Science and society: knowledge and power
Michael Smith
8 points * 2 hours per week * Second semester * Clayton * Prerequisites: Two first-year sequences in disciplines offering major in BA(SocSc)
The subject will examine some central philosophical theories concerning the nature and structure of science and scientific explanation (including a discussion of the claims about scientific knowledge made by the sociologists of science); an historical perspective on theories about the nature of social explanation from the Chicago school to critical theory; and theories about the nature of institutional design (with special focus on rational actor theory). The subject will also consider the role of ethics in social science and the ethics of social science. This will involve an assessment of the case for and the case against cultural relativism.
Assessment
Written (6000 words): 100% * Optional replacement of one essay by a 3-hour examination
Prescribed texts
A collection of readings available from the department