Unit information: Philosophy of Social Sciences in 2013/14

Unit name	Philosophy of Social Sciences
Unit code	EDUCM5506
Credit points	20
Level of study	M/7
Teaching block(s)	Academic Year (weeks 1 - 52)
Unit director	Professor. Erduran
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	None
Co-requisites	None
School/department	School of Education
Faculty	Faculty of Social Sciences and Law

Description including Unit Aims

This is a graduate level overview of key 'meta-theoretical' developments and debates in the understanding of social sciences with particular reference to education. The unit covers: the purpose of general theory in social science disciplines; the character of explanatory practice; and the conceptual 'dualisms' in the philosophy of social science such as, realism/constructionism, positivity/reflexivity, objectivity/partiality, science/ideology and explanation/description, RCT/qualitative case studies. Some of the methodological perspectives to be covered include interpretivism, positivism, feminism and discourse analysis.

Aims:

• To introduce a representative range of philosophical perspectives which influence educational research today.

• To introduce and describe the connection between philosophical perspectives and different methodologies.

• To complement themes used in the unit Understanding Educational Research, linking philosophies with methodologies.

Intended Learning Outcomes

1. To be able to demonstrate the importance of philosophical perspectives in the development of educational theory and research.
2. To be able to critically discuss and work with several philosophical perspectives exploring differences and connections between them.
3. To contextualize participant’s own area of research within a philosophical perspective and discuss how this might influence the methodologies to be adopted.

Teaching Information

The unit is taught intensively over 3 days. The course includes practical activities, reading tasks, discussion and opportunities to relate course material to participants’ own research ideas.

Assessment Information

Formative assessment tasks include oral presentations and class participation in the context of different philosophical perspectives and methodologies (Learning outcome 2)

Summative assessment consists of 4000 word evaluation of a student selected report of research which will have both an empirical as well as a theoretical foundation (Learning outcomes 1 and 3)

Reading and References

Benton, T., & Craib, I (2001). Philosophy of social science : the philosophical foundations of social thought. Basingstoke : Palgrave.

Hesse-Biber, S., Gilmartin, C. & Lydenberg, R. (Eds) (1999), Feminist approaches to theory and methodology. New York: Oxford University Press.

Sherrat, Y. (2006). Continental philosophy of social science : hermeneutics, genealogy and critical theory from ancient Greece to the twenty-first century. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Smith, Mark J. (1998) Social science in question: Towards a post-disciplinary framework. London: Sage.

Journal articles from Public Understanding of Science, British Journal of Sociology of Education, Philosophy of Science, Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour, Theory & Psychology.