Postgraduate Module Descriptor


SOCM002B: Philosophy of the Social Sciences

This module descriptor refers to the 2019/0 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
22278

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

CategoryHours of study timeDescription
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activity2211 x 2 hour seminars
Guided Independent Study10Time preparing for 750 word summary
Guided Independent Study68Time doing weekly readings
Guided Independent Study100Time preparing summative essay 1
Guided Independent Study100Time preparing summative essay 2

Online Resources

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