Program Overview

The Ethics and Politics of the Social Sciences (POLS0033)

Key Information

The Faculty of Social and Historical Sciences offers this module, with the Political Science department being the teaching department. The credit value for this module is 15.

• Students are encouraged to have taken prior coursework in philosophy before enrolling in this module.

Alternative Credit Options

There are no alternative credit options available for this module.

Description

This course addresses the ethics and politics of the social sciences, and the role of the social sciences in ethics and political philosophy.

• Questions to be addressed include:
  • Are the social sciences inferior to the natural sciences?
  • Should citizens, scientists, or the market decide what gets researched?
  • Are some topics ethically, or politically, out of bounds for scientific research?
  • How should science guide policy and what would evidence-based policy look like?
  • Is cost-benefit analysis the best way to choose a policy?
  • Does everything have a price?
  • Should our ethics be informed by the findings of social science?
  • What should the relationship between political philosophy and political science be like? The course has two overall aims:
• To encourage critical reflection on the social sciences
• To explore the relationship of ethics and political philosophy to the social sciences While there are no formal prerequisites for this module, it does build on introductory philosophical knowledge, so students will benefit from having completed modules in political theory or philosophy before. Assessment for this module is a research poster and 5-minute recorded presentation of the poster.
• The last week of class will be devoted to collaborative and constructive feedback on poster ideas. By the end of the module, students should have attained:
  • A clear grasp of some key debates in the philosophy of social science in the context of political science and economics in particular
  • An understanding of some of the issues in the relationship between fact and values, as well as democracy and scientific expertise
  • The ability to analyse these debates critically
  • Skills in analysing and constructing arguments and in participating in group discussions

Module Deliveries for 2026/27 Academic Year

• Intended teaching term: Term 2
• Undergraduate (FHEQ Level 5)

Teaching and Assessment

• Mode of study: In person
• Methods of assessment: 100% Coursework
• Mark scheme: Numeric Marks

Other Information

• Number of students on module in previous year: 39
• Module leader: Dr Emily Mcternan