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
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Application Deadlines

  •  08 Jan 2024

    Spring Quarter applications due

  •  01 Apr 2024

    Summer Quarter applications due

  •  08 Jul 2024

    Fall Quarter applications due

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Academic Calendar

  •  08 Dec 2023

    Last day of classes

  •  12 Dec 2023 – 14 Dec 2023

    Fall Quarter final examinations

  •  15 Dec 2023

    Fall Quarter graduation

See NPS Academic Calendar for more dates.