5 credits
30.0 h
Q2
Teacher(s)
Zwarthoed Danielle;
Language
English
Main themes
The teacher of the course will focus his remarks on two main issues:
(1) How economists do they work and they say what they do? What about their claim to "do science"? What is a science ?
(2) The work of economists and what they say is there any consistency in depth? The economy, as social science, is it really "serving society", and if so, how? In short it is structured education with a first phase of "epistemology positive" and a second component of "critical epistemology". Not favor one of these two parts of the course would be an apology simplistic current practice of discipline, a critical free and exaggerated.
Aims
At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to : | |
| 1 | Epistemology is the study of the formation and circulation of knowledge. The epistemology of science economic examines how economists produce their statements about the business world, how they move these claims, and the consistency of their knowledge. After completing this course, students should have an economist image clearer and more specific assumptions, methods and "black boxes"; of economic science. It should be able to articulate both the strengths and weaknesses of the economic approach, and better understand the tension between the desire for "scientific"; (which often tend to want to unify the field of economy) and the desire to " Explanatory plurality";(which tend instead to refuse unification). In sum, it is in the course of the debate between those who believe the current economy is becoming a science and those who think it has always been, and can only be a " ideology". |
The contribution of this Teaching Unit to the development and command of the skills and learning outcomes of the programme(s) can be accessed at the end of this sheet, in the section entitled “Programmes/courses offering this Teaching Unit”.
Content
The course will be divided in two parts. The first part will initiate students into epistemology in general and the espitemology of economics in particular. The second part will focus on issues in ethics and economics.
Teaching methods
This course combines lectures and a read ahead seminar. Students will be expected to have read one or two papers before each weekly seminar. Additional reading suggestions will be offered. Students are expected to actively participate in class discussions.
Evaluation methods
Evaluation will be based on (i) an oral presentation of one of the readings (if the number of students enroled in this course is not too high) (ii) active participation (iii) a final paper.
Other information
It is good to have some basic knowledge of economics. This allows easier access to the arguments of the course, but you can also follow it without such background, provided you are assiduous.
Faculty or entity
ECON
