs atomistic perspectives, reflexivity.
• Science and society: The consequences of research, the function of scientific results in policy, and the role of disciplinary perspective in societal discourse and policy making
• Professionalism, professional ethics and its theoretical underpinnings, professional relations
• Scientific misconduct – fabrication/falsification, plagiarism, publication ethics
• Professionalism, professional ethics and its theoretical underpinnings
• Scientific misconduct – fabrication/falsification, plagiarism, publication ethics e t c
• Research involving humans subjects – potential harm, informed consent, confidentiality etc.
• Research involving animals – ethical and legal aspects, relation to research ethics
• Relevant SLU policies and other guidelines
Syllabus and other information
Syllabus
POG0075 Ethics and Philosophy of Science, 4.0 Credits
Subjects
Other Social ScienceEducation cycle
Postgraduate levelGrading scale
Language
EnglishPrior knowledge
Admitted as PhD student at SLU.Objectives
AIM
The course aims at introducing central topics in research ethics and philosophy of science, and to allow students to gain insight into the possibilities and limitations of science, its role in society, and humans’ responsibility for how science is used.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
After the course students should demonstrate the ability to:
• List and describe central concepts in theory and philosophy of science
• tentatively apply these ideas to one’s own field of research
• explain and discuss differences and similarities between different fields of inquiry (e.g. social sciences vs. natural sciences)
• explain some possibilities and pitfalls at the intersection of science/scholarship and societal decision making
• describe and discuss the contents of some codes of professional conduct and their ethical underpinnings
• identify cases of scientific misconduct and suggest strategies for dealing with suspected cases of misconduct
Content
• Truth and knowledge, data and information
• Core concepts and ideas in philosophy of science: Hypothesis testing, explanation and understanding, causation and correlation, positivism and beyond: falsificationism, hypothetico-deductive method; social constructionism, postmodernism, empiricism vs rationalism and holistic vs atomistic perspectives, reflexivity.
• Science and society: The consequences of research, the function of scientific results in policy, and the role of disciplinary perspective in societal discourse and policy making
• Professionalism, professional ethics and its theoretical underpinnings, professional relations
• Scientific misconduct – fabrication/falsification, plagiarism, publication ethics
• Professionalism, professional ethics and its theoretical underpinnings
• Scientific misconduct – fabrication/falsification, plagiarism, publication ethics e t c
• Research involving humans subjects – potential harm, informed consent, confidentiality etc.
• Research involving animals – ethical and legal aspects, relation to research ethics
• Relevant SLU policies and other guidelines
Additional information
The course consists of lectures and exercises/group exercises combined. Participation is mandatory, as is preparation for the exercises.For application, follow this link: https://personalkurser.slu.se/index.cfm?oid=13
Dates for Autumn 2024 (all dates at campus Ultuna):
Thu Sep 19
Mon Sep 23
Thu Sep 26
Thu Oct 3
Tue Oct 8
Fri Oct 11
Wed Oct 16
Fri Oct 25