Module PHIL1081: INTRODUCTION TO THE HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE

Department: Philosophy

PHIL1081: INTRODUCTION TO THE HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE

Prerequisites

• None.

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• To introduce students to major topics in the history and philosophy of science, and to serve, for some students, as a basis for further work in either the history of science or the philosophy of science.

Content

• Early modern and enlightenment natural philosophy, early modern century natural history, 19th/20th-century evolution, 19th/20th-century matter theory. Scientific method, scientific change, the demarcation of science, scientific explanation, realism and instrumentalism.

Learning Outcomes

• By the end of this module students will have a basic knowledge and understanding of key scientific ideas during the past four centuries, and the historical context of the evidence for them.
• By the end of this module students will have a basic knowledge and understanding of key philosophical theories and arguments relating to science.

• Correctly utilise specialist vocabulary.
• Grasp, analyse, evaluate and deploy subject-specific concepts and arguments.
• Locate, understand, assess and utilise pertinent philosophical and historical sources.
• Interpret and criticise relevant texts.

• Express themselves clearly and succinctly in writing.
• Comprehend complex ideas, propositions and theories.
• Defend their opinions by reasoned argument.
• Seek out and identify appropriate sources of evidence and information.
• Tackle problems in a clear-sighted and logical fashion.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Lectures deliver basic module-specific information, and provide a framework for further study.
• Discussion groups provide opportunities for students to test their own understanding of the material studied, and defend and debate different opinions.
• Guided reading provides a structure within which students exercise and extend their abilities to make use of available learning resources.
• The summative essay tests knowledge and understanding of the course material, and the ability to identify and explain issues covered in the module, and, using relevant research material, to present different approaches to those issues, and make reasoned judgment on the merits and demerits of such approaches.
• The unseen examination tests students' overall knowledge and understanding of the module content at the end of the module, and their ability to bring it to bear on new problems under pressure of time.
• Summative essays: Students will be required to complete one History of Science essay and one Philosophy of Science essay. Both essays provide the opportunity for students to test their knowledge and understanding of the module content, and their ability to present and defend relevant arguments and theories.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

None.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University