Duration
15h Th
Number of credits
| Master in journalism (120 ECTS) | 5 crédits |
Lecturer
Language(s) of instruction
French language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the second semester
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
a. Introduction: What is epistemology? The place of epistemology in philosophy. The different sciences¿ specific problems: norm and objectivity; the specificity of sciences; the issue of testing.
b. The notion of truth: history of the production of truth (M. Foucault)
c. Science philosophy: theoretical history (Inductivism, Falsificationism, Popper, Kuhn¿s paradigms). New theories: the sociology of science, constructivism.
d. How does science relate to culture?
Practical case: nature sciences: Darwinism and its reception; contemporary ethology and primatology. How does the social, political or ideological context influence the definitions of scientific subjects, examination and interview methods and information collection? (Is science really natural?)
e. Biology as a science of culture
Practical case: the role of metaphors, practices and representations in biology¿s recent history: ova; embryology and genetics; sexual hormones. How have political, social, ideological but also technical contexts influenced the evolution of the subjects of biomedical sciences; how do scientists build reality? Are scientific facts objectively established or collectively created?
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
Critically considering the epistemological foundations of sciences, esp. those on which biomedical knowledge relies.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
Mode of delivery (face-to-face ; distance-learning)
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Recommended or required readings
Lecture notes will be available in the beginning of the cycle.
Assessment methods and criteria
Exam: written
Work placement(s)
Organizational remarks
Contacts
Professor V. Despret
Département de Philosophie, office 2/32b
Place du XX Août
Phone: 04/366 55 98
Secretary: 04/366 55 99
Email: v.despret@ulg.ac.be
Adaptation of teaching commitments following the COVID-19 pandemic for the May-June 2020 session
Teaching methods implemented : distance-learning
Teaching in the classroom until the date of confinement. Reading of the syllabus for the last courses, with support of guidance by email.
Assessment subjects
See assesment méthods
Assessment methods
The examination will consist of a written assignment.
There will be two possibilities, from which the student will have to choose only one.
Starting from one (or more) theoretical point(s) of the course, explain how what you have learned about these theories has interested you, whether in relation to your professional life, your studies, or what the current crisis is forcing you to go through. You will briefly develop this point or points as you understood them (this should not take too long), and then explain how it helps you to think in work or study situations, or in relation to the crisis.
Another option: For those who would like to venture further, we suggest reading articles about the crisis we are going through. Students will search for articles but a few are available for download.
-an article analyzing the way (distributed by ecampus) in which Bruno Latour envisaged the science of microbes.
-an interview with the anthropologist Frédéric Keck on pandemics:
https://lundi.am/Des-chauve-souris-et-des-hommes-politiques-epidemiques-et-coronavirus?fbclid=IwAR3waVtcisopuVZ7ZMGJXIl3zFBwmNuIacG7Ul_a17ZHDDx_z_klLzqUE0Q
There are a lot of other very good articles that try to think about what we are going through. For example, this one:
-https://www.terrestres.org/2020/03/31/coronavirus-un-saut-de-lange-existentiel-et-politique/?fbclid=IwAR2mlgsJGQ96-NXNkyZLqXgJWR6KNUZ_ubqmyW9Az3et5pfh9UjzUDPHlz4
-Or this one: https://www.liberation.fr/debats/2020/02/19/le-virus-qui-ne-voulait-rien-dire_1778930?fbclid=IwAR09q7Hgop7axp_mPBVFaCG4VlbuA8mprad60RWbhjyUfUzSkE-My-TNzOc
In this case, students are expected to reflect on the question, "What does this crisis teach us? "And eventually, "what will it change? "This can be in your professions as caretakers (or other professions), in your life, in your studies, based on articles that you will find, and possibly on your own professional experience if you are in your profession concerned by the covid19. You will indicate in footnotes the references of the articles you have consulted.
The work should not exceed one page, type 12.
The work should be sent as an attachment, in word format, before 11 June to the address: v.despret@uliege.be, with the name clearly indicated on the sheet, as well as the question you have decided to deal with. I ask you to indicate in the subject line of the email you will send me: "epistemological work in the health sciences" so that I do not lose any email. It is imperative to respect this date.
Contacts
v.despret@uliege.be
Adaptation of teaching commitments following the COVID-19 pandemic for the Aug-Sept 2020 session
Assessment subjects
There will be two possibilities, from which the student will have to choose only one.
1. Starting from one (or more) theoretical point(s) of the course, explain how what you have learned about these theories has interested you, whether in relation to your professional life, your studies, or to what the current crisis is forcing you to go through. You will briefly develop this point or points as you understood them (it should not take too long), and then explain how it helps you to think in work or study situations, or in relation to the crisis.
2. Other option: For those who would like to venture further, we suggest reading articles on the crisis we are going through. Students will search for articles but a few are available, for example
an article analyzing the way (distributed by ecampus) in which Bruno Latour envisaged the science of microbes.
an interview with the anthropologist Frédéric Keck on pandemics:
https://lundi.am/Des-chauve-souris-et-des-hommes-politiques-epidemiques-et-coronavirus?fbclid=IwAR3waVtcisopuVZ7ZMGJXIl3zFBwmNuIacG7Ul_a17ZHDDx_z_klLzqUE0Q
There are a lot of other very good articles that try to think about what we are going through.
For example, this one: https://www.terrestres.org/2020/03/31/coronavirus-un-saut-de-lange-existentiel-et-politique/?fbclid=IwAR2mlgsJGQ96-NXNkyZLqXgJWR6KNUZ_ubqmyW9Az3et5pfh9UjzUDPHlz4
Or this one: https://www.liberation.fr/debats/2020/02/19/le-virus-qui-ne-voulait-rien-dire_1778930?fbclid=IwAR09q7Hgop7axp_mPBVFaCG4VlbuA8mprad60RWbhjyUfUzSkE-My-TNzOc
In this case, students are expected to reflect on the question, "What does this crisis teach us? "And possibly "what will it change? "This can be in your caring professions (or other professions), in your life, in your studies, based on articles that you will find, and possibly on your own professional experience if you are, in your profession, concerned. You will indicate in footnotes the references of the articles you have consulted.
The work should not exceed one page, type 12.
The work should be sent as an attachment, in word format, before Augistus 31st 20:00 PM to the address: v.despret@uliege.be, with the name clearly indicated on the sheet, as well as the question you have decided to deal with. I ask you to indicate in the subject line of the email you will send me: "epistemological work in the health sciences" so that I do not lose any email. It is imperative to respect this date.
Assessment methods
The work will be evaluated on the basis of the originality of the ideas and the coherence of the argumentation. Particular attention will be paid, in the case of Topic 2, to the fact that the students will have shown a willingness to inform their remarks through readings.
Contacts
v.despret@uliege.be
Items online
Online Notes
Notes are available on eCampus.