Knowledge in Debate

Course goals

After completion of this course, the student will:
•    be familiar with some important foundational debates in philosophy, politics, economics and history
•    be aware of methodological questions and disagreements across the different disciplines
•    have honed their debating skills during the weekly discussion sections and debating exercises
•    have evaluated or carried out interdisciplinary research, by combining insights from philosophy, politics, economics and history
•    be able to reach a nuanced judgment on several of the thematic debates, and be able to justify their opinion by weighing considerations pro and con
•    understand the real-world repercussions of several of the theoretical debates in PPE + history
•    have practiced receiving, and reflecting on, feedback from others on their course work

 

Content

By studying a number of foundational debates in PPE + history, students will be introduced to questions about the construction, dissemination, and uptake of scientific knowledge. The focus will be on interdisciplinary debates that exist at the interface of science and society. Topics include: economic methodology, the relation between research and policy, academic freedom, and more. A common thread is the issue of disputed knowledge and methodological disagreement.
 
The course is theoretical as well as practical: lectures cover the theoretical background, while in the two weekly seminars students consider concrete cases and discuss real-world applications. In addition to becoming well-versed in fundamental topics in PPE and history, students will engage in debate themselves during the tutorials.

Additional information

Please note: the time slot shown here is not yet final and may still be modified until the 3rd Wednesday in September.