Assignments:
· Choose one of the following two prompts and write a short essay (4000-5000 characters without spaces). In your essay, clearly explain the philosophical concepts you’re using, as well as the example you’re focusing on.
Option A:
· Using Carlshamre’s chapter 1 and your lecture notes, choose a knowledge-generating endeavor (global media studies) and evaluate if it is scientific.
1. State and explain the criteria that make a discipline scientific.
2. Does the discipline you choose meet those criteria? Explain how or why not.
3. Use at least two direct quotations from the Carlshamre text.
Option B:
· Using Carlshamre’s chapter 2 and your lecture notes, use an example of your own to discuss the connection between a scientific hypothesis and the evidence that may confirm, falsify, or explain it.
1. Clearly indicate the hypothesis and the relevant evidence.
2. State and explain a philosophical view on the relation between hypothesis and evidence.
3. Evaluate how the hypothesis confirms/falsifies/explains the evidence, using at least two direct quotations from the Carlshamre text.
Tips for the Assignment:
· Analytic philosophy values clarity:
o State your thesis clearly: e.g., “In this paper I will argue that discipline X is scientific.”
o Structure your argument: e.g., “I will argue that Y demarcates science from non-science, and show how X meets Y.”
o Explain key concepts: e.g., “Criterion Y is the following…” or “The HD-method requires…”
o Demonstrate understanding by applying philosophical concepts to examples from your field.
· Read and Cite:
o You are expected to read the Carlshamre text for deeper understanding and to reference it in your essay.