Description

Students of politics ‘have not been , in general, sufficiently reflective about the nature and scope of their discipline.  They just do it rather than talk about it'’(G.Stoker).  Given that political scientist study people – individuals, groups, states, nations, cultures – rather than ‘things’, PO825 assumes that politics students ought to be reflective about their research.  The module aims to provide an opportunity for reflection by presenting some of the key theoretical and methodological debates in political science.  These debates deal with issues such as the nature of justification in social and political inquiry, the distinction between causal explanation and interpretative understanding, the role of ‘language’ in social inquiry, the historical and philosophical meaning of ‘science’, and the importance of ethical and normative questions in social and political science.

Learning Outcomes

Students who successfully complete this module will/able to:

Module Specification

Reading List

Indicative reading list:

Chalmers, A.F., What is This Thing Called Science?

Gordon, S., The History and Philosophy of Social Science.

Marsh, D. & Stoker, G. (eds), Theory and Methods in Political Science.

Hollis, M. & Smith, S., Explaining and Understanding International Relations.

Smith M., Social Science in Question.

Factsheet

Credits	20 [10 ECTS]
Term	Spring
Assessment	TBA