Philosophy of Science in Health and Sport Sciences

On successful completion of the course, the candidate has:

Advanced knowledge about:

• Perspectives and questions in the theory and philosophy of science of relevant research areas
• Theories of science and influence of the selection of research methods within the relevant research area
• History of research ethics, different ethical approaches, and scientific misconduct

Skills:

• Makes well-informed and consistent judgements in the design and implementation of research projects and can consider pros and cons of alternative possibilities
• Discusses in a critical and systematic way their own PhD projects from the perspective of the theory and ethics
• Discusses theoretical and technical knowledge in such a way that professional practice is designed as an ethical (societal) activity

General competence:

• Can participate in debates on theoretical, ethical, and methodological issues
• Can distinguish scientific knowledge from other kinds of knowledge and beliefs
• Can participate in the scientific debate in their field and can contribute to the further development of knowledge-based practice

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.  
  

2. 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
  

 3. 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) 

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