Study-Unit Description

Study-Unit Description


CODE PHY3207

 
TITLE Short Science Communication Paper and Philosophy of Science

 
UM LEVEL 03 - Years 2, 3, 4 in Modular Undergraduate Course

 
MQF LEVEL 6

 
ECTS CREDITS 6

 
DEPARTMENT Physics

 
DESCRIPTION The candidate will work on a literature review assigned by the department (or proposed by the student, subject to approval by the department) during the summer preceding the final year and will be supervised by one or more members of the academic staff. The candidate will be required to prepare and deliver a presentation and then to submit a written science communication paper on the work done.

Philosophy of Science section:
Introduces the student to some of the main topics and ideas of the subject. The lectures will commence with a brief overview of the history of scientific enquiry and will proceed with a discussion of topics and ideas in philosophy of science in a historical context. These include:
Key figures in and examples from the history of science (e.g. Aristotle, Descartes, etc.); Epistemology; Empiricism; Karl Popper & Falsification; The Demarcation Problem; Logical Positivism, Thomas Kuhn: Scientific Revolutions & Scientific Paradigms; Imre Lakatos and Auxiliary Hypotheses; Induction and Deduction; Undetermination in Science and Empirically Equivalent Theories; Constructive Empiricism.

Study-unit Aims:

The study-unit will:
- train the candidate to carry out a relevant literature review pertinent to the assigned science communication topic;
- train the candidate on the effective use of appropriate reference sources;
- provide training and considerable experience in improving presentation skills;
- train the student to prepare an effective script for delivery with appropriate media;
- extend the knowledge of the candidate on the assigned topic;
- encourage the candidate to work independently.

Philosophy of Science section:
This study-unit will provide the student with an understanding of some of the main ideas relating to the question of what constitutes scientific enquiry and the associated ongoing debate. It will provide a historical context and establish a timeline for some of the main ideas in the development of the scientific method and illustrate ideas via examples specifically derived from physics.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Knowledge & Understanding
By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

- describe the importance of critical reviews in science;
- assimilate and understand the background science pertinent to the assigned topic.

Philosophy of Science section:
Describe the main ideas relating to the philosophy of science (as described in the study-unit description) and cogently argue about principal topics concerning the philosophy of science while being able to critically assess the various competing arguments.

2. Skills
By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

- carry out a basic literature review pertinent to the subject chosen;
- identify appropriate reference sources;
- use the available search facilities to find and retrieve documents on a specific subject;
- provide a written summary of a literature review, making use of standard referencing techniques;
- skill in presenting the chosen topic to a varied audience using an appropriate media;
- script writing in support of the delivery.

Main Text/s and any supplementary readings:

Philosophy of Science section:
- Popper K. R. 1968. The Logic of Scientific Discovery. 6th ed. London: Hutchinson.
- Kuhn, Thomas S. 2015. The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. 4. ed., 6. reprint. Chicago, Ill.: The University of Chicago Press.
- Godfrey-Smith, Peter. 2021. Theory and Reality : An Introduction to the Philosophy of Science. Second edition. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
- Curd Martin J. A. Cover and Christopher Pincock eds. 2013. Philosophy of Science: The Central Issues. Second edition International student edition. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.

 
STUDY-UNIT TYPE Lecture and Seminar

 
METHOD OF ASSESSMENT
Assessment Component/s Assessment Due Sept. Asst Session Weighting
Presentation (20 Minutes) SEM2 No 30%
Review Paper SEM2 No 30%
Progress Test (1 Hour and 30 Minutes) SEM2 No 40%

 
LECTURER/S Joseph Caruana
Lourdes Farrugia
Anthony Galea

 

 
The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints.
Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice.
It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years.

https://www.um.edu.mt/course/studyunit