Philos Fndtns in Nurs Sci

3 Credits · Level: Graduate

The Philosophy of Science and Foundations of Nursing Science course explores the meaning of truth, the meaning of evidence, and the meaning of life through praxis. It is the nurse scientist’s responsibility to view and analyze science from diverse perspectives related to their numerous nursing roles including clinician, advocate, innovator, and researcher and from the perspectives of the patient, family, caregiver, and society. This course provides PhD nursing students with an historical and contemporary assessment of the central philosophical and theoretical issues of the nature of science, the patterns of knowing, and knowledge development, and how these tenets influence and are foundational to the philosophy of nursing science. In addition, this course focuses on the relationships between and among the philosophy of science, the philosophy of nursing science, and individual personal philosophy with the development of nursing knowledge and the philosophical and theoretical tenets involved in the discovery and verification of theory. Emphasis is on the process of analysis of diverse scientific approaches that have supported the development of nursing knowledge within the context of their philosophic traditions, and logical arguments presented for the pros and cons. Students will explore philosophical foundations of science and theory, and view these through the lens of health equity and ethics, as well as, evolving development of their phenomenon of interest.