Examination arrangement

Course content

At NTNU there are four ex.phil.variants. The variants have a common part constituting about 2/3 of the course and a variant part constituting about 1/3. The variants constitue an integral unit.

The course provides a wider perspective on university studies at NTNU through an introduction to the philosophy and history of science and philosophy of science, ethics and political philosophy of relevance to students of science and technology. The common part draws lines from Antiquity’s worldview to discussions in our own time. It takes up different views of nature, man, knowledge, science, crafts/art, ethics, politics, rationality and argumentation from both a historical and systematic perspective. The variant part focuses on ethics both as systematic theory and in an applied perspective with particular focus on the relationship between science/technology and ethics.

Learning outcome

Knowledge

*The student will have knowledge of basic concepts, important thinkers and positions in the philosophy and history of science and modern theory of science as well as knowledge of some basic concepts of logic and argumentation theory.

*The student will have knowledge of both systematic (theoretical) and practical (applied) ethics.

Skills

*The student will be familiar with and be able to discuss the arguments and central issues in the philosophy and history of science and theory of science.

*The student will be able to relate the different eras/topics to each other and understand the context of the history of thinking.

*The student will be able to apply ethical principles and concepts to moral issues in their field and in society.

General skills

*The student will be able to relate reflectively to their own discipline and to science in general.

*Students will gain the academic background required to take ethical considerations into account both in professional life and life in general.

Learning methods and activities

The course consists of lectures and seminars. Two assignments are to be completed and approved to take the exam. The lectures present the main lines of the curriculum and provide a basic historical and systematic introduction to concepts and thinkers/positions. The seminars are teaching in small groups, where students work on exercises under supervision. The exercises should be written in groups of 3-5, but can also be written in pairs or individually. Through discussion and writing, students are trained in scientific and philosophical argumentation in both oral and written form.

Compulsory assignments

• 1st Exercise
• 2nd Exercise

Specific conditions

Recommended previous knowledge

None

Required previous knowledge

Requires admission to a study programme from Faculty of Information Technology, Mathematics and Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering Science and Technology, The Faculty of Natural Sciences and Technology and The Faculty of Architecture and Fine Art (only for the study programme in Architecture).

Course materials

The curriculum is available at www.ntnu.no/exphil

Credit reductions