04:30 PM to 07:10 PM R
Section Information for Spring 2020
Fulfills a requirement for the PPE concentration; or, fulfills the requirement for a course in the analytic tradition for the philosophy major
The social sciences play a prominent role in policymaking and public life. What are the nature, scope, and limits of the knowledge and understanding generated by the social sciences? How is this knowledge and understanding achieved, and of what sort of objects is it?
Traditionally, these questions have been approached by contrasting the social sciences with the natural sciences, which were taken to be better understood and often just better. In the last decade, philosophers of social science have come to approach these questions as they arise within the social sciences themselves in all their variety, with results that are both exciting and far more relevant to grappling with how the social sciences do and should contribute to our lives and our understating of ourselves, others, and society. In this course, we explore some of these new developments in the philosophy of social science, including questions of objectivity, social ontology, research methods, and evidence.
Credits: 3
The University Catalog is the authoritative source for information on courses. The Schedule of Classes is the authoritative source for information on classes scheduled for this semester. See the Schedule for the most up-to-date information and see Patriot web to register for classes.