PHIL 334 Outline

COURSE NUMBER:

PHIL 334

COURSE TITLE:

Philosophy of the Sciences

NAME OF INSTRUCTOR:

Dr. Jeff Dudiak, Dr. Chris Peet, Dr. Brian Martin

CREDIT WEIGHT AND WEEKLY TIME DISTRIBUTION:

credits 3 (hrs lect 3 - hrs sem 0 - hrs lab 0)

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

The meaning and nature of science will be examined by means of a multidisciplinary dialogue. Students will be invited to understand the sciences in relation to each other, to the world, and to their faith commitments.

Prerequisites: PHIL 230

REQUIRED TEXTS:

Heidegger, Martin. (1977). The question concerning technology and other essays. Trans. by W. Lovitt. New York: Harper.
Kuhn, Thomas. (2012). The structure of scientific revolutions. (4th Edition). Introductory essay by Ian Hacking. Chicago & London: University of Chicago. (Original published in 1962.)

MARK DISTRIBUTION IN PERCENT:


Participation and attendance	10%
Response Questions	10%
Group presentations	20%
Exam I	30%
Exam II	30%
	100%

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

Through selective readings, lively class discussion and shared experiences of students and instructors we will examine science and explore possible meanings of "philosophy of science". The course will demand effort - some of the papers and topics will be subtle and challenging. The end goal is acquire a better understanding of the knowledge claims made by science, how this shapes and is in turn shaped by modernculture(s) and to do this all within a tradition of Christian scholarship.

Required texts, assignments, and grade distributions may vary from one offering of this course to the next. Please consult the course instructor for up to date details.