DavidsAccordion
 

 

This course will draw on cross-disciplinary literature from social science, law and philosophy. The course will be in three parts. First we will look at a literature in the area of epistemology to try to understand what counts as knowledge and what issues arise in our attempt to define that question. Second we will consider what epistemological questions are raised by various research methods? Looking at several different social science disciplines we will consider what is "objectivity" in research? Does research uncover the truth about social reality? How does the identity of the researcher shape what she finds? What is hidden or revealed by the relationships of power that define research contexts? We'll look at the genealogy of debates about relativism in the philosophy of history, sociology, economics and political science to see what epistemological assumptions underlie various methods? What are the moral and political pitfalls of empirical investigation of cultural diversity, and how does relativism engage these pitfalls? Finally, we will consider how this applies to our understanding of what law is and where we can find it. Indeed, we will need to consider whether law is itself a social science or compatible with social scientific research.

This course is motivated by a large question: What philosophical issues are important for practitioners of social science and in particular, social scientists attempting to understand the law? Sociologists, anthropologists, historians, economists, - undertake "research" in many guises. These processes of knowledge construction are informed and challenged by various epistemological frameworks and assumptions perhaps most explored by those working in philosophy. This course will thus initiate a conversation between philosophers thinking about epistemology and social science practitioners thinking about research.

Since it is not possible to participate without being in class, attendence will be mandatory. You are encouraged to leave time to read the material more than once. Although all the material is ostensibly written in English, most of it is more akin to mathmatics writeen in prose. There are a lot of techinical terms which it will take some time to master. I have provided some links at the bottom of the page to various resources that should help you navigate this strange new way of thinking. Although difficult, it will pay off many dividends for as long as you continue to think about the meaning of things in the world (which is to say, forever).*

 

 

Assignments And Evaluation

 

    Assigned Due Returned
Class participation 20%
passim
Test 25% February 29 March 3  
Analytical paper 30% March 21 April 9  
Final 25%
Monday, May 6, 2024 5:30PM-8:00PM
  Note: The above dates are tentative. They will be finalized by the end of the 3rd week of classes.


Grading standards are in part subjective and excellence in one area may compensate for deficiencies in another. No curve will be used to calculate the grades in this class. Hence, it is theoretically possible for every student to receive an A if he or she meets the standards for that grade. My primary goals are for each student to develop the critical thinking skills and to understand the ideas covered in this course by the time it is completed. If later exams and papers illustrate this proficiency, earlier grades which do not will be discounted. The following will give you a general guide to the typical performance associated with each letter grade.

While displaying an understanding of the course materials is very important, the quality of your writing is a central part of my evaluation of your work. At a minimum, you must make sure that the grammar and syntax of your essays are correct. Papers that are disorganized or poorly written will be graded downwards. Do not hand in the first draft of your work. Apart from the presentation of your work, the following criteria will be used:

A: all course requirements met, work shows full understanding of course material and an original perspective on the subject

B: all course requirements met, work shows full understanding of course material (or satisfactory understanding of course material and an original perspective on the subject)

C: all course requirements met, work shows satisfactory understanding of course material

D: work fails to meet minimum course requirements, either in full and timely completion of requirements or in satisfactory understanding of course material

F: work falls far below minimum course requirements either in full and timely completion of requirements or in satisfactory understanding of course material.

 

 

Skills

The majority of this course consists in abstract reasoning. Even when we apply these ideas to practical situations you will be challenged to consider them in the context of different theories of interpretion, different definitions of law and different principles of morality. It is not assumed that you have had any prior training in philosophical reasoning. However, it is assumed that you are comfortable thinking analytically and conceptually. The latter is particularly important. philosophy concerns itself with the meaning of things. In many respects it is a matter of establishing definitions. You will not find the answer to these definitions in any dictionary or encyclopedia. In this course you will learn to parse ideas, look for internal contradictions in definitions, make analogies between different concepts and apply them all to existing problems in law and society. By the end of the course you should

  1. understand different modes of inquiry in the study of social phenomena including
    1. Empiricism
    2. Interpretation of Social Meaning
    3. Critical Theory
    4. post Modernism
  2. be able to apply these ideas to different areas of social inquiry such as history, law, and political science.

participation

It is not possible to participate without being in class, attendence will be mandatory. You are encouraged to leave time to read the material more than once. Although all the material is ostensibly written in English, most of it is more akin to mathmatics writeen in prose. There are a lot of techinical terms that will take some time to master. I have provided some links at the bottom of the page to various resources that should help you navigate this strange new way of thinking. Although difficult, it will pay off many dividends for as long as you continue to think about the meaning of things in the world (which is to say, forever)..

 


Class Culture

 

Freedom of expression is at the root of academic discourse and the advancement of knowledge. This course will deal with a wide range of topics, some of which may challenge a student’s deeply held beliefs and perhaps even cause offense. While no topic will be censored simply because it has this effect, students are expected to treat the differing views of others with respect. While tolerance toward the opinions of others does not preclude expressions of disagreement, which are, indeed, encouraged, it does require that these expressions be based on the content of the ideas expressed and not on personal traits or values of the speaker. All class participants will be expected to tolerate the expression of opposing views and to engage in reasoned discourse about them. I will endeavour to insure that the classroom is free of any conduct that has the purpose or effect of creating an intimidating or hostile environment. Furthermore, I will attempt to give each student an opportunity to express his or her own opinion and to treat student opinions with respect. Any student who believes that he or she has not been given adequate opportunity to contribute to class discussions is encouraged to bring this to my attention.

Extremely Important: If you experience difficulty in this course for any reason, please don’t hesitate to consult with me. In addition to the resources of the department, a wide range of services is available to support you in your efforts to meet the course requirements.

Academic Support Centre (x3360, MGC 243) offers study skills workshops, individual instruction, tutor referrals, and services for students with learning disabilities. Writing support is available in the ASC Writing Lab or in the Writing Centre, Battelle 228.

Counselling Centre (x3500, MGC 214) offers counselling and consultations regarding personal concerns, self-help information, and connections to off-campus mental health resources.

Disability Support Services (x3315, MGC 206) offers technical and practical support and assistance with accommodations for students with physical, medical, or psychological disabilities. If you qualify for accommodations because of a disability, please notify me in a timely manner with a letter from the Academic Support Centre or Disability Support Services so that we can make arrangements to address your needs.

 

Academic Integrity

The American University’s “Academic Integrity Code” governing standards for academic conduct apply. Students may discuss the subject matter of their essays with anyone. All students, however, must compose their own essays and may not show or read their essays to any other persons, except for proofreading or typing assistance by a person not enrolled or previously enrolled in the course. The use of another person’s words or ideas without proper attribution constitutes plagiarism or false authorship. Both are serious academic offenses. By turning in an essay, a student is certifying that the essay is entirely his/her own work. If there are any questions about this matter, consult the Academic Integrity Code or see the instructor. It will never be tolerated, under any circumstances and your case will be referred to the Dean – WITHOUT EXCEpTION AND IMMEDIATELY. It is your responsibility to be familiar with the University’s Academic Integrity Code, which you find on-line at: http://www.american.edu/academics/integrity/code.htm


Treat your peers with respect

Keep an open mind, engage with the material, participate in discussion and treat your classmates with respect. This means respecting divergent views as well as allowing them to learn – class disruptions (walking in and out, chatting etc) will be reflected in your participation grade.

 


     
       
Week One      
January 22

Introduction: What Can We Know About The Social Sciences?

 
       
    Fay & Moon What Would An Adaquate Philosophy of Social Science Look Like?
    Deutsch Theory of Everything
       
Week Two:    
 
January  29 Sensory Knowledge: From Tabula Rasa to Belief?
 
       
    Locke An Essay Concerning Human Understanding
       
      Book I No Innate Notions
       
     

Book II: Ideas Chaps 1-15 Chap 25,26 30,32

       
      Book III Words Chaps 1,2
       
      Book IV Knowlege Chaps 1-5
       
    Hume

An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding

      Chapters 1-9 Inclusive
       
       
Week Three      
FebruRY 5 Reason And Its Derivation of Reason  
       
    Kant

Critique of Pure Reason:

      (Assigned Pages are Highlited in Green Here)
       
Week Four      
February 12 Possibilities of Truth And Its Verification  
 

Logic

A.J. Ayer Language Truth And Logic
       
 

Deductive\Inductive Reason

Carl Hempel Philosophy of Natural Sciences
       
 

None?

WVO Quine Two Dogmas of Empiricism
       
       
Week Five      
February 19 Cultural Foundations of Empirical Science?

 

    Max Weber Science As A Vocation
       
    Thomas Kuhn Structure of Scientific Revolutions Chaps One - Eight & Nine
       
Week Six      

February  26

The Scientific Method And Human Behavior  
 

 

Milton Freedman The Methodology of Positive Economics
       
    Weber The Methodology of Sociology (Chapters 1 & 2)
       
    Elster The Nature And Scope of Rational Choice Explanation
       
 

 

Fay General Laws And Explaining Human Behavior
       
       
       
Week Seven Interpretive Social Science    

mARCH 4

 
 

Intersubjective Meanings

Peter Winch The Idea of A Social Science And Its Relation To Philosophy
      Intro-Chapters One - Four Inclusive
       
 

Hermeneutic Theories of Understanding

Charles Taylor Philosophy And The Human Sciences
      I Introduction And Chapter One
     
       
Week Eight      
March
4
Meaning, Language Games and Following A Rule  
       
       
    Ludwig Wittgenstein Philosophical Investigations
     
     
Week Nine      
March 1 8
Critical Social Science & Post Modernism: From Interpretation To Power To ?  
    Jürgen Habermas Knowledge And Human Interests
       
      A Social Scientific Concept of Crisis (In Legitimation Crisis)
       
    Karl Marx The German Ideology: Part I Critique of Feuerbach
       
    Michael Foucalt Archaeology of Knowledge
       
    Stanley Fish How To Recognize A Poem When You See One
       
    Paul A. Boghossian What the Sokal Hoax Ought to Teach Us (Plus Fuller Reply)
       
    A Sokal Transgressing The Boundaries....Hermeneutics of Quantm Gravity
      (This article is satire but if you want to skim it, here it is).
       
       
Week Ten      

March 25 

Do Historians Report Facts?    
    Louis O. Mink The Autonomy of Historical Understanding
       
    Paul Roth Narrative Explanations: The Case of History
       
    Rudolf Binion Repeat Performance: A Psychohistorical Study of Leopold III and Belgian Neutrality
       
    Richard J Evans In Defense of History
       
      Chapter Three - Four - Five
       
    Richard J. Evans

Expert Witness Report in
Irving vs. Lipstadt and Penguin Books

       
    Erik Erikson "Obedience To Whom" Chapter 3 from Young Man Luther
       
    Don Meyer Review of Young Man Luther
       
       
       
Week Eleven      
April 1 Law And Objectivity Dennis Patterson Law And Truth
       
    Mark Tushnet Following The Rules Laid Down
     
   

Symposium On Dworkin's
Objectivity And Truth:You Better Believe It (or not)

       
    Ronald Dworkin Objectivity And Truth
       
    Simon Blackburn Commentary
       
    Nick Zangwill Commentary
       
    Michael Otsuka Commentary
       
    Ronald Dworkin Response
       
       

Week Twelve

     
April 8 The Science of Politics and Economics  Taylor   Neutrality In Political Science (Chapter Two )
       
     Olsen  The Logic of Collective Action
       
     Shapiro and Green  Pathologies of Rational Choice Theory
       
      Chap 2: The Nature of Rational Choice
       
      Chap 3: Pathologies of Rational Choice
       
    Sen Rational Fools
       
       
Week Thirteen - TBA    
April 15      
       
       
Week Fourteen TBA    
April 22      
       
       
Week 15 Catch up and Review    
April      
       
         
         
         
         
    Stanford Encylcopedia of philsophy    
    Episteme Links    
    philosopher's Web portal    
    Guide To philosophy On The Internet    
    The Galilean Library -- What Is philosophy    
    Routledge Encyclopedia of philosophy    
    philosophy Around The Web    
    The Royal Institute Of philosophy    
         
         
         
    * Thanks are due to professors J, Donald Moon and Brian Fay for this introductory commentary.  
       
       
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