Introduction to Philosophical Questions
akovanlikaya@gsu.edu.tr
savascin@yahoo.com
Content
Objective
The course objective is to give students the necessary tools to analyze and discuss social science texts and endow them with a philosophical approach for the understanding of the relationships between major themes of the human sciences and real world problems.
Course Content
Social sciences history from the antiquity, up to 19.th century. Social sciences concepts and current social themes.
Course Learning Outcomes
Students will be acquainted with social sciences vocabulary and concepts. They will develop a critical insight concerning social sciences history and related modern social topics.
Teaching and Learning Methods
Classical academic course format, interactive discussions, student presentations, site internet for homework upload and reference material distribution.
References
Kant - Qu’est-ce que les Lumières
Foucault - Qu'est-ce que les Lumières ?
Kant – L’idée de l’Histoire d’un Point de Vue Cosmopolite
Marx - Thèses sur Feuerbach
Aristoteles – Métaphysique Zeta
Hume - Enquête sur l’Entendement Humaine
Smith – Richesse des Nations
Weekly Contents
| Week | Weekly Contents |
|---|---|
| 1 | Methodology, Theory of argumentation, Fallacies |
| 2 | Kant – What is Enlightenment? |
| 3 | Foucault – What is Enlightenment? |
| 4 | Popper – Scientific demarcation |
| 5 | Plato - Epistemology |
| 6 | Protogoras et S. Empiricus - Scepticisme |
| 7 | Aristotle - Ontology |
| 8 | Mid-Term |
| 9 | A. Smith – The Scottish Enlightenment |
| 10 | Hume - Causality |
| 11 | Kant – An Idea of history from a Cosmopolite Point of View |
| 12 | Marx – Thesis on Feuerbach |
| 13 | Derrida - Postmodernity and its philosophical openings |
| 14 | The past and future, a synthesis on the present state of social sciences |
Assessment System
| Activities | Number | Contribution |
|---|---|---|
| Contribution of in-term studies to overall grade | 1 | 40 |
| Contribution of final exam to overall grade | 1 | 60 |
| Total | 2 | 100 |
| Activities | Number | Contribution |
|---|---|---|
| Assignments | 14 | 20 |
| Presentation | 0 | 0 |
| Midterm Examinations (including preparation) | 1 | 60 |
| Project | 0 | 0 |
| Laboratory | 0 | 0 |
| Other Applications | 0 | 0 |
| Quiz | 1 | 20 |
| Term Paper/ Project | 0 | 0 |
| Portfolio Study | 0 | 0 |
| Reports | 0 | 0 |
| Learning Diary | 0 | 0 |
| Thesis/ Project | 0 | 0 |
| Seminar | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 16 | 100 |
Relation of Proficiency
| No | Program Learning Outcomes | Contribution | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 1 | The student will be able to recognize and assess the essential theoretical perspectives both in sociology and its related domains. | X | ||||
| 2 | The student will be able to make use of the major theoretical analyses and sociological concepts in his/her own research topics. | X | ||||
| 3 | The student will be able to articulate sociological perspective and reasoning with social and historical facts, and to interpret social and historical issues with a sociological eye. | X | ||||
| 4 | The student will be able to assess the current state of research and knowledge on the classical and contemporary domains of sociological inquiry as well as its relevant fields. | X | ||||
| 5 | The student will be able to design and conduct a sociological research with appropriate theoretical construction and empirical methods. | X | ||||
| 6 | The student will be able to produce a written research report that relates research questions to empirical findings. | X | ||||
| 7 | The student will be able to appropriately use both quantitative and qualitative methodologies. | X | ||||
| 8 | The student will be able to make appropriate use of statistical software programs for data processing and analysis. | X | ||||
| 9 | The student will be able to make appropriate use of statistical software programs for data processing and analysis. | X | ||||
| 10 | Graduates will be able to follow the scientific production both in English and French as well as Turkish. | X | ||||
| 11 | Graduates will be able to develop a comparative and interdisciplinary approach which will integrate sociology within a broader social science perspective. | X | ||||
| 12 | Graduates will be able to interpret the history and modernization of Turkey through its sociological consequences. | X | ||||
| 13 | The student will be able to intervene to social and political processes in order to propose possible solutions to the problems caused by social inequalities and discriminations. | X | ||||
| 14 | The student will be able to develop a reflexive point of view on his/her position as a a sociologist as well as a researcher. | X | ||||
ECTS
| Activities | Number | Period | Total Workload |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class Hours | 14 | 3 | 42 |
| Working Hours out of Class | 14 | 3 | 42 |
| Assignments | 14 | 3 | 42 |
| Midterm Examinations (including preparation) | 1 | 20 | 20 |
| Total Workload | 146 | ||
| Total Workload / 25 | 5.84 | ||
| Credits ECTS | 6 | ||