Introduction to the Philosophy of Science

Course #IS4700

Est.imated Completion Time: 3 months

POC: NPS Online Support

Overview

This course is designed to help prepare the prospective Ph.D. in Information Sciences (IS) candidate to engage in original research. The focus will be on understanding the underpinnings of doing science by studying the work of modern philosophers of science. The course will review the epistemologies (economic, behavioral, physics-based, and general systems based) serving as a scaffolding for the development of original theory development in the field of IS. The characteristic features of the received view, hypothetical-deductive formalism will be reviewed along with the modern challenges to this framework. The distinction between the instrumental-realist positions will be examined in light of its implications for theory development in IS. Students should understand the requirements for theory generation in terms of the underlying assumptions of given epistemic perspectives as a result of taking this course. Prerequisites: None.

Included in degrees & certificates

  • 473
Offerings database access
Asset Publisher

Academic Calendar

  •  09 Jun 2023

    Spring quarter last day of classes

  •  13 Jun 2023

    Spring quarter final examinations begin

  •  15 Jun 2023

    Spring quarter final examinations end