Research Methods and Analysis in Philosophical Studies 3800-RMA24-M
This advanced course in Research Methods and Analysis in Philosophy introduces students to scientific methods in philosophy studies. The course presents various perspectives on the philosophy of science and methods used in social sciences with application to specific problems, clarifies why philosophers should know about research, formulate a research topic, explore a wide variety of research practices, and show potential advantages and disadvantages of various methods. This course gives a unique lens to explore the issues and problems of scientific analytics. The course offers an opportunity to learn the principles of research design in philosophical writing. The teaching format is highly interactive, with preparing research projects based on a topic of interest as practical exercises in teams or individually, supported by lectures, teaching materials, and recommended textbooks. The emphasis of the course will be on the logic of research, essential tools of the argument, and the requirements regarding the research design.
Communications
Students should plan to communicate with the professor and with other classmates regularly throughout the course. For individual issues, students should contact the professor directly by e-mail. In the Subject line they should put: ResearchFirstNameLastName. E-mail messages will normally be answered within 48 hours. Email messages without the subject line will be interpreted as spam.
Week 1 Essentials of Research I
Introduction into the scientific research field. Reasons why philosophers should know about research and how to conduct a research.
The Value of Rationality.
Argument and its basic tools.
Week 2 Essentials of Research II
Formulating a research question and problem. Research goals. Scientific problem, fact and scientific abstraction. Think like a Scientist: Scientific method.
Critical Thinking. The strategy of question formulation. ChatGPT prompts. LLM.
Week 3 Types of Research and Reasoning
The research process. Concept and Construct. Deduction and Induction. Operational definition and dictionary definition. Concept and variable.
Hypothesis and Proposition. Ontology, epistemology and methodology questions in research. Theory and Model. Scientific Method and Scientific attitude.
Week 4 Research Proposal and Design
Types of research proposal. Structuring research proposal. Designing the study. Basic Concepts in Research Design: theory, hypothesis, data collection, findings, hypotheses confirmed or rejected, revision of theory.Valuing research information. Analysis and interpretation. Pilot testing. Evaluating research proposal.
Week 5 Ethics in scientific research
Research ethics, ethical treatment of participants. Ethical obligations of research community. Professional standards.
Basic Rules of Doing Research: ethics, validity, reliability, confidentiality, data and research ownership (plagiarism), limitations, ethics in the University, Ethical Codes
Week 6 Research approaches: Quantitative and qualitative research
Introduction to qualitative research. Comparing quantitative and qualitative research methods. Investigation of Complex Phenomena. Application of Mixed Methods. Ethical guidelines in qualitative research. Modelling.
Week 7 Philosophy of Science
Science, Research & Philosophy: Formal Sciences. Empirical Sciences. Applied Sciences. Positivism, interpretivism, realism, connectivism.
Analytical research approach. Concepts and definitions. Reasoning and Logic: Formal and Informal. Modern Learning Theories, Technologies and Practicies. STEM Education.
Week 8 Forms, Approaches and Steps of Research in Philosophy
Approaches to Research and Writing in Philosophy.
Structure of research.
Tools and Forms of Content.
Writing in Philosophy.
Week 9 Modern Publishing Styles and Reference Methods
APA, Chicago Manual of Style, MLA etc.
Literature review
Critically reviewing the literature. Aims and objectives of literature review. Evaluation of literature review. Process and organization: what is good review; how to get started / where to look. The use of appropriate referencing and bibliographic techniques. Process and organization: what is good review; how to get started / where to look. The use of appropriate referencing and bibliographic techniques. Preparing an effective presentation.
Week 10 Observational and action research
The uses of observation. Evaluation of observational method. Participatory research. The observer-participant relationship. Conducting and observational study. Designing and observational study.
Unstructured interviews. Action research.
Week 11 Methods of Research in Philosophy I
Philosophical theories, principles and approaches.
The Dialectical method
The Analytical method
Week 12 Methods of Research in Philosophy II
The Phenomenological Method
The Hermeneutic Method
The Linguistic Method
Features and Tools of Research in Philosophy:
Rigour and Coherence
Clarity and Conciseness
Week 13 Questionnaires and responses
Developing the instrument design strategy. Measurement research question hierarchy.
Constructing and refining measurement questions. Question content. Sources of existing questions.
Week 14 Writing and presenting research outcomes
Written research report. Basics of Research Paper Writing and Publishing.
Research report components. Writing the report. Presentation considerations. Oral presentation.
Week 15 Team or Individual Research Project Presentation (Final Exam)
Rodzaj przedmiotu
Koordynatorzy przedmiotu
Efekty kształcenia
After completion of the course the students should:
1. Understand the fundamental concepts of research methods and how to apply them in different fields of philosophy.
2. Identify goals, ethical considerations, instruments for problem solving and research process steps.
3. Be able to identify one’s own philosophical and practical position in scientific research, use the basics of critical thinking, theory of argumentation principles and acquire communication skills.
4. Have basic skills of conducting a research: select a research topic, conduct initial research to develop appropriate problem statements and hypotheses so that an appropriate research method can be selected; to write essays, draft report and present results.
5. Incorporate the knowledge of many fields and intellectual technologies through an interdisciplinary approach.
Kryteria oceniania
Attendance Policy
Attendance is critical; participation of all students in the classroom activities is essential to this learning format. Students should be aware that attendance does not guarantee a passing grade in the class. Students missing more than TWO classes in courses that meet once per week will receive a failing grade. The student may file a drop form within the appropriate time frame through the office of the Registrar to avoid a failing grade.
Grading Policy
The course is based on mastery of course outcomes. The student's grade for this course will be calculated based on performance.
Assignment Format
• All graded problem solutions must be submitted in a Word document with the student’s name and the assignment number in the header.
• All work should be shown.
• All problems should be clearly labelled.
Participation Points
The course is based on mastery of course outcomes. The student's grade for this course will be calculated based on performance.
Assignment Format
• All graded problem solutions must be submitted in a Word document with the student’s name and the assignment number in the header.
• All work should be shown.
• All problems should be clearly labelled.
Participation Points
A portion of the final grade for this course consists of participation points. These points are awarded to students at the end of every class session.
Note that participation points are not automatically awarded to students simply on the basis of their presence in class. When students attend a class session, they start with zero participation points. It is the student’s responsibility to earn participation points during the session by actively participating in class activities, discussions, and presentations. Evidence of active participation by a student is defined broadly as:
• Verbal participation in team and class discussions appropriate to the setting.
• Offering relevant comments and questions that are aligned with the topic at hand.
• Offering relevant current events such as current articles that are aligned with the topic at hand.
Students’ active participation will be assessed according to the following criteria
Clarity: Focus on a specific topic and context, give examples, avoid vague generalities or undefined terms, and help others to understand without any confusion.
Accuracy: Give correct information that others can verify; students should acknowledge the limits of their knowledge of the topic.
Precision: Specific details support all comments.
Relevance: Comments connect to the issues currently under discussion and help others to understand those connections.
Depth: Address the problem in all its complexity; consider the context of the problem, its root causes, and the other issues it brings up.
Breadth: Address the problem from many points of view; consider how others might understand the problem.
Logic: Consider how statements and assumptions work together and communicate them so that others can follow their reasoning.
Significance: Focus on the most important elements of a topic or elements that others have overlooked; avoid repeating common knowledge.
Ethics: Students should consider how their statements and actions affect others and judge their own contributions in terms of how they benefit the learning community.
Note: The professor may choose to define and apply alternative participation criteria at his or her discretion.
Literatura
Peter S. Fosl, Julian Baggini (2020) The Philosopher’s Toolkit. Compendium of Philosophical Concepts and Methods. Third Edition. Wiley Blackwell.
Lukáš Bielik (2019) Methodology of science_an introduction. Bratislava.
Lucie Laplanea, Paolo Mantovanic, Ralph Adolph, Hasok Change, Alberto Mantovani, Margaret McFall-Ngai, Carlo Rovelli, Elliott Sober, and Thomas Pradeua (2019) Why Science needs philosophy. PNAS, vol.116, No 10. www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1900357116
Martinich, A.P. (2005) Philosophical Writing. An Introduction. Blackwell Publishing.
Roman Frigg (2023) Models and Theories. Routledge.
Dr. Sue Greener. Business Research Methods. 2008 Dr. Sue Greener & Ventus Publishing ApS. Download free books at BookBooN.com
Sabina Leonelli (2023) Philosophy of Open Science. Elements in the Philosophy of Science. https://www.cambridge.org/core/elements/philosophy-of-open-science/0D049ECF635F3B676C03C6868873E406
Sandra Lapoint, Jan Wilenski, Mathieu Marion, Wioletta Miskiewicz (eds.) (2009) The Golden Age of Polish Philosophy. Springer.
Friedel Weinert. (2009) Einstein, Science and Philosophy. https://journals.openedition.org/philosophiascientiae/305
Jan Wolenski (2014) Epistemologia. Poznanie, prawda, wiedza, realizm. Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN.
Jan Wolenski (1989) Logic and Pilosophy in the Lvov-Warsaw School. Dordrecht.
Więcej informacji
Dodatkowe informacje (np. o kalendarzu rejestracji, prowadzących zajęcia, lokalizacji i terminach zajęć) mogą być dostępne w serwisie USOSweb: