MET528 Scientific Methods

• Topics

  The course is divided into two parts. The first part concerns philosophy of science and scientific-internal questions. The second part discusses scientific practice from external perspectives: historical, ethical, political, sustainable, 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

  Upon completion of the course, the student can:

  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.
  • Recognise 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.
  • Recognise how scientific practice is social practice.

• Teaching

  The course consists of lectures and a supervised term paper.

• Restricted access

  • PhD candidates at NHH
  • PhD candidates at Norwegian institutions
  • PhD candidates at other institutions
  • PhD candidates from the ENGAGE.EU alliance

• Compulsory Activity

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

  All elements are necessary for fulfillment of compulsory activities (work requirements).

  Compulsory activities (work requirements) are valid for one semester after the semester they were obtained.

• Assessment

  Individual digital school exam, 3 hours.

  Re-take is offered the semester after the course was offered for students with valid compulsory activities (work requirements).

• Grading Scale

  Pass/Fail

• Literature

  Samir Okasha  (2016). Philosophy of Science: A Very Short Introduction. Second Edition, Oxford University Press.

  Nancy Cartwright and Eleonora Montuschi eds. (2014). Philosophy of Social Science: A New Introduction. Oxford University Press.

  Papers that will be made available.

• This is an ENGAGE-course

  This course is offered to PhD candidates from the ENGAGE.EU alliance.

• Permitted Support Material

  A standard (English-English) dictionary (Category I).

  All in accordance with Supplementary provisions to the Regulations for Full-time Study Programmes at the Norwegian School of Economics Ch.4 Permitted support material https://www.nhh.no/en/for-students/regulations/https://www.nhh.no/en/for-students/regulations/ and https://www.nhh.no/en/for-students/examinations/examination-support-materials/https://www.nhh.no/en/for-students/examinations/examination-support-materials/