Undergraduate Module Descriptor

PHL2026: Philosophy of Science

This module descriptor refers to the 2016/7 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:

Induction—Justification

Induction—Description

Popper and falsificationism

Kuhn—Paradigms and progress

Kuhn—Incommensurability

Discussion: Kuhn’s legacy and essay topics

Realism and anti-realism

The no-miracles argument

The Pessimistic meta-induction

Theories, models and experiments

The Sociology of Scientific Knowledge

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 activity22Weekly two-hour seminars
Guided Independent study44Readings for seminars
Guided Independent study2Preparing for presentations
Guided Independent study42Researching each essay (identifying the literature, organising sources) (21 hours per essay)
Guided Independent study40Writing each essay (20 hours per essay)

Online Resources

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