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

We will address questions such as: 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?ÌýShould our ethics be informed by the findings of social science? And what should the relationship between political philosophy and political science be like?

The course has two overall aims: first, to encourage critical reflection onÌýthe social sciences and, second, 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 you will benefit from having completed modules in political theory or philosophy before, as detailed in the Restrictions box.

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, you 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.