BSc History and Philosophy of Science and Physics

Year 3

(Award available for year: Bachelor of Science)

Learning outcomes

On completion of the year/programme students should have provided evidence of being able to:
-understand and demonstrate coherent and detailed knowledge concerning issues of realism and anti-realism; historiographical themes and methodologies; the inter-relationship between science, technology and society;
-demonstrate the ability to describe and comment on particular aspects of recent research and/or scholarship in history and philosophy of science, technology and medicine;
-make appropriate and critical use of scholarly reviews and primary sources;
-apply their knowledge and understanding in order to initiate and carry out an extended piece of work or project, as in a dissertation or appropriate module essays.

Transferable (key) skills

Students will have had the opportunity to acquire, as defined in the modules specified for the programme:

i) qualities and transferable skills necessary for employment related to the subject area(s) studied;
ii) skills necessary for the communication of information;
iii) skills necessary for the exercising of personal responsibility and decision making;

The dissertation component of the programme of study directly enables students to attain i), ii) iii): students that successfully complete a dissertation will have learned to exercise personal responsibility and decision making. The dissertation introduces them to a new and challenging means of communicating that supplements the 2000 word essay and unseen examination paper.

Other modules studied in the programme all present opportunities to attain transferable/key skills as defined in i) and skills of communication as defined in ii).

Assessment

Achievement will be assessed by a variety of methods in accordance with the learning outcomes of the modules specified for the year/programme and will include:

i) demonstrating the ability to apply a broad range of aspects of the discipline;
ii) work that draws on a wide variety of material;
iii) the ability to evaluate and criticise received opinion;
iv) evidence of an ability to conduct independent, in depth enquiry within the discipline;
v) work that is typically both evaluative and creative.

The dissertation component of the degree assesses students' capacity to attain all of these learning outcomes, most specifically outcome iv).
All modules assess learning outcomes i) and v).
Outcome iii) is more specifically addressed in the philosophical modules listed in group B1.
Outcome ii) is more specifically addressed in the socio-historical modules listed in groups B2 and B3.