Postgraduate Module Descriptor


SOCM002A: Philosophy of the Social Sciences 1

This module descriptor refers to the 2017/8 academic year.

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:

What is philosophy of social science?

Social and institutional ontology: the nature and conditions of the social and cultural world

Holism and individualism: the nature of collective action and collective responsibility

Structure and agency: social determinism and individual agency

Realism and social constructionism: the debate over reality and social construction (race, class, gender, sexuality, scientific knowledge)

The Idea of a social science: the Wittgensteinian critique and its critics

Social science, ethics and the fact-value distinction

Learning and Teaching

This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:

Scheduled Learning and Teaching ActivitiesGuided independent studyPlacement / study abroad
221280

...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:

CategoryHours of study timeDescription
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activites2211 x 2 hour seminars
Guided Independent Study10Time preparing for 750 word summary
Guided Independent Study68Time doing weekly readings
Guided Independent Study40Time preparing summative essay(s)
Guided Independent Study10Independent study

Online Resources

This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).

How this Module is Assessed

In the tables below, you will see reference to 'ILO's. An ILO is an Intended Learning Outcome - see Aims and Learning Outcomes for details of the ILOs for this module.

Formative Assessment

A formative assessment is designed to give you feedback on your understanding of the module content but it will not count towards your mark for the module.

Form of assessmentSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Literature summary and critical response750 words1-10Written

Summative Assessment

A summative assessment counts towards your mark for the module. The table below tells you what percentage of your mark will come from which type of assessment.

CourseworkWritten examsPractical exams
10000

...and this table provides further details on the summative assessments for this module.

Form of assessment% of creditSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
EITHER Essay1004,000 words1-10Written feedback
OR 2 EssaysEach of 2,000 words1-10Written feedback

Re-assessment

Re-assessment takes place when the summative assessment has not been completed by the original deadline, and the student has been allowed to refer or defer it to a later date (this only happens following certain criteria and is always subject to exam board approval). For obvious reasons, re-assessments cannot be the same as the original assessment and so these alternatives are set. In cases where the form of assessment is the same, the content will nevertheless be different.

Original form of assessmentForm of re-assessmentILOs re-assessedTimescale for re-assessment
EITHER 1 EssayEITHER Essay (4,000 words)1-10August/September re-assessment period
OR 2 EssaysOR 2 Essays (2,000 words each)1-10August/September re-assessment period