| Unit name | Philosophy of the Social Sciences |
|---|---|
| Unit code | SPOLM0059 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Professor. Russ Jago |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one | |
| School/department | School for Policy Studies |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
This module introduces you to key philosophical concepts that aid reflection on the foundations of social science inquiry and research. It examines questions of ontology (What does society consist of? How is it created and maintained/changed? Is a social entity more than the sum of the individuals that constitute it?), epistemology (Which aspects of society, social organisation and structure can we know, and how?), and value (What normative stance and attitude should social scientists adopt towards their objects and subjects of inquiry?). The topics discussed will also address the basic question of the relation of the social sciences to the natural sciences (What kind of discipline is social science? Does the subject matter of the social sciences differ fundamentally from that of the natural sciences). The module is suited to students from across the range of social sciences and cognate disciplines.
Module Aims
The module aims to promote a reflective attitude to the nature and foundations of social scientific and related forms of social inquiry in general, and to your own domain of inquiry and research interests in particular. It introduces and familiarises you with a range of central philosophical concepts and ideas that will aid this endeavour. Through learning how to think philosophically and to pose philosophical questions on the nature and possibility of social inquiry the module aims to enable you to come to see more clearly the theoretical and philosophical foundations and presuppositions of your discipline and to facilitate reflection and clarity on the nature, limits and possibilities of social scientific knowledge and understanding.
Module specific skills
1. Demonstrate comprehensive knowledge and understanding of central philosophical concepts pertaining to the ontological, epistemological and normative foundations of social inquiry.
2. Show how philosophical analysis offers insight into the fundamental nature of the social world and identifies explanatory and interpretive issues in seeking to know and understand it.
3. Illustrate how philosophical analysis can aid the assessment and evaluation of the findings and claims of, and theoretical and methodological disputes within, social scientific inquiry.
4. Draw on philosophical concepts and ideas in to illuminate explanatory and interpretive issues in student’s own domain of inquiry
Discipline Specific Skills
5. Recognise and debate the contested and provisional nature of knowledge and understanding
6. Identify and evaluate approaches to problem-solving
7. Enhanced capacity to think philosophically and theoretically and to apply this ability to the student’s own research questions.
Personal and Key Skills
8. Undertake independent/self-directed learning (including time management) to achieve consistent, proficient and sustained attainment
9. Work as a participant or leader of a group and contribute effectively to the achievement of objectives.
10. Reflect on the process of learning and evaluate personal strengths and weaknesses. Apply ideas to new situations.
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities - 22
Guided independent study - 278
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activity
Hours of study time - 22
Description - 11 x 2 hour seminars
Guided Independent Study
Hours of study time - 10
Description - Time preparing for 750 word summary
Guided Independent Study
Hours of study time - 68
Description - Time doing weekly readings
Guided Independent Study
Hours of study time - 100
Description - Time preparing summative essay 1
Guided Independent Study
Hours of study time - 100
Description - Time preparing summative essay 2
This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).
Formative assessment
Literature summary and critical response
750 words
ILOs 1-10
Summative Assessment
Essay 1, 50% of credit
4,000 words
ILOs 1-10
Essay 2, 50% of credit
4,000 words
ILOs 1-10
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. SPOLM0059).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
