Philosophy of Science in Nursing

Graduate

This course introduces students to the philosophical assumptions concerning knowledge and knowledge development that inform the conduct of research in the discipline of nursing. Students will explore key concepts in relation to a variety of paradigm/perspectives within the philosophy of science, ranging from positivism to post-modernism and critical theory. Major topics to be debated will include the notion of nursing as a science and what constitutes nursing knowledge. Individual seminars will enable in-depth analysis of selected philosophers (as representative of such paradigms) in their respective socio-political and historical contexts. This course will enable students to articulate and defend their own philosophical assumptions of the paradigm that informs their dissertation topic.