| Week 1 | Topic |
Reading |
Assignment |
| T 01/18 | Introduction to the class | None | |
| Th 01/20 | A first pass at understanding the philosophy of science | Klemke, “What is Philosophy
of Science?” [CCP #02] |
|
| Week 2 | |||
| T 01/25 | Discussion of famous episodes in Science | Kekulé, “Origin of benzene
& structural theory” [IPoS: 32-35] |
|
| Th 01/27 | More famous episodes in Science | Gould & Lewontin, “The Spandrels of San Marco” [CCP #03] | Q |
| Week 3 | |||
| T 02/01 | Falsificationism | Popper, “Science: Conjectures
& refutations” [IPoS: 149-158] Lakatos, “Falsification & ...scientific research programs” [IPoS:167-172] |
|
| Th 02/03 | Science News Project | None | |
| Week 4 | Logical
Positivism |
||
| T 02/08 | Introduction to Logical Positivism | Bechtel, “Logical Positivism…”
[CCP #04] |
Short paper due |
| Th 02/10 | Hempel’s Phil. of Science |
[PNS Ch. 1, 2 & 3] | |
| Week 5 | |||
| T 02/15 | Theories & the nature of laws | [PNS Ch. 4 & 5] | Q |
| Th 02/17 | Scientific explanation: theoretical entities & the D-N Model of Explanation | [PNS Ch. 6] Hempel & Oppenheim, "The Logic of Explanation" [IPoS: 75-95] |
|
| Week 6 | Kuhn’s Structure of Scientific Revolutions | ||
| T 02/22 | Introducing Kuhn | [SSR pp. 1-42, chapters I-IV] | |
| Th 02/24 | More Kuhn |
[SSR pp. 43-110, chs. V-IX] | Q |
| Week 7 | |||
| T 03/01 | Thomas Kuhn’s Revolution |
[SSR pp.111-159, chs. X-XII] | |
| Th 03/03 | (continued) | [SSR pp. 160-210, the rest of it!] | |
| Week 8 | Aftermath of Kuhn | ||
| T 03/08 | Feyerabend's logical extension of Kuhn | Feyerabend, “Against Method” [IPoS:
186-189] Feyerabend, "How to Defend Society Against Science" [CCP #06] |
|
| Th 03/10 | None | Midterm due | |
| Week 9 | |||
| T 03/15 | No Class |
||
| Th 03/17 | Spring Break! |
||
| Week 10 | |||
| T 03/22 | Feminist critiques of science | Strum, “Starting out” [IPoS: 43-52] Jaggar, “The myth of dispassionate investigation” [IPoS:350-362] |
Q |
| Th 03/24 | Feminist critiques (cont.) | Ginzberg, “Uncovering gynocentric science”
[IPoS: 362-375] Longino, “Can there be a feminist science?” [IPoS: 375-381] |
|
| Week 11 | Realism/Antirealism Debate | ||
| T 03/29 | Realism defended |
Introduction [IPoS: 202-205] Maxwell, "The Ontological Status of Theoretical Entities" [CCP #07] |
|
| Th 03/31 | (continued) |
Hacking, “What is scientific realism?”
[IPoS: 208-216] Hacking, “Experimentation…” [CCP #08] |
|
| Week 12 | |||
| T 04/05 | van Fraassen's antirealism | Van Fraassen,“Args…”[IPoS:216-223] Van Fraassen, "The theory/observation 'dichotomy'" [CCP #09] Churchland, "Anti-realist epist. of van Fraassen's Scientific Image" [CCP#10]] |
|
| Th 04/07 | Realism vs. Antirealism: Fine's “Natural Ontological Attituded” |
Fine, “Natural Ontological Att.” [IPoS:
223-226] Bunzl, “Scientific abstraction & the realist impulse” [IPoS: 227-233] |
|
| Week 13 | Case-study: A Science of Dreams? | ||
| T 04/12 | Term paper discussion day | NONE | Term paper prospectus due |
| Th 04/14 | A Case-study: A Science of Dreaming? |
Introduction [IPoS: 288-289] Freud, “The Wolf Man” [IPoS: 289-303] |
Q |
| Week 14 | |||
| T 04/19 | Is Freud's theory science? |
Grünbaum, "Liabilities…" [IPoS:
311-321] Erwin,“Psychoanalysis…”[IPoS: 320-322] Flax,“Psychoanalysis…” [IPoS:322-329] |
|
| Th 04/21 | The brain-science of dreams |
Hobson&McCarley,“Brain...”[IPoS: 329-340] | Q |
| Week 15 | |||
| T 04/26 | Behaviorism & dreams |
Malcolm,“Temporal location & duration of dreams”[IPoS: 341-348] | |
| Th 04/28 | Deconstructing Dreams | Flanagan,"Deconstructing Dreams:The Spandrels of Sleep"[CCP #19] | |
| Week 16 | |||
| T 05/03 | TBA | ||
| Th 05/05 | Conclusion | None | |