Official course description:

Full info last published 15/11-20
Course info
Language:
English
ECTS points:
7.5
Course code:
1410001U
Participants max:
135
Offered to guest students:
yes
Offered to exchange students:
yes
Offered as a single subject:
yes
Price for EU/EEA citizens (Single Subject):
10625 DKK
Programme
Level:
Bachelor
Programme:
BSc in Software Development
Staff
Course manager
Associate Professor
Teacher
Full Professor
Course semester
Semester
Forår 2021
Start
1 February 2021
End
14 May 2021
Exam
Exam type
ordinær
Internal/External
ekstern censur
Grade Scale
7-trinsskala
Exam Language
GB
Abstract

The course provides a basic introduction to scientific thought and introduces central philosophical perspectives on science, epistemology and technology, including central concepts in scientific methodology. The course puts a special focus on IT technologies, exploring its foundations and ethical implications.  

Description

The course is important because it provides a set of concepts for critical evaluation of the theoretical and methodological basis underpinning research traditions in the information sciences.  

The student will receive a basic introduction to scientific thought and central philosophical perspectives on science, epistemology and technology. This includes gaining familiarity with central concepts in scientific methodology and foundational problems of computation. 

 Reflections on IT provides a basic introduction to scientific thought and introduces central philosophical perspectives on science, epistemology and technology. The literature introduces students to paradigms such as positivism, scientific realism, computationalism and utilitarianism. It also introduces central concepts in scientific methodology, including deductivism, inductivism and falsification. Finally, it encourages students to reflect on the interrelationships between science, technology and society.  

The objective of the course is thus to provide a set of coherent concepts for critical evaluation of the theoretical and methodological basis of research traditions in the information sciences. The course introduces students to important philosophical and historical perspectives on science and technology as well as to more general epistemological and reflexive issues relating to natural and social science disciplines.  

The course especially emphasizes topics that relate to information sciences and information technologies, including questions about how humans, technologies and knowledge are assumed to operate in the information and social sciences. 


Formal prerequisites
Dette kursus indgår på sjette semester på bacheloruddannelsen i software.
Intended learning outcomes

After the course, the student should be able to:

  • Identify and account for key, select positions in the Philosophy of Science
  • Account for relevant theoretical perspectives on technology with a particular emphasis on the interactions between IT, the general BA subject area and the broader context.
  • Identify and analyze a problem of interest that touches upon the relationships between IT and its context (may it be of political, ethical, philosophical, historical or societal nature).
  • Present relevant concepts from the curriculum accurately, and critically use these concepts in an investigation of the select problem
Learning activities

Lectures and exercises. The course is generally based on readings that are presented and discussed in the lecture. In the exercise sessions the students will discuss the readings and will be asked to do written exercises that will also be discussed. In the final exam report (10-12 pages) each student individually formulates a relevant question relating to philosophy of science and technology and discusses it with reference to central arguments from the syllabus. Preparations for class usually involve reading one to two articles and considering specific questions relating to the texts or other illustrations.

Course literature

The course literature is published in the course page in LearnIT.

Student Activity Budget
Estimated distribution of learning activities for the typical student
  • Preparation for lectures and exercises: 25%
  • Lectures: 20%
  • Exercises: 25%
  • Exam with preparation: 30%
Ordinary exam
Exam type:
C: Submission of written work, External (7-point scale)
Exam variation:
C11: Submission of written work
Exam submission description:
Individual paper 10-12 pages

Time and date