Course leader: Tom Børsen, E-mail: borsen@nbi.dk
Dates: The week November 3.-7., 2008, every day from 9:15 to 16:00.
Location: Niels Bohr Institute, Blegdamsvej 17, DK-2100 Copenhagen Ø (room numbers will be announced).
The course is arranged by the Center for the Philosophy of Nature and Science Studies (CPNSS) at the University of Copenhagen. www.nbi.dk/~natphil/
Language: English.
Contents: The course presents actual theoretical discussions within ethics of science and science studies including philosophy, history and sociology of science, and has a special attention on technoscience, the norms and values involved in research training, and including a focus on selected themes from the participants’ Ph.D. projects. The course this year will focus on these five interrelated themes: (1) Old and new theories of science as an institutional system of knowledge production; (2) Norms, good practice and scientific dishonesty; (3) Science policy and changing universities; (4) The responsibility of scientists in research, development, public debate and advise.
The course aims at updating the participants’ understanding of concepts, theories, and perspectives from philosophy (including ethics), history and social studies of science, on a more advanced level than basic introductions given in bachelor programs (like the Danish course “Fagets Videnskabsteori”, i.e., basic philosophy of science). However, we acknowledge the fact that not all Ph.D.-students in science have yet taken such courses and thus, we put an emphasis on applied theory of science, taking departure from specific problems emerging in concrete instances of research.
Program and form: Information about the detailed program will appear after the sign-up deadline. The course consists of lectures, discussions, and participant workshops.
Course material: A compendium with texts (app. 220 pp. [A4, many of which are double text book pages) will be distributed before the course. This will be supplied by a textbook (in Danish or English) in science studies /philosophy of science, according to the individual participant’s speciality and language.
Preparation: Participants are expected to have read the compendium and to complete minor assignments before, during or after the course. Participants should reserve a full week course programme plus about 10 days work for preparation before the course and eventually, completing the paper assignment work after the course.
Teachers: Tom Børsen, Anders Frøslev Jensen and Claus Emmeche (CNV).
Specially invited lecturers 2008:
- Mathematics professor Vagn Lundsgaard Hansen (DTU), member of The Danish Committees on Scientific Dishonesty (in Danish: Udvalgene vedrørende Videnskabelig Uredelighed);
- Political scientist, Dr.scient.pol. Karen Siune, director of The Danish Centre for Studies in Research and Research Policy (Dansk Center for Forskningsanalyse), Aarhus University;
- Philosophy professor Peter Kemp (Department of Philosophy of Education, The Danish School of Education, Århus University).
Signing-up: Deadline October 15, 2008. You can mail Tom Børsen for a preliminary enrolment note to be sure to be included within the max 30 limit.
Credit / Merit:
• 2.5 ECTS credit for simple participation i.e., preparatory work plus active course participation (lectures, presentations, discussion sessions, in 5 days from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.);
The participants can apply for an expansion of the participatory mode, and hence receive additional ECTS points:
• 5 ECTS credit for participation as above, plus with an oral presentation based on a synopsis (an abstract);
• 7.5 ECTS for participation with an oral presentation, plus a paper assignment delivered in December (in Danish or English; detailed instructions will be specified) that will be evaluated by the course teachers.
Opslag
