Ioannis Th. Mazis

Professor

yianmazis[at]turkmas.uoa[dot]gr

6 hours per week

Course Objectives

The course is offered to both directions of the Faculty's programme of studies. It aims to educate students in organising and structuring a research thesis and process, and authoring the final scientific paper.

Course Structure

1. Introduction to the notions of Science and Knowledge: Explanation and Understanding

2. The Metalanguage of Epistemology

3. Historical development of Epistemology

4. Overview of Epistemological Approaches

5. The question of Ontology and its relation to Epistemology

6. The concept and the role of Methodology

7. Philosophy of Science in the Positivist and Neo–positivist context

8. Sir Karl Popper and the Principle of Refutability. First fundamental critique of Naive Positivism

9. Thomas S. Kuhn and the concept of Scientific Revolutions.

10. Imre Lakatos and the Competitive Research Programmes

11. On writing a research/scientific thesis in Social Sciences. Part A: Qualitative and quantitative methods and their applications in the study of International Relations and Geopolitics

12. On writing a research/scientific thesis in Social Sciences. Part B: Structuring a thesis in general and, specifically, in the domains of International Relations and of Geopolitics

13. On writing a research/scientific thesis in Social Sciences. Part C: The symbolic of authoring a research/scientific thesis

Assesment

Assessment is through written examination (50%) and submission of a thesis (5,000-7,000 words, 50%).

Bibliography

a. Basic

Μενέλαος Γκίβαλος, Επιστήμη, Γνώση και Μέθοδος, β΄έκδοση αναθεωρημένη, Νήσος/παραδόσεις 9, Αθήνα 2005.

John Losee, Φιλοσοφία της Επιστήμης. Μια Ιστορική εισαγωγή, Μτφση-Επιμέλεια: Θ. Μ. Χρηστίδης, Εκδόσεις ΒΑΝΙΑΣ, ΘΕΣ/ΝΙΚΗ 1993

Thomas S. Kuhn, Η Δομή των Επιστημονικών Επαναστάσεων, Γ΄ έκδοση, 2004 (Μτφση: Γεωργακόπουλος-Κάλφας).

Thomas S. Kuhn, The Structure of Scientific Revolution, Third Edition, Univ. of Press, 1962, 1970, 1996.

Mary Tiles, Gaston Bachelard, Επιστήμη και Αντικειμενικότητα, Πανεπιστημιακές Εκδόσεις Κρήτης, 1999.

Βάσω Κιντή, Κuhn και Wittgenstein, Eκδόσεις ΣΜΙΛΗ, Αθήνα 1995.

David Marsh & Gerry Stoker (eds.), Theory and Methods in Political Science, [second edition, Revised & Updated], Palgrave-Mac Millan, 2002.

Imre Lakatos & Alan Musgrave (eds.), Criticism and the Growth of Knowledge, Press, 1970.

Σταύρος Πάνου, Μεταφυσική και Λογικός Θετικισμός, Νέα Σύνορα, Α. Λιβάνης, Αθήνα 1980.

Ρουσόπουλος Γιώργος (επιμ.), Σύγχρονος Εμπειρισμός: Από τον Κύκλο της Βιέννης στον Davidson, Πανεπιστημιακές Εκδόσεις Κρήτης, Ηράκλειο 2008.

b. Indicative

(AAAS) American Association for the Advancement of Science, (1990). Science for all Americans. New York: Oxford University Press.

Abd-El-Khalick, F., & Lederman, N., G. (2000). "Improving science teachers’ conceptions of nature of science: a critical review of the literature", International Journal of Science Education, 22 (7), 665- 701.

Carey, S., & Smith, C. (1993). "On understanding the nature of scientific knowledge". Educational Psychologist, 28, 235–251.

Carey, S., Evans, R., Honda, M., Jay, E., & Unger, C. (1989). “An experiment is when you try it and see if it works: A study of grade 7 students’ understanding of the construction of scientific knowledge". International Journal of Science Education, 11, 514-529.

Grosslight, L., Unger, C., Jay, E., & Smith, C. L. (1991). "Understanding models and their use in science: Conceptions of middle and high school students and experts". Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 28, 799-822.

Leach, J., Millar, R., Ryder, J., Sere, M. (2000). "Epistemological understanding in science learning: the consistency of representations across contexts". Learning and Instruction, 10, 497-527.

Lederman, N., G., Abd-El Khalick, F, Bell, R., L. & Schwartz R., S. (2002). "Views of Nature of Science Questionnaire: Toward Valid and Meaningful Assessment of Learners’ Conceptions of Nature of Science." Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 39 (6), 497-521.

Lederman, N.G., & O’Malley, M. (1990). "Students’ perceptions of tentativeness in science: Development, use, and sources of change". Science Education, 74, 225–239.

Lederman, N. G. (1992). "Students' and teachers' conceptions of the nature of science: a review of the research". Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 29(4), 331-359.

Meyling, H., (1997). "How to change students’ conceptions of the epistemology of science". Science & Education, 6, 397- 416.

(NRC) National Research Council, (1996). National Science Education Standards. Washington, DC: National Academic Press.

Ryder, J., Hind, A., & Leach, J. (2001). "The design of materials and strategies for teaching about the epistemology of science". Paper presented at the European Science Education Research Association Conference, Thessaloniki, Greece, August 21-25.

Sandoval, W. (2003). "The inquiry paradox: Why doing science doesn’t necessary change ideas about science". Paper presented at the Computer Based Learning in Science, Conference Proceedings, Vol. 1, Nicosia, 2003.

Sandoval, W., & Morrison, K. (2000). “You can’t believe a theory that’s wrong: High school students’ ideas about theory and theory change". Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New Orleans, April 28, 2000, at session 45.02 “The effects of inquiry on students epistemologies of science”.