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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2016/2017

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences : Philosophy

Undergraduate Course: Advanced Topics in Philosophy of Science (PHIL10050)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences CollegeCollege of Humanities and Social Science
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryThe course, consisting of lectures and seminars, will be structured around three core topics in contemporary philosophy of science: natural kinds, causation, and laws. For each theme, we explore epistemological, metaphysical and semantic issues.
Course description The course, consisting of lectures and seminars, will be structured around three core topics in contemporary philosophy of science. Natural kinds, causation, and laws of nature are deeply interconnected metaphysical notions. Are there natural kinds carving nature at its joints? Is causation an objective feature of nature? And, to what extent do our laws of nature express causal dispositions, and are read off from natural kinds? In the first part of this course, we focus on natural kinds. In the second part, we turn to causation and in part three, we explore laws of nature. For each theme, we explore a series of epistemological, metaphysical and semantic issues surrounding it.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites It is RECOMMENDED that students have passed Philosophy of Science 1 (PHIL08005)
Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesVisiting students should have at least 3 Philosophy courses at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this). We will only consider University/College level courses.
High Demand Course? Yes
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2016/17, Available to all students (SV1) Quota:  24
Course Start Semester 2
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Seminar/Tutorial Hours 22, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 174 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) One midterm essay of 1,500 words (worth 30%);
Weekly participation and coursework worth 10%;
One 2,500-word end-of-term essay (worth 60%)
Feedback Not entered
No Exam Information
Academic year 2016/17, Part-year visiting students only (VV1) Quota:  5
Course Start Semester 2
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Seminar/Tutorial Hours 22, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 174 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) One midterm essay of 1,500 words (worth 30%);
Weekly participation and coursework worth 10%;
One 2,500-word end-of-term essay (worth 60%)
Feedback Not entered
No Exam Information
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, students will have acquired good knowledge of the contemporary debate surrounding these three core areas in contemporary philosophy of science. They will also have improved their critical skills via essay writing and via informal discussions and oral presentations in the seminars.
Reading List
None
Additional Information
Course URL http://www.philosophy.ed.ac.uk
Graduate Attributes and Skills Not entered
KeywordsNot entered
Contacts
Course organiserDr Michela Massimi
Tel: (0131 6)50 3662
Email: Michela.Massimi@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMiss Samantha Bell
Tel: (0131 6)50 3602
Email: sam.bell@ed.ac.uk
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