Philosophy of Science

Owner	Bachelor Future Planet Studies
Coordinator	dr. Coyan Tromp
Part of	Exchange Programme Faculty of Science, specialisation BSc Future Planet Studies, year 1Bachelor Future Planet Studies, year 2

Course manual 2021/2022

Course content

In the third semester of Future Planet Studies, we focus on the complex issue of how to guarantee sufficient food for everyone while the world population increases up until an estimated 10 billion in 2050. The complexity of this global issue is such that it cannot be studied from a sole discipline. The same applies to the other ‘Grand Challenges’ that are the central focus of Future Planet Studies which – on a higher level – are all related to each other. They call for an interdisciplinary approach in which various perspectives are combined and integrated.

 

In the course Philosophy of Science, we look at differing perspectives from both the natural sciences as well as the social sciences and humanities, and investigate the potential contribution of these various approaches to finding explanations and solutions for our complex problems. Both conventional and newer approaches and models for grappling with challenges such as the world food issue are clarified, as well as their underlying assumptions. Their assets are highlighted, but we will also address the critique that has been brought forward against the various approaches.

 

Since no singular scientific method can fulfil all our needs, we explore the potential of complexity thinking for navigating alternative views on science. We examine whether it can perform the role of a meta-perspective in which the various models, perspectives and paradigms can be integrated into a more comprehensive approach to complex problems. This way, we aim to prepare students for multi-, inter- or transdisciplinary research on complex problems, not just with regard to the world food issue but to complex problems in general.

 

The overall aim of the course is to help students develop a nuanced view on what science and scientific knowledge acquisition entail and how it can contribute to finding solutions for our pressing complex issues. Besides gaining knowledge about prevailing traditional approaches and emerging new scientific approaches, the Philosophy of Science course also provides students with conceptual tools to enhance their critical and reflexive capacities. With these tools, students are enabled to critically analyse vital questions related to complex issues.

Study materials

Literature

• • Tromp, C. (2018) Wicked Philosophy - Philosophy of Science and Vision Development for Complex Problems, Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press. The book can be ordered via https://nl.aup.nl/books/9789462988774-wicked-philosophy.html or via bol.com

Syllabus

• • Additional original literature (see Programme on Canvas). All articles are made available on Canvas (see the folder with Workgroup Readings, per week).

Other

• • Knowledge clips that help explain key concepts of the book, and additional texts that you have to read to be able to make Preparatory Assignments or the Take Home Exam are .made available on Canvas.

Objectives

• Students are able to recognize the various models, perspectives and paradigms that are used within the broad range of science, i.e. the natural sciences, the social sciences and the humanities.
• Students can describe (the differences in) the underlying assumptions of these models, perspectives and paradigms and their implications for the research practice.
• Students are able to integrate the various perspectives into a more comprehensive approach to complex problems, in particular the world food issue.
• Students learn how to use a range of conceptual tools, provided by philosophy of science, to make critical analyses and evaluations of the role of science in the context of inter- and transdisciplinary study of complex issues.
• Students expand their academic skills and 21st century skills by further development of their argumentative reasoning, particularly in writing, and by enhancement of their critical thinking skills and reflexive capacities.

Teaching methods

• Self-study
• Seminar
• Knowledge clips
• workgroups

 

The Philosophy of Science course offers a blend of online and offline work forms to create a stimulating learning environment. To start with, there are several explanatory knowledge clips available on Canvas that introduce you to:

• The aim and set-up of the course.
• The book that is used as central point of departure: Wicked Philosophy – Philosophy of science for the interdisciplinary study of complex problems.
• The assessment of the course: a Take Home Exam.

In the folder with Course Documents, you can also find the overall programme, with a week to week overview of the course activities. And in the folders for the 8 course weeks, you can find exactly that part of the programme that is covered during that particular week, including all necessary materials.

 

In weekly joint classes, you will be given an introduction to the central topics of that week.

Taking the overall programme as point of departure, it will be explained where we are in the course right now and what is on the menu this week. Jointly we will explore some core concepts from Wicked Philosophy, for some of which there are also explanatory knowledge clips or illustrative videos available on Canvas. And you will be given some indicative suggestions in how to go about reading the additional articles, consisting mostly of original literature by philosophers on whose ideas Wicked Philosophy builds. By reading this original work, you gain more background knowledge and in-depth insight in some of the core concepts of our interdisciplinary Philosophy of Science course. We will also start working on the Preparatory Assignment for the following workgroup – which are generally directly related to the core concepts that we talk about during the joint class.

 

In the workgroups we subsequently address relevant questions about the compulsory literature. To be able to make that work, we follow the principle of the flipped classroom. This means that you prepare before coming to the workgroup by studying the compulsory literature from Wicked Philosophy plus additional articles, by watching the accompanying knowledge clips (if needed), and by making the Preparatory Assignment. Usually this Assignment consists of a question and/or exercise that forms part of the Take Home Exam. This way, the Preparatory Assignment not only ensures that you are able to actively participate in the workgroup and thus gain the most benefit from it, but it also offers you support in working on the Take Home Exam. So working seriously on the Preparatory Assignment will definitely save you a lot of time in formulating your answers, both for Part I and for Part II of the exam.

 

For the work groups there is a strict attendance rule: if you’ve missed two workgroups, your attendance at workgroups will be graded with NAP (Not Attended or Present). This results in exclusion from the course. If for any reason you are going to miss a work roup, you must inform your workgroup teacher in advance by sending an e-mail to announce your anticipated absence.

 

Note 1: As long as we are confronted with Covid-19 restrictions, we will try to organize at least one workgroup online so that students who cannot attend the workgroups (occasionally, due to illness or quarantine rules), are still able to follow all workgroups.

 

Note 2: Not preparing for the workgroups and missing deadlines to send in Preparatory Assignments will lead to exclusion from the workgroups. If this happens more than twice you will be excluded from the course.

 

The course schedule will be published and kept updated at www.datanose.nl.

Learning activities

Attendance

Programme's requirements concerning attendance (OER-B):

• Participation in fieldwork is compulsory and cannot be replaced by assignments or other courses.
• In case of practical sessions, the student is obliged to attend at least of 90% of the sessions and to prepare himself adequately, unless indicated otherwise in the course manual. In case the student attends less than 90%, the practical sessions should be redone entirely.
• In case of tutorials/seminars with assignments, the student is obliged to attend at least 7 out of 8 seminars and to prepare thoroughly for these meetings, unless indicated otherwise in the course manual. If the course has more than 8 seminars, the student can miss up to 1 extra meeting for every (part of) 8 tutorials/seminars. If the students attends less than the mandatory tutorials/seminars, the course cannot be completed.

Additional requirements for this course:

Not preparing for the workgroups and missing deadlines to send in Preparatory Assignments will lead to exclusion from the work groups. If this happens more than twice you will be excluded from the course.

Assessment

Item and weight	Details
Final grade

 

Examination consists of a Take Home Exam on Philosophy of Science, which will be spread over two parts. Part I will cover maximally a third of the compulsory literature and will count for about 25-40% of the grade (a range is indicated as each year it depends on the specific questions that the Take Home Exam entails).

 

Table 2: Assessment, deadlines and exam dates

 

Type of Assessment	Date / Deadline	Weight	Min. score	Opportunity for re-sit /	Deadline re-sit
Take Home Exam Philosophy of Science Part I	Week 2, 3 or 4 (dependent on schedule for the workgroups & field work Future Earth track)	±25-40%	-	No, not for the partial Take Home Exam	-
Take Home Exam Philosophy of Science Part II	Week 8	±65-50%	> 5.5	Yes	Friday 21 Jan 2022 23.59 The 2nd chance Take Home Exam will be made available on Canvas on Monday 17 Jan 2021 9.00
Argumentative writing	Week 2 & 8 (forms integral part of the Take Home Exam)	10%	-	No	Included in re-sit

 

As said, there is an explanatory clip in which it is explained what the Take Home Exam entails. In the same designated folder, you can find further instructions for the Take Home Exam, including a clear explanation what is exactly expected of you. Read the instructions carefully, as deviation of the requirements can cost you valuable points. There is also a document with Assessment Criteria for Academic Writing, giving an indication of how we will review your level of writing reflected in your answers. During the second meeting we will also reserve room to discuss (questions about) the exam.

 

Beware that the Take Home Exam of Philosophy of Science is an INDIVIDUAL exam.

Exams have to be submitted via URKUND. Fraude or plagiarism (including working together on the formulation of answers of ‘gaining inspiration’ from other students’ answers) will lead to exclusion.

Both you and the other student will have to face consequences.

 

When personal circumstances cause you problems, you can approach your work group teacher and ask for delay of a deadline. In view of the deadline for the grading, postponement can never be more than one or maximally two weeks.

Assessment diagram

 

 

Leerdoela	Onderwijsb	Toetsc	Bloomniveaud						Totaal gewichte
			Kennis	Inzicht	Toepassing	Analyse	Synthese	Evaluatie
Acquire the skill to recognize the various models, perspectives and paradigms that are used within the broad range of science, i.e. the natural sciences, the social sciences and the humanities.	Ch1- Ch3 behandeld in WG1 – WG6 en in knowledge clips, opdrachten en oefeningen in WG1 – WG6	Take Home Exam (THT)	In principe niet, want open book  examen en kernbegrip-pen zijn opgenomen in glossary	a-vragen	b- en c-vragen	b- en c-vragen	c- en d- vragen	e- vragen (zelden)	Niet aan te geven want verschillende leerdoelen komen aan bod in 1 en dezelfde vraag
Gain insight in (the differences in) the underlying assumptions of these models, perspectives and paradigms and their implications for the research practice.	Ch1- Ch3 behandeld in WG1 – WG6 en in knowledge clips, opdrachten en oefeningen in WG1 – WG6	Take Home Exam (THT)	In principe niet, want open book  examen en kernbegrip-pen zijn opgenomen in glossary	a-vragen	b- en c-vragen	b- en c-vragen	c- en d- vragen	e- vragen (zelden)	Niet aan te geven want verschillende leerdoelen komen aan bod in 1 en dezelfde vraag
Students are able to integrate the various perspectives into a more comprehensive approach to complex problems, in particular the world food issue.	Ch1- Ch3 behandeld in WG1 – WG6 en in knowledge clips, opdrachten en oefeningen in WG1 – WG6	Take Home Exam (THT)	In principe niet, want open book  examen en kernbegrip-pen zijn opgenomen in glossary	a-vragen	b- en c-vragen	b- en c-vragen	c- en d- vragen	e- vragen (zelden)	Niet aan te geven want verschillende leerdoelen komen aan bod in 1 en dezelfde vraag
Learn how to use a range of conceptual tools, provided by philosophy of science, to make critical analyses and evaluations in the context of inter- and transdisciplinary study of complex issues.	Ch1- Ch3 behandeld in WG1 – WG6 en in knowledge clips, opdrachten en oefeningen in WG1 – WG6	Take Home Exam	In principe niet, want open book  examen en kernbegrip-pen zijn opgenomen in glossary	a-vragen	b- en c-vragen	b- en c-vragen	c- en d- vragen	e- vragen (zelden)	Niet aan te geven want verschillende leerdoelen komen aan bod in 1 en dezelfde vraag
Expand their academic skills and 21st century skills by further development of their argumentative reasoning in debate and dialogue as well as in writing, and by enhancement of their critical thinking skills and reflexive capacities.	Opdrachten en oefeningen in WG1 – WG6,   oefenvragen, en maken van het take home tentamen zelf	Take Home Exam	NVT het gaat niet om kennis hier maar om het leren gebruiken van  tools	NVT	Bij alle vragen	NVT	NVT	c- en d- vragen (soms e-vragen)	Niet aan te geven want verschillende leerdoelen komen aan bod in 1 en dezelfde vraag
TOTAAL e									100 %

 

Fraud and plagiarism

The 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' applies to this course. This will be monitored carefully. Upon suspicion of fraud or plagiarism the Examinations Board of the programme will be informed. For the 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' see: www.student.uva.nl

Course structure

Timetable

The schedule for this course is published on DataNose.

Additional information

Scheduled at the beginning of year 2 of Future Planet Studies, Philosophy of Science is a course which is supposed to be completely in English. We know from experience that some students worry whether they are able to master the material if they are to read, speak, and write everything in English. Therefore, we offer you the opportunity to indicate your preference for the language that will be spoken in the Workgroup, by filling in this mini-survey. 

 

If you feel the language might be a barrier in this phase of your studies, you can also choose to write the Preparatory Assignments and your Take Home Exam in English. But mind you: this is the last course where you will be given this opportunity. You must also realise that the form of the exam for this course, i.e. a Take Home Exam for which you get plenty of time to work out your answers, offers you the chance to practice your English academic writing skills. If you let forego of this opportunity, it will be your own responsibly to make sure that you will have the required English writing capacities in the courses that will follow (including writing a thesis).

Last year's course evaluation

In order to provide students some insight how we use the feedback of student evaluations to enhance the quality of education, we decided to include the table below in all course guides.

 

Course Name (#EC)	N = 44 from a total of 139 participants
Strengths Workgroups More attention to Preparatory Assignments in the workgroups	Notes for improvement Plea for reintroduction lectures More support for the readings
Response lecturer: This year we organize introductory joint classes to prepare students for self-study and the workgroups

Contact information

Coordinator

• dr. Coyan Tromp

The workgroup teachers are:

Misha Velthuis (coordinating work group teacher). Email address: m.velthuis@uva.nl

Merel Talbi. Email address: m.m.talbi@uva.nl

Thijs Loonstra. Email address: t.i.loonstra@uva.nl

Els Aarts. Email address: e.aarts@uva.nl