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PHIL20620

Academic Year 2026/2027

Philosophy of Social Science (PHIL20620)

Subject:
Philosophy
College:
Social Sciences & Law
School:
Philosophy
Level:
2 (Intermediate)
Credits:
5
Module Coordinator:
Dr Elena Gordon
Trimester:
Spring
Mode of Delivery:
On Campus
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

What is a ‘social science’? Should social science be properly considered as a form of scientific enquiry? Do the public need a better understanding of social science than they currently have? What role should philosophers play in sharpening public understanding of social scientific issues? What is the difference between science and pseudoscience? How can we tell the difference between science and pseudoscience, truth and bullshit? These are the questions we begin to ask as we investigate what it means to engage in the philosophy of social science. We then apply our findings to key issues in population ethics, climate justice, social choice theory, and social epistemology.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

On successful completion of the module students will:
(i) have an understanding of the central ideas in the philosophy of science and the philosophy of social science;
(ii) have a philosophical understanding of some of the fundamental ideas used in Economics and in Social/Political Theory;
(iii) be able to develop their own arguments about how to employ these fundamental ideas;
(iv) be able to express these arguments in a clear, coherent and well-informed way.

Indicative Module Content:

For Autumn 2025:
Introduction to Philosophy of Social Science
Science and Pseudoscience
Bullshit, Philosophy, and Pseudoscience
Social Science, Philosophy, and the General Public
Social Choice Theory
Population Ethics
People and the Environment I: Climate Change
People and the Environment II: Conservation
Social Epistemology

The United Nations identified seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as core to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and UCD contributes in general to SDG 4 Quality Education. Further SDGs explored within this module if relevant are listed below. A scale of 1 - 5 indicates the extent to which the SDG is covered.


 

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Autonomous Student Learning

93
Lectures

24
Tutorial

8
Total

125

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Lectures; tutorials; independent learning in preparation for short essays and exams. There will be no opportunity to use generative Al for any of the assignments, and if a student thinks they need to use ChatGPT, Grammarly or some other version of GenAI they must discuss this with the module co-ordinator in advance.

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Additional Information:
This module is only available for stage 2 PPE students.


 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade Component repeat (in-module) Offered
Assignment(Including Essay): Midterm assignment: Details to be supplied during the module. Week 8 Graded No
30
 No
Exam (Take-Home): Take Home Exam: 2000 words (Details to be provided during the module.) Week 14 Graded No
50
 No
Participation in Learning Activities: Tutorial participation & Participation in activities in tutorials assigned by tutors. Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 7, Week 8, Week 9, Week 10, Week 11, Week 12 Graded No
20
 No

As part of UCD's student support, under the Additional Consideration policy, extensions may be available for the following assessments in the module: Assignment (including essay/poster), Portfolio, Reflective Assignment, Report(s), and Individual Project.


Carry forward of passed components
No
 

Resit In Terminal Exam
Autumn No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Feedback on the essay is provided in the form of comments and a grade within two weeks of the submission deadline.

Name Role
Dr Elena Gordon Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Professor James O'Shea Lecturer / Co-Lecturer

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
Spring Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22 Tues 10:00 - 10:50
Spring Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Tues 10:00 - 10:50
Spring Tutorial Offering 1 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Tues 15:00 - 15:50
Spring Tutorial Offering 2 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32 Tues 16:00 - 16:50
Spring Tutorial Offering 3 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32 Wed 11:00 - 11:50
Spring Tutorial Offering 4 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32 Wed 15:00 - 15:50
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