Science and Society
Course content
The course introduces the central issues, debates, and literature in the philosophy of science and research ethics. In the philosophy of science part of the course, the course presents contemporary philosophical theories of explanation, causal modeling, experiments, and evidence in the empirical sciences. In the research ethics part of the course, the course introduces basic normative ethical theories. The course places particular emphasis on issues arising within cognitive science and data science, such as fairness, privacy, explainable AI, and superintelligent AI. In addition, the course provides a basic introduction to good scientific practice and research ethics
Classes are taught in Danish and English.
The Bachelor's program in Cognitive Data Science
After completing the course, the student is expected to be able to:
Knowledge
- account for prominent positions within the philosophy of science related to explanation, causation, and evidence
- describe scientific processes in the behavioral sciences across the spectrum from basic research to applied research
- explain ethical theories and ethical issues connected to the conduct of human-subject research, privacy concerns associated with big data, and fairness challenges in machine-learning algorithms, including issues of intelligibility/explainability
Skills
- justify the choice of research design in relation to theories of causation and evidence
- analyze the strengths and weaknesses of different research designs and methods
- identify ethical and societal issues related to behavioral science and data science
Competences
- justify, evaluate, and discuss the fundamental philosophical assumptions underlying the choice of research design, methods of analysis, model selection, and theory
- assess different risk scenarios and evaluate good scientific practice.
Teaching consists of lectures and seminars
750 standard pages of required reading
Registration is automatic
- ECTS
- 7,5 ECTS
- Type of assessment
-
On-site written exam, 4 hours under invigilation
- Type of assessment details
- Form of examination: Written, on‑site examination, conditional
upon active participation in the course.
Group‑exam rule: Individual.
Scope: The on‑site examination lasts 4 hours. - Examination prerequisites
-
Active participation consists of completing at least 4 approved exercises/assignments out of 5, each with a length of 2–3 standard pages. Exercises/assignments must be completed individually or in groups according to the instructor’s specific guidelines. If an exercise/assignment is not approved, the student(s) have 1 week from the return date to submit an improved version. Only one revision attempt is permitted. Active participation is approved by the instructor.
- Aid
- No aids allowed
- Marking scale
- 7-point grading scale
- Censorship form
- No external censorship
- Exam period
-
January
- Re-exam
-
re-exam is the same as the regular exam
Criteria for exam assessment
See Learning Outcome
- Category
- Hours
- Lectures
- 28
- Preparation
- 160
- Seminar
- 14
- Exam
- 4
- English
- 206
Kursusinformation
- Language
- English
- Course number
- HFIB02001U
- ECTS
- 7,5 ECTS
- Programme level
- Bachelor
- Duration
-
1 block
- Placement
- Block 1
- Schedulegroup
-
.
- Studyboard
- Study Board of Communication
Contracting department
- Department of Communication
Contracting faculty
- Faculty of Humanities
Course Coordinator
- Thor Grünbaum (3-8376814f77847c3d7a843d737a)
Teacher
Thor Grünbaum, Frederik Andersen
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Courseinformation of students