MET528 Scientific Methods

• Topics

  The course is divided into two parts, each taught in intensive parts. The first part concern philosophy of science and scientific-internal questions, the second part discusses scientific practice from external perspectives: Historical, ethical , political, and the sociology of scientific practice.

  The aim is that students should know and discuss the most common arguments made on the knowledge-theoretical grounding of scientific practice in economics and related fields such as finance and management science.

• Learning outcome

  After completion of the course, the student should be able to:

  Knowledge

  • Account for the main positions in philosophy of science.
  • Account for the role of philosophy of science in current practice.
  • Relate the history of scientific practice to positions in philosophy of science.
  • Relate scientific notions of causality to those in the philosophy of social science.
  • Recognize competing scientific traditions and how they relate to positions in the philosophy of science.

  Skills

  • Discuss own scientific practice in light of the National guidelines for research ethics in the social sciences, law and humanities and the NHH ethical guidelines.
  • Discuss reflexively  the social practice of science in light of his or her own scientific tradition.

  General competence

  • Evaluate specific scientific practices with respect to foundational methodological principles.
  • Recognize how scientific practice is social practice.

• Teaching

  Lectures. The lectures will be filmed and/or streamed.

• Requirements for course approval

  1. active participation in class
  2. one brief presentation to the class

  Both elements are necessary for course approval.

• Assessment

  Each participant submits an individual term-paper for evaluation, on a topic they choose themselves but which is approved by the lecturer by March 1st. Students then have 14 weeks to work on the paper.

• Grading Scale

  Pass/Fail

• Literature

  Samir Okasha, Philosophy of Science: A Very Short Introduction. Second Edition, Oxford University Press.

  Papers that will be made available.