Course Catalog

PHIL 501 Philosophy of Social Sciences	3 Credits
This course is an introduction to the main issues and approaches in the philosophy of social sciences, with a focus on questions of methodology. These include whether social sciences employ a methodology different from that of the natural sciences; whether explanations in terms of reasons differ in any way from those in terms of causes; the nature of social reality; the relationship between individuals and social structures; the debate between methodological individualism and methodological holism; whether social sciences are value- free or not and the problem of objectivity. General approaches to be discussed are positivism, realism, the hermeneutical-interpretive and critical schools. These approaches and issues will be exemplified in the context of various social scientific disciplines.
Last Offered Terms Course Name SU Credit Spring 2026-2027 Philosophy of Social Sciences 3 Spring 2025-2026 Philosophy of Social Sciences 3 Spring 2024-2025 Philosophy of Social Sciences 3 Spring 2023-2024 Philosophy of Social Sciences 3 Spring 2022-2023 Philosophy of Social Sciences 3 Spring 2021-2022 Philosophy of Social Sciences 3 Spring 2020-2021 Philosophy of Social Sciences 3 Spring 2019-2020 Philosophy of Social Sciences 3 Spring 2017-2018 Philosophy of Social Sciences 3 Spring 2016-2017 Philosophy of Social Sciences 3 Spring 2015-2016 Philosophy of Social Sciences 3 Spring 2013-2014 Philosophy of Social Sciences 3
Prerequisite: __
Corequisite: __
ECTS Credit: 10 ECTS (ENGINEERING: / BASIC:)
General Requirements: