MALK4000-401 Complexity, Science and Society Course description

Admission to the study program

On successful completion of the course, the student has the following learning outcomes

classified as knowledge and skills:

Knowledge

The student

¿ can describe and discuss societal influences that support a complexity perspective

¿ can describe and discuss complexity as a scientific approach

¿ can describe and discuss dualism as a philosophical perspective, and the effect of dualism in an applied setting

¿ can describe reductionism; emergence; critical mass; consilience; the unity of science, and other concepts from complexity science

¿ can give examples of analyses of the same phenomenon at different levels of reduction

¿ can describe and discuss differences in antagonistic and complementary professional approaches to the same phenomenon

¿ can describe and discuss the principle of selection at different levels of complexity

Skills

The student

¿ can analyze networks as the structure of complex adaptive systems

¿ can identify nodes and hubs, assessing the robustness and vulnerability of Networks

¿ can identify category mistakes and discuss mentalism and evolutionary approaches

¿ can cite sources and arrange a reference list according to the current standard from APA

¿ can use EndNote for citations and references in written assignments

The course will include lectures, discussions, individual reports and seminars.

Students submit 4 written assignments, each with maximum 3 pages including references,

according to the deadlines in the course schedule.

Exam content: Learning outcomes

Form of examination: Individual written examination with invigilation, 4 hours

Examiners: One internal and one external examiner

Grading scale: A grading scale of A (highest) to F (lowest) where A to E is a pass grade and

F is a fail grade.

Examination support materials

None

Syllabus

Axelrod, R. M. & Cohen, M. D. (1999). Harnessing complexity: Organizational implications of a scientific frontier . New York: Free Press. [Also available as eBook: https://login.ezproxy.hioa.no/login?url=http://www.hioa.eblib.com/EBLWeb/patron?target=patron&extendedid=P_903703_0]

Bar-Yam, Y. (1997). Dynamics of complex systems . Boulder, CO: Westview Press.[*] [kap. 0] [Also available as eBook: http://necsi.org/publications/dcs/index.html

Bohr, N. (1954). The philosophical writings of Niels Bohr: Vol. 2. Essays 1932-1957 on atomic physics and human knowledge . Woodbridge, Conn.: Ox Bow Press. [*] [Unity of knowledge, s. 67-82]

Borgatti, S. P., Mehra, A., Brass, D. J., & Labianca, G. (2009). Network analysis in the social sciences.Science, 323 (5916), 892-895. doi:10.1126/science.1165821[*] [Go to full text: http://science.sciencemag.org.ezproxy.hioa.no/content/323/5916/892.full.pdf]

Gjøtterud, K. (1989). Kan New Age trekke veksler på et paradigmeskifte i moderne fysikk? (Report Series nr. 89-23). Oslo: Fysisk institutt, Universitetet i Oslo. [*]

Mayr, E. (1997). This is biology: The science of the living world . Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. [*] [Utdrag]

Sandaker, I. (2006). How should behavior analysis interact effectively with the social sciences? Behavior and social issues, 15 (1), 81-91. doi:10.5210/bsi.v15i1.346[Go to full text: http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.hioa.no/docview/229305016?rfr_id=info%3Axri%2Fsid%3Aprimo

Sandaker, I. (2010). Et seleksjonsperspektiv på atferdsendring og læring i systemer. I S. Eikeseth, & F. Svartdal (Red.), Anvendt atferdsanalyse: Teori og praksis (2. utg., s. 470-485). Oslo: Gyldendal akademisk.[*]

Schneider, S. M. (2012). The Science of consequences: How they affect genes, change the brain, and impact our world . Amherst, N.Y: Prometheus Books. [Also available as eBook: https://login.ezproxy.hioa.no/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=731614&site=ehost-live

Snow, C. P. (1959). The two cultures and the scientific revolution . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.[Also available as eBook: https://login.ezproxy.hioa.no/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=928032&site=ehost-live

Wilson, E. O. (1998). Consilience: The unity of knowledge . New York: Knopf. [Also available as eBook: https://login.ezproxy.hioa.no/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=883082&site=ehost-live[Kap. 1-5]

(Literature list last updated: 2017-06-30 in the APA 6th style, lmb/Library Kjeller)