Introductory description

Reduced version of a module (from 2 to 1 term) regularly given since 2005.

Module web page

Module aims

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

Week 1— Is it rational to have an unconditional faith in science: How can science be a public
good if very few people practice it or know much about it?
Week 2 -- Are the natural and social sciences fundamentally different?
Week 3 -- How does an understanding of the history of science contribute to an
understanding of contemporary science?
Week 4 -- To what extent can a philosophy be judged by the sociological conditions
responsible for its emergence and maintenance?
Week 5 -- What can we learn about the nature of science from the study of non-Western
cultures?
Week 6-- Does the transition from academic to intellectual inevitably involve `dumbing
down' or is something added in the process?
Week 7 -- There is a popular image of the intellectual as always championing unpopular
causes — sometimes even being 'an enemy of the people'. Is the image justified?
Week 8 -- How do the issues raised by Kuhn's and Popper's theories of science illustrate
the differences and similarities between being a scientist and being an intellectual?
Week 9 -- Is rule by experts inevitable in liberal societies?
Week 10 — Are science and technology taking us to 'Humanity 2.0'? Should we embrace
or combat this propsect?

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• -- Students will demonstrate in essay form an understanding of the role of knowledge as a source of authority in society
• -- Students will demonstrate in essay form an understanding of the similarities and differences of science and religion as sources of authoritiative knowledge.
• -- Students will demonstrate -- either essay or exam — an understanding of the role and prospects of the public intellectual as a producer and disseminator of social knowledge.
• -- Students will demonstrate — either essay or exam — the extent to which science and technology have transformed our understanding of what it means to be a human being.

Indicative reading list

Reading lists can be found in Talis

Interdisciplinary

Students read texts in history, philosophy and sociology of science -- as well as journalistic accounts and policy reports related to contemporary developments in science and technology.

Subject specific skills

knowledge and critical understanding of the well-established principles of their area(s) of study, and of the way in which those principles have developed
ability to apply underlying concepts and principles outside the context in which they were first studied
knowledge of the main methods of enquiry in the subject(s) relevant to the named award, and ability to evaluate critically the appropriateness of different approaches to solving problems in the field of study
an understanding of the limits of their knowledge, and how this influences analyses and interpretations based on that knowledge.
use a range of established techniques to initiate and undertake critical analysis of information, and to propose solutions to problems arising from that analysis
a systematic understanding of key aspects of their field of study, including acquisition of coherent and detailed knowledge, at least some of which is at, or informed by, the forefront of defined aspects of a discipline

Transferable skills

the ability to manage their own learning, and to make use of scholarly reviews and primary sources (for example, refereed research articles and/or original materials appropriate to the discipline).
apply the methods and techniques that they have learned to review, consolidate, extend and apply their knowledge and understanding, and to initiate and carry out projects
critically evaluate arguments, assumptions, abstract concepts and data (that may be incomplete), to make judgements, and to frame appropriate questions to achieve a solution - or identify a range of solutions - to a problem
an ability to deploy accurately established techniques of analysis and enquiry within a discipline
conceptual understanding that enables the student:

• • to devise and sustain arguments, and/or to solve problems, using ideas and
    techniques, some of which are at the forefront of a discipline
• • to describe and comment upon particular aspects of current research, or
    equivalent advanced scholarship, in the discipline
    an appreciation of the uncertainty, ambiguity and limits of knowledge