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Unit of study_
SSPS4402: Philosophy of Social Science Research
2025 unit information
What exists in the world? What, and how, can we know about what exists in the world? In this unit, we explore these fundamental questions about being and knowing in the context of debates about philosophy and methodology in the social sciences. We examine how these debates about being and knowing shape and inform decisions about research and research design (methodology). We further explore the politics of knowing and knowledge production, thinking otherwise about knowledge production and its cultivation. We also explore the possibilities for thinking beyond existing debates, focusing on debates about biases of methodologies, Indigenous knowledge, and decolonisation of the social sciences.
Unit details and rules
Managing faculty or University school:
Arts and Social Sciences
| Study level | Undergraduate |
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| Academic unit | Political Economy |
| Credit points | 6 |
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Prerequisites:
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144 credit points including FASS3999 or equivalent |
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Corequisites:
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None |
| Prohibitions:
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None |
| Assumed knowledge:
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None |
At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:
- LO1. Explain the roles of and relationship between, theory, methodology and research design in different types of social science.
- LO2. Identify and defend the ontological assumptions that students bring to research.
- LO3. Articulate the epistemological position that informs their research.
- LO4. Articulate and criticise historical and contemporary debates, and on-going controversies, about knowledge production in the social sciences.
- LO5. Coherently articulate how their social positionality influences their ontology and epistemological position.
Unit availability
This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.
The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.
| Session | MoA ? | Location | Outline ? |
|---|---|---|---|
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Semester 1 2025
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Normal day | Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney |
Outline unavailable
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There are no availabilities for previous years.
Find your current year census dates
Modes of attendance (MoA)
This refers to the Mode of attendance (MoA) for the unit as it appears when you’re selecting your units in Sydney Student. Find more information about modes of attendance on our website.
