EX-605 Philosophy of Science in Health and Sport Sciences

The course provides an overview of periods of history of ideas that explain the background to the emergence of modern science relevant to the disciplines of the Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences. Relevant philosophical texts that form the basis for relevant scientific traditions (positivism, hermeneutics/phenomenology and critical theory will be reviewed).

1. General introduction to theories of science – philosophical foundations and historical overview.

• Theories and key thinkers in Philosophy of science as well as present debates, both in general and specific to health and sport sciences
• Philosophy of science and its position vis a vis its closely related fields, such as sociology of science, Science and Technology Studies (STS) and history of science.
  

1. Particular topics in the philosophy of science - paradigms, approaches, objectivity, and subjectivity in scientific knowledge

• Ontology vs epistemology
  Quantitative vs qualitative approaches
  Logics of inquiry: including inductive, deductive, and abductive logics
• Approaches: realist, constructivist, idealist, and their variants and as related to paradigms including empiricism, phenomenology, hermeneutics, semiotics, pragmatism, and rationalism
• Interpretation, trustworthiness, reliability, validity, and replicability of research

1. Research ethics

• History of ethics (key cases, key declarations including the Helsinki- and Vancouver declarations, and co-authorship)
• Key thinkers (including Weber), applied ethics in the medical field, industrial and other funding sources in research
• Scientific misconduct (plagiarism, fabrication, and falsification)

1. The link between theory, methods and the candidates own research illustrated by ongoing PhD projects