Philosophy of the Social Sciences: Classes Michaelmas Term 2004

K I Macdonald kenneth.macdonald@nuf.ox.ac.uk This year, to keep class sizes small to enable inescapable discussion, we have split students into three groups (each around a dozen). Teaching is in the Manor Road building, and we move around Seminar Rooms from A to F (apologies). Group lists appear at the end of this document

Times [and Seminar Room] Group 1: Wednesdays 2-4pm, weeks: 2[D], 3[F], 5[F], 7[D] Group 2: Fridays 2-4pm, weeks: 3[A], 5[C], 7[C], [further session: to be arranged] Group 3: Fridays 2-4pm, weeks 2[C], 4[A], 6[C], 8[B] Outline
The objectives of the classes are: To introduce students to the philosophical history of epistemological and methodological debates that underpin current controversies in the methods of the social sciences and history To introduce the philosophical analysis of approaches including empiricism, positivism, realism, functionalism, structuralism, interpretivism, phenomenology To introduce philosophical analysis of key concepts including theory, facts, values, cause, explanation, rationality, agency To introduce major philosophical models of reality, knowledge, theory, and explanation by way of discussion of problems of social science methodology including deduction and induction, theory and observation, macro and micro analysis, causal and hermeneutic explanation, formality and reality, and the question of realism in social science. The classes will concentrate on the specification and philosophical analysis of methodological problems in social science, critically analysing the positions of prominent philosophers. In preparation for the classes students must read at least the main text, and should prepare an analysis of the main concepts, propositions and inferences contained therin. The textbook for this course is: Michael Martin and Lee Maclntyre (eds) Readings in the Philosophy of Social Science MIT Press 1994

Detail
The classes are intended as exercises in close reading. For each session ALL are expected to have read the article to-be-discussed. But each week three people each present ten-minutes of their critical/analytic insights/reactions on the central article, and we have (interleaved and sequential) discussion on the issues raised. The thought being that philosophy is best done by doing, and with a clear text focus. The accompanying lectures (Fridays, each week, 10am MRB Lecture Theatre ) by Professor Ryan are an important part of this module, but run in parallel (the classes are not directly classes-on-the-lectures)

All the articles can be found in the (quite expensive) paperback: Michael Martin and Lee Maclntyre (eds) Readings in the Philosophy of Social Science MIT Press 1994 (ISBN 0-26263151-2). Blackwells have a stack of them available for purchase. And copies are commonly to be found in College libraries (and of course the Social Studies Library). It would be good if you could bring a copy of the book, or a photocopy of the week's article, to each session.

Session 1: Does it matter if our theoretical premisses are unreal?

Text: Milton Friedman The Methodology of Positive Economics in Martin and Maclntyre Further Reading Emile Durkheim The Rules of Sociological Method, Auguste Comte Introduction to Positivist Philosophy, J S Mill Logic of the Moral Sciences

Session 2 : What is the role of interpretation in social science?

Text: Charles Taylor Interpretation and the Sciences of Man in Martin and Maclntyre Further Reading: Clifford Geertz Thick Description in Martin and Macintyre

Session 3: Do I need to understand your values in order to understand your social science?
Text Max Weber Objectivity in Social Science and Social Policy in Martin and Maclntyre Further Reading Ernest Nagel The value-oriented bias of social inquiry in Martin and Maclntyre, Charles Taylor Neutrality in Political Science in Martin and Maclntyre and in Philosophy and the Human Sciences, Max Weber Science as a Vocation in Political Writings

Session 4: Must social scientists assume that subjects are rational?

Text Steven Lukes Some problems about rationality in Martin and Maclntyre Further Reading Donald Davidson Actions Reasons and Causes in Martin and Maclntyre

Group membership
[ Group allocation is largely arbitrary (with some balance and timetabling constraints). But if you want to shift group could you please find a willing partner to perform a reciprocal swap, lest group sizes destabilise. ]

Group 1

(n=13) Clara Brandi Ian Carroll Janalee Cherneski Dov Fox Jessica Kimpell Ahmet Kurtulmus Seth Lazar Alice MacGregor clara.brandi@sant.ox.ac.uk ian.carroll@nuf.ox.ac.uk janalee.cherneski@wolfson.ox.ac.uk dov.fox@sjc.ox.ac.uk jessica.kimpell@hertford.ox.ac.uk faik.kurtulmus@queens.ox.ac.uk seth.lazar@spc.ox.ac.uk alice.macgregor@st-annes.ox.ac.uk chris.nathan@keb.ox.ac.uk daniel.pastor@tri.ox.ac.uk shahrzad.sabet-esfahani@balliol.ox.ac.uk carl.saucier-bouffard@she.ox.ac.uk thinethavone.soutphommasane@balliol.ox.ac.uk

Christopher Nathan Daniel Pastor Shahrzad Sabet-Esfahani Carl Saucier-Bouffard Thinethavone Soutphommasane

Group 2

(n=12) Milos Damnjanovic milos.damnjanovic@sant.ox.ac.uk marcelle.dawson@sant.ox.ac.uk annemarie.grandke@new.ox.ac.uk chris.hanretty@st-annes.ox.ac.uk kei.hiruta@stx.ox.ac.uk michelle.meyer@sant.ox.ac.uk jessica.radford@sant.ox.ac.uk christian.schemmel@spc.ox.ac.uk rick.slettenhaar@ccc.ox.ac.uk michael.tatham@sant.ox.ac.uk kenneth.townsend@tri.ox.ac.uk christopher.ward@new.ox.ac.uk Dawson Grandke

Marcelle Annemarie

Christopher Hanretty Kei Hiruta Michelle Meyer Jessica Radford Christian Schemmel Hendrik Slettenhaar Michael Tatham Kenneth Townsend Christopher Ward

Group 3

(n=13) Florian Albert florian.albert@seh.ox.ac.uk andrew.bell@hertford.ox.ac.uk andrew.cockrell@sant.ox.ac.uk isabelle.deganis@stx.ox.ac.uk timo.idema@sant.ox.ac.uk daniel.koldyk@sant.ox.ac.uk mike.kung@worc.ox.ac.uk dianna.lee@sant.ox.ac.uk michael.lindsay@some.ox.ac.uk zim.nwokora@st-annes.ox.ac.uk jennifer.schmidt@sant.ox.ac.uk anna.vanzoest@sant.ox.ac.uk masatsugu.yoshioka@stx.ox.ac.uk

Andrew Bell Andrew Cockrell Isabelle Deganis Timo Idema Daniel Koldyk Mike Kung Dianna Lee Michael Lindsay Zim Nwokora Jennifer Schmidt Anna vanZoest Masatsugu Yoshioka