SIW4301 Philosophy of Social Science Course description

This course is designed to inform and enrich the material learned in the research methods courses. It combines a descriptive and a normative approach to reflection on social science. In addition, the course contains a master thesis preparation seminar leading to a master thesis design proposal which supports the master thesis work process. The thesis preparation seminar runs in collaboration with the two courses on methods (SIW4210 and SIW4220).

Among topics covered in philosophy of science are the role of values in research, objectivity, realism, social constructivism, social ontology, feminist philosophy of science, evidence-based policy, models, and causality. The master thesis preparation seminar covers research design.

Fagfordypningen i kroppsøving og idrettsfag har fokus på den betydning kropp og fysisk aktivitet har i læring. Det legges til grunn en vid forståelse av kroppsøving og idrettsfag hvor aktiviteter og emner som er relevante i den 13-årige grunnutdanningen inkluderes. Perspektivene i emnet er human- og samfunnsvitenskapelige. Studentene skal bli i stand til å bruke forskningsbasert teori i analyse og utvikling av kroppsøvings- og idrettsfaglig praksis, samt gjøre rede for sentrale teoretiske perspektiv som omhandler kropp, fysisk aktivitet og læring. Gjennom fordypningen skal studentene bli i stand til å kunne reflektere kritisk over hvilken rolle fysisk aktivitet og kropp har i et samfunn preget av mangfold.

A student who has completed his or her qualification has the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

The student has

• thorough knowledge of main social science philosophy topics relevant to social welfare and health policy studies
• knowledge of theories and concepts enabling systematic reflection on social science
• knowledge of basic research design theory

Skills

The student can

• analyze, discuss and evaluate social science from the viewpoint of philosophy of science
• transform a research question into a design for answering the question

General Competence

The student has

• thorough understanding of the relation between actual research and theories about research
• a well developed understanding of the foundations of research results and design

The teaching consists of lectures, seminars and tutorials related to the coursework requirements. Students are expected to play an active role.

Students must submit four essays on the philosophy of social science (500 words), a tentative and a full templated master thesis design proposal. Students are required to present and discuss the design proposal in the master thesis preparation seminar.

The four essays, the tentative and full master thesis design proposal and the presentation of the master thesis design proposal are separately awarded a Pass or Fail. A Pass in all of them qualifies for sitting the school exam.

Students whose coursework requirement is not approved at first attempt may resubmit the work requirement once. Papers that are not approved after two submissions will disqualify students from sitting the final school examination.

Undervisningen på emnet vil i hovedsak være i form av forelesninger, seminarer og veiledning. Emnet krever stor grad av selvstendig arbeid med å sette seg inn i pensum.

Veiledet praksisopplæring/praksisstudier

Studenter som er tatt opp på grunnlag av fullført tre år av grunnskolelærerutdanning trinn 1-7 eller 5-10, mangler et antall dager praksisopplæring for å få en godkjent fireårig grunnskolelærerutdanning. Disse studentene får tilbud om ti dager praksisopplæring knyttet til fagfordypningen i første år av masterstudiet. Studenter som ønsker dette, må melde fra til Seksjon for praksisadministrasjon i fakultetets administrasjon ved opptak. Praksisopplæringen gjennomføres normalt sammen med fjerdeårsstudentene på grunnskolelærerutdanningene. Se praksisplan for grunnskolelærerutdanning trinn 1-7/5-10.

Students may use a spelling dictionary, as well as a bilingual dictionary during the written school exam.

This course focus on quantitative research tools, data collection and analysis. We give particular attention to methodological reflection, comparative analysis, and the links between research questions and research design. The course thus connects with the thesis preparation seminar, the master's thesis design proposal and the master's thesis work process.

A student who has completed the course has the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge and skills:

Knowledge

The student has

• thorough knowledge of the research process
• advanced knowledge of quantitative research designs: their appropriate use as well as strengths and limitations
• thorough knowledge of important concepts such as measurement, reliability, validity, and generalization.

Skills

The student can

• relate research processes to scientific theory and ethical principles
• apply research methods in a reflective manner and appropriately choose methods that are relevant for different kinds of research questions
• use relevant methods for producing, analysing and interpreting diverse types of empirical data (e.g. surveys or register data)
• use univariate, bivariate and multivariate analysis techniques, inferential statistics and SPSS
• evaluate research based on quantitative methods in terms of methodological quality and appropriateness

Det benyttes intern og ekstern sensor både til essay og muntlig eksamen. Begge deler må være bestått for at studenten skal få bestått karakter i emnet. Det legges vekt på evne til å kunne trekke linjer, få frem perspektiver og kontraster og å se sammenhenger. Ved vurderingen gis det separate karakterer for skriftlig og muntlig, som så slås sammen til én karakter som føres på vitnemålet.