Course

Philosophy of Social Sciences (PHD102)

The general aim of the philosophy of social science is to resolve the many axiological, ontological, epistemological and methodological issues to which social science gives rise. The course provides an introduction to current debates over some of the most important of these issues.


Dette er emnebeskrivelsen for studieåret 2021-2022. Merk at det kan komme endringer.

See course description and exam/assesment information for this semester (2024-2025)

Semesters

Fakta

Emnekode

PHD102

Vekting (stp)

5

Semester undervisningsstart

Autumn

Undervisningsspråk

English

Antall semestre

1

Vurderingssemester

Autumn

Timeplan

Vis timeplan

Litteratur

Pensumlisten finner du i Leganto

Content

The course focuses on the following issues:
  • The general nature of social science, and the relation between social science and natural science.
  • The general nature of social reality, and the sense in which social phenomena may be said to be socially constructed.
  • The role of values in social science, and the sense in which, and the extent to which, social science can be objective.
  • The role of causal claims in social science, and the scientific significance of having to distinguish between different concepts of causation and causal evidence.
  • The nature of explanation in social science, and the difference between holism and individualism about explanation.
  • The role of interpretation in social science, and the sense in which, and the extent to which, social science may be characterized as interpretative.
  • The nature of rationality, and the role of rationality assumptions in social science.

Learning outcome

Knowledge

After completing the course, students should:

  • Have advanced knowledge of central issues in the philosophy of social science.
  • Have advanced knowledge of major approaches to the relevant issues.
  • Have advanced knowledge of the relevance of the philosophy of social science for social scientific research.

Skills

After completing the course, students should:

  • Be able to formulate new research questions within the philosophy of social science.
  • Be able to conduct research in the philosophy of social science at an international level.
  • Be able to apply concepts and theories within the philosophy of social science to social scientific research in fruitful ways.

General competence

After completing the course, students should:

  • Be able to communicate the results of research in the philosophy of social science through recognized national and international channels.
  • Be able to participate in debates within the philosophy of social science in international fora.
  • Be able to identify new and relevant ethical challenges, and conduct their research with academic integrity.

Forkunnskapskrav

Participants must be enrolled in a PhD programme.

Anbefalte forkunnskaper

The course is integrated with PHD101: Research Design, but can also be taken as a stand-alone course.

Exam

Form of assessment Weight Duration Marks Aid Exam system Withdrawal deadline Exam date
Individual paper 1/1 Passed / Not Passed — — —


An individual paper of 4000 words (+/- 10%) in English on a self-chosen topic approved by the instructor. The paper must be submitted six weeks after the end of the course and will be evaluated as Pass/Fail.

Vilkår for å gå opp til eksamen/vurdering

At least one presentation. Active participation in discussions

Fagperson(er)

Course coordinator:

Tarjei Mandt Larsen

Method of work

The course will be given in the form of five full-day seminars. A detailed timetable will be made available at the beginning of the course-semester.

Åpent for

PhD candidates enrolled in PhD programmes at the University of Stavanger or accredited universities/university colleges in Norway or abroad.

Emneevaluering

The course participants are encouraged to contribute to the course evaluation. An evaluation form will be made available to the candidates after the papers are handed in.

Litteratur

Book

Philosophy of social science : a new introduction Montuschi, Eleonora; Cartwright, Nancy, Oxford, Oxford University Press, X, 330 s., 2014, isbn:978-0-19-964509-1, Excluding Chapters 10-13.

Book Chapter

Chapter 1: What is a Social Fact? Durkheim, Émile, Halls, W. D.; Lukes, Steven, Chapter 1: What is a Social Fact?, New York, Free Press, xlii, 229 s., 2014, 20-28, isbn:9781476749723, Page 20-28.

Book Chapter

Chapter I: Mechanism Elster, Jon,, Chapter I: Mechanism, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1 online resource (viii, 184 pages) :, 1989, 3-10, isbn:9780511812255 (ebook),

Book Chapter

Chapter II: Desires and Opportunities Elster, Jon, Chapter II: Desires and Opportunities, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, VIII, 184 s., 1989, 13-21, isbn:0521376068; 0521374553,

Book Chapter

Chapter III: Rational Choice Elster, Jon, Chapter III: Rational Choice, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, VIII, 184 s., 1989, 22-29, isbn:0521376068; 0521374553,

Book Chapter

Chapter IV: When Rationality Fails Elster, Jon, Chapter IV: When Rationality Fails, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, VIII, 184 s., 1989, 30-41, isbn:0521376068; 0521374553,

Article

The Status of Rationality Assumptions in the Explanation of Action Føllesdal, D., European Society for Analytic Philosophy., [Oxford] :, Blackwell Pub, Dialectica, 4, 36, 1982, 301-316,

Book Chapter

Hermeneutics and the Hypothetico-Deductive Method Føllesdal, D., Michael Martin (1932-), Hermeneutics and the Hypothetico-Deductive Method, Cambridge, Mass, MIT Press, XXVII, 785, 1994, 234-245, isbn:0262132966,

Book Chapter

Chapter 13: Explanation Godfrey-Smith, Peter, Chapter 13: Explanation, Chicago, Ill., University of Chicago Press, XIII, 272 s., 2003, 190-201, isbn:9780226300634; 0226300633; 0226300625; 9780226300627,

Article

The Philosophy of Social Science Gorton, W.A., Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2019, http://www.iep.utm.edu/soc-sci/View online

Article

Searle and his critics Lukes, Steven, London, Thousand Oaks, CA and New Delhi, SAGE Publications, 5-11, Anthropological Theory, 1, 6, 2006-03, 5-11, https://bibsys-ur.userservices.exlibrisgroup.com/view/uresolver/47BIBSYS_UBIS/openurl?ctx_enc=info:ofi/enc:UTF-8&ctx_id=10_1&ctx_tim=2020-05-15T11:17:23IST&ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&url_ctx_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info:sid/primo.exlibrisgroup.com-sage_s&req_id=&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Searle%20and%20his%20critics&rft.jtitle=Anthropological%20Theory&rft.btitle=&rft.aulast=Lukes&rft.auinit=S&rft.auinit1=S&rft.auinitm=&rft.ausuffix=&rft.au=Lukes,%20Steven&rft.aucorp=&rft.date=2006-03&rft.volume=6&rft.issue=1&rft.part=&rft.quarter=&rft.ssn=&rft.spage=5&rft.epage=11&rft.pages=5-11&rft.artnum=&rft.issn=1463-4996&rft.eissn=17412641&rft.isbn=&rft.sici=&rft.coden=&rft_id=info:doi/10.1177/1463499606061729&rft.object_id=&rft.eisbn=&rft.edition=&rft.pub=SAGE%20Publications&rft.place=London,%20Thousand%20Oaks,%20CA%20and%20New%20Delhi&rft.series=&rft.stitle=&rft.bici=&rft_id=info:bibcode/&rft_id=info:hdl/&rft_id=info:lccn/&rft_id=info:oclcnum/&rft_id=info:pmid/&rft_id=info:eric/((addata/eric}}&rft_dat=%3csage_s%3e10_1177_1463499606061729%3c/sage_s%3e%3curl%3e%3c/url%3e,language=eng,view=UBIS&svc_dat=viewit&user_ip=89.10.237.254&req.skin=primo&rft_pqid=36510040&rft_galeid=&rft_cupid=&rft_eruid=&rft_nurid=&rft_ingid=View online

Book Chapter

Taylor on Interpretation and the Sciences of Man Martin, D., Michael Martin (1932-), Taylor on Interpretation and the Sciences of Man, Cambridge, Mass, MIT Press, XXVII, 785, 1994, 259-279, isbn:0262132966,

Article

THE VIRTUAL-REALITY OF HOMO-ECONOMICUS + A CONCILIATIONIST POSITION BETWEEN THE ECONOMIC AND COMMON-SENSE EXPLANATIONS OF INDIVIDUAL BEHAVIOR Pettit, P, HEGELER INST, 308-329, Monist, 3, 78, 1995-07-01, 308-329, https://bibsys-ur.userservices.exlibrisgroup.com/view/uresolver/47BIBSYS_UBIS/openurl?ctx_enc=info:ofi/enc:UTF-8&ctx_id=10_1&ctx_tim=2020-05-15T11:19:22IST&ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&url_ctx_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info:sid/primo.exlibrisgroup.com-wos&req_id=&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=THE%20VIRTUAL-REALITY%20OF%20HOMO-ECONOMICUS%20%20%20A%20CONCILIATIONIST%20POSITION%20BETWEEN%20THE%20ECONOMIC%20AND%20COMMON-SENSE%20EXPLANATIONS%20OF%20INDIVIDUAL%20BEHAVIOR&rft.jtitle=Monist&rft.btitle=&rft.aulast=Pettit&rft.auinit=&rft.auinit1=&rft.auinitm=&rft.ausuffix=&rft.au=Pettit,%20P&rft.aucorp=&rft.date=1995-07-01&rft.volume=78&rft.issue=3&rft.part=&rft.quarter=&rft.ssn=&rft.spage=308&rft.epage=329&rft.pages=308-329&rft.artnum=&rft.issn=0026-9662&rft.eissn=21533601&rft.isbn=&rft.sici=&rft.coden=&rft_id=info:doi/10.5840/monist199578322&rft.object_id=&rft.eisbn=&rft.edition=&rft.pub=HEGELER%20INST&rft.place=&rft.series=&rft.stitle=&rft.bici=&rft_id=info:bibcode/&rft_id=info:hdl/&rft_id=info:lccn/&rft_id=info:oclcnum/&rft_id=info:pmid/&rft_id=info:eric/((addata/eric}}&rft_dat=%3cwos%3eA1995RR67700005%3c/wos%3e%3curl%3e%3c/url%3e,language=eng,view=UBIS&svc_dat=viewit&user_ip=10.16.56.57&req.skin=primo&rft_pqid=61419975&rft_galeid=17732990&rft_cupid=&rft_eruid=&rft_nurid=&rft_ingid=View online

Article

Causation in the social sciences: evidence, inference, and purpose Reiss, Julian, Sage Publications, Inc., 20-40, Philosophy of the Social Sciences, 1, 39, 2009-03-01, 20-40 https://bibsys-ur.userservices.exlibrisgroup.com/view/uresolver/47BIBSYS_UBIS/openurl?ctx_enc=info:ofi/enc:UTF-8&ctx_id=10_1&ctx_tim=2020-05-15T11:20:05IST&ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&url_ctx_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info:sid/primo.exlibrisgroup.com-gale_ofa&req_id=&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Causation%20in%20the%20social%20sciences:%20evidence,%20inference,%20and%20purpose.&rft.jtitle=Philosophy%20of%20the%20Social%20Sciences&rft.btitle=&rft.aulast=&rft.auinit=&rft.auinit1=&rft.auinitm=&rft.ausuffix=&rft.au=Reiss,%20Julian&rft.aucorp=&rft.date=2009-03-01&rft.volume=39&rft.issue=1&rft.part=&rft.quarter=&rft.ssn=&rft.spage=20-40&rft.epage=&rft.pages=20-40&rft.artnum=&rft.issn=0048-3931&rft.eissn=15527441&rft.isbn=&rft.sici=&rft.coden=&rft_id=info:doi/10.1177/0048393108328150&rft.object_id=&rft.eisbn=&rft.edition=&rft.pub=Sage%20Publications,%20Inc.&rft.place=&rft.series=&rft.stitle=&rft.bici=&rft_id=info:bibcode/&rft_id=info:hdl/&rft_id=info:lccn/&rft_id=info:oclcnum/&rft_id=info:pmid/&rft_id=info:eric/((addata/eric}}&rft_dat=%3cgale_ofa%3e194172146%3c/gale_ofa%3e%3curl%3e%3c/url%3e,language=eng,view=UBIS&svc_dat=viewit&user_ip=10.16.56.57&req.skin=primo&rft_pqid=59878346&rft_galeid=194172146&rft_cupid=&rft_eruid=&rft_nurid=&rft_ingid=View online

Article

Social ontology: Some basic principles Searle, John R, London, Thousand Oaks, CA and New Delhi, SAGE Publications, 12-29, Anthropological Theory, 1, 6, 2006-03, 12-29, https://bibsys-ur.userservices.exlibrisgroup.com/view/uresolver/47BIBSYS_UBIS/openurl?ctx_enc=info:ofi/enc:UTF-8&ctx_id=10_1&ctx_tim=2020-05-15T11:20:35IST&ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&url_ctx_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info:sid/primo.exlibrisgroup.com-sage_s&req_id=&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Social%20ontology:%20Some%20basic%20principles&rft.jtitle=Anthropological%20Theory&rft.btitle=&rft.aulast=Searle&rft.auinit=J&rft.auinit1=J&rft.auinitm=&rft.ausuffix=&rft.au=Searle,%20John%20R&rft.aucorp=&rft.date=2006-03&rft.volume=6&rft.issue=1&rft.part=&rft.quarter=&rft.ssn=&rft.spage=12&rft.epage=29&rft.pages=12-29&rft.artnum=&rft.issn=1463-4996&rft.eissn=17412641&rft.isbn=&rft.sici=&rft.coden=&rft_id=info:doi/10.1177/1463499606061731&rft.object_id=&rft.eisbn=&rft.edition=&rft.pub=SAGE%20Publications&rft.place=London,%20Thousand%20Oaks,%20CA%20and%20New%20Delhi&rft.series=&rft.stitle=&rft.bici=&rft_id=info:bibcode/&rft_id=info:hdl/&rft_id=info:lccn/&rft_id=info:oclcnum/&rft_id=info:pmid/&rft_id=info:eric/((addata/eric}}&rft_dat=%3csage_s%3e10_1177_1463499606061731%3c/sage_s%3e%3curl%3e%3c/url%3e,language=eng,view=UBIS&svc_dat=viewit&user_ip=10.16.56.57&req.skin=primo&rft_pqid=61561158&rft_galeid=&rft_cupid=&rft_eruid=&rft_nurid=&rft_ingid=View online

Reference Entry

Causation in the Social Sciences Steel, Daniel, 71-73, 2013, 71-73, isbn:9781452276045, https://bibsys-ur.userservices.exlibrisgroup.com/view/uresolver/47BIBSYS_UBIS/openurl?ctx_enc=info:ofi/enc:UTF-8&ctx_id=10_1&ctx_tim=2019-10-02T09:10:25IST&ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&url_ctx_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info:sid/primo.exlibrisgroup.com-gvrl_ref&req_id=&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Causation%20in%20the%20Social%20Sciences&rft.jtitle=&rft.btitle=&rft.aulast=Steel&rft.auinit=&rft.auinit1=&rft.auinitm=&rft.ausuffix=&rft.au=Steel,%20Daniel&rft.aucorp=&rft.date=2013&rft.volume=&rft.issue=&rft.part=&rft.quarter=&rft.ssn=&rft.spage=71&rft.epage=73&rft.pages=71-73&rft.artnum=&rft.issn=&rft.eissn=&rft.isbn=978-1-4522-7604-5&rft.sici=&rft.coden=&rft_id=info:doi/&rft.object_id=&rft.eisbn=&rft.edition=&rft.pub=&rft.place=&rft.series=&rft.stitle=&rft.bici=&rft_id=info:bibcode/&rft_id=info:hdl/&rft_id=info:lccn/&rft_id=info:oclcnum/&rft_id=info:pmid/&rft_id=info:eric/((addata/eric}}&rft_dat=%3cgvrl_ref%3eCX3719400041%3c/gvrl_ref%3e%3curl%3e%3c/url%3e,language=eng,view=UBIS&svc_dat=viewit&user_ip=10.16.56.56&req.skin=primo&rft_pqid=&rft_galeid=CX3719400041&rft_cupid=&rft_eruid=&rft_nurid=&rft_ingid=View online

Article

Interpretation and the Sciences of Man Taylor, C., Review of Metaphysic, 25, 1971, 3-51, https://bibsys-almaprimo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo-explore/fulldisplay?docid=TN_cdi_proquest_journals_1290933806&context=PC&vid=UBIS&lang=no_NO&search_scope=default_scope&adaptor=primo_central_multiple_fe&tab=default_tab&query=any,contains,Interpretation%20and%20the%20Sciences%20of%20Man&offset=0View online

Reference Entry

Causation, Philosophical Views of Williamson ; Illari, Jon, Phyllis Mckay, 67-70, 2013, 67-70, isbn:9781452276045, https://bibsys-ur.userservices.exlibrisgroup.com/view/uresolver/47BIBSYS_UBIS/openurl?ctx_enc=info:ofi/enc:UTF-8&ctx_id=10_1&ctx_tim=2019-10-02T09:12:45IST&ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&url_ctx_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rfr_id=info:sid/primo.exlibrisgroup.com-gvrl_ref&req_id=&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Causation,%20Philosophical%20Views%20of&rft.jtitle=&rft.btitle=&rft.aulast=Williamson%20Illari&rft.auinit=Mckay&rft.auinit1=&rft.auinitm=&rft.ausuffix=&rft.au=Williamson&rft.aucorp=&rft.date=2013&rft.volume=&rft.issue=&rft.part=&rft.quarter=&rft.ssn=&rft.spage=67&rft.epage=70&rft.pages=67-70&rft.artnum=&rft.issn=&rft.eissn=&rft.isbn=978-1-4522-7604-5&rft.sici=&rft.coden=&rft_id=info:doi/&rft.object_id=&rft.eisbn=&rft.edition=&rft.pub=&rft.place=&rft.series=&rft.stitle=&rft.bici=&rft_id=info:bibcode/&rft_id=info:hdl/&rft_id=info:lccn/&rft_id=info:oclcnum/&rft_id=info:pmid/&rft_id=info:eric/((addata/eric}}&rft_dat=%3cgvrl_ref%3eCX3719400040%3c/gvrl_ref%3e%3curl%3e%3c/url%3e,language=eng,view=UBIS&svc_dat=viewit&user_ip=10.16.56.56&req.skin=primo&rft_pqid=&rft_galeid=CX3719400040&rft_cupid=&rft_eruid=&rft_nurid=&rft_ingid=View online

Electronic Article

Methodological Holism in the Social Sciences Zahle, J., The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Archive (Summer 2016 Edition), 2016, https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2016/entries/holism-social/View online

Book Chapter

Chapter One: Why Ask What? Hacking, Ian, Chapter One: Why Ask What?, Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University Press, X, 261 s., 1999, isbn:0674004124; 067481200X; 9780674004122; 9780674812000,

Kontakt

Course coordinator:

Tarjei Mandt Larsen

Tilbys av

Faculty of Social Sciences

Faculty of Social Sciences

The course description is retrieved from FS (Felles studentsystem). Version 1