933335 Theory of sciences applied
- Type
- Lecture and seminar
- Semester hours
- 2
- Lecturer (assistant)
- Organisation
- Offered in
- Sommersemester 2023
- Languages of instruction
- Englisch
- Content
-
The course will be offered either in German or English. First meeting is on Tuesday 07 March 13-15.
This course introduces the main principles of science research with reference to agriculture and science in general and organic agriculture in particular.
Where students from other disciplines participate, the thematic focus and interpretation will be broadened accordingly towards an interdisciplinary perspective.
The following questions are guiding:
(1) Do the ontological foundations and epistemological foundations differ between the directions of agriculture?
Ontology: Ontology deals with everything that exists, because it asks, first, what it means that something exists, and second, which categories of objects exist and in which relation they stand to each other.
Epistemology: answering questions about the preconditions for knowledge, the formation of knowledge and other forms of beliefs.
(2) What are the (normative) requirements for research on organic agriculture and what do we mean by this?
Normative: The adjective normative states that something serves as a standard or rule or gives direction. A normative statement is therefore an instruction, a "this is how it should be done". The instruction can be implicit (sleep more than 5 hours!) or explicit (sleep X hours per night).
(3) Does the practice of research (organization of research; setting priorities, etc.) in organic farming differ from that in conventional farming?
To this end, the following background knowledge is introduced:
1) Introduction to central concepts of philosophy and epistemology (ontology, epistemology, and methodology).
2) Introduction to science studies (especially philosophy of science, sociology of science and history of science) and distinctions between natural science, humanities and social science
3) Introduction to scientific knowledge programs
4) Placement of organic farming versus conventional farming in a philosophy of science context.
In principle, an introduction to philosophy of science, gaining a basic knowledge of how science works, should be taken by all students...Not only is science addressed, but so are diverse philosophical styles of thought and introduced and discussed in brief form.
- Previous knowledge expected
-
No specific prior knowledge required
The lecture is specifically for students interestde in science, science theory and philosophy
- Objective (expected results of study and acquired competences)
-
1) Being able to reflect the epistemological foundations of science;
(2) Being able to explain scientific research with its sub-areas;
(3) Being able to identify and interpret the differences between organic farming research and conventional agricultural research, if available;
(3) Gain an understanding of the relationship between science research and science practice;
(4) Being able to reflect on the practical consequences for one's own scientific debate;
You can find more details like the schedule or information about exams on the course-page in BOKUonline.