RE: Is there a Ph.D. in "science" Re: [xmca] Fwd: NewDegreeProgramsOxford

From: Luísa Aires <laires who-is-at univ-ab.pt> Date: Tue Jun 19 2007 - 10:46:59 PDT · This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.8 : Sun Jul 01 2007 - 00:30:04 PDT

---
Naeem Hashmi
Chief Research Officer
Information Frameworks
T: 603-552-5171 M: 603-661-6820
W: http://infoframeworks.com
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Diarmuid Fogarty" <diarmuid@madasafish.com>
To: "eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity" <xmca@weber.ucsd.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, June 19, 2007 1:21 PM
Subject: Re: Is there a Ph.D. in "science" Re: [xmca] Fwd: New 
DegreeProgramsOxford
I too would like to be removed and wonder if there might not be a way
of suspending the list until the membership issues are sorted out?
Diarmuid
El 19-jun-07, a las 17:08, Yvette Solomon escribió:
> please can you remove me from the list?
> many thanks
> Yvette
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tony Whitson" <twhitson@UDel.Edu>
> To: <mcole@weber.ucsd.edu>; "eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity" 
> <xmca@weber.ucsd.edu>
> Sent: Tuesday, June 19, 2007 4:40 PM
> Subject: Is there a Ph.D. in "science" Re: [xmca] Fwd: New Degree 
> ProgramsOxford
>
>
>> Mike's post reminds me of a question I've had reason to ask lately:
>>
>> Does anybody know of anyplace that offers a Ph.D. in  "Science" (rather 
>> than, say, Biology, Chemistry, Bio-Chem, etc.)?
>>
>> Background for the question:
>> In the US, recent conflicts over teaching evolution have centered  on the
>> right way to define "science." For example, until after the  most recent 
>> elections, the State School Board in Kansas changed  the definition of 
>> "Science" in their "Science" standards so that  "science" in Kansas was 
>> not limited to seeking explanations based  on natural principles (i.e., 
>> supernatural explanations were to be  permissable in "science").
>>
>> These are the terms in which the conflict still continues, with 
>> advocates of "Intelligent Design" (including Steve Fuller, BTW),  arguing
>> that the groundrules and definition of science should be  changed so as 
>> not to exclude the supernatural.
>>
>> While others are debating this, I want to ask -- from a curriculum 
>> perspective -- if there is really such a thing as "science" in the  first
>> place. There is an institutionalized inquiring social  enterprise called 
>> "Biology" and there is another one called  "Economics"; but is there 
>> really such a thing as "science" as  such, or is that just an umbrella 
>> terms for an array of diverse  enterprises that may share some things in 
>> common?
>>
>> I have no doubt that there are natural sciences that have in  common a 
>> defining purpose of seeking naturalistic explanations.  Whether or not 
>> somebody comes up with some philosophic argument or  definition by which 
>> Intelligent Design meets criteria for being  called a "science" (or some 
>> kind of Wissenschaft), it would still  be something different from the 
>> essentially naturalistic natural  science disciplines that comprise our 
>> "science" curriculum in the US.
>>
>> My point is not to suggest openness to the ID argument for  redefining 
>> science. What I'm suggesting is that this whole  question is irrelevant 
>> to the curriculum questions at issue. If  curriculum consists of the 
>> course of learning experience in which  human formation occurs through 
>> Legitimate Peripheral Participation  (leading to more full participation)
>> in Activities or Practices of  actual communities or social enterprises, 
>> then it is the actual  practices of actual communities who do biology, 
>> etc. -- including  transformative practices such as those featured in 
>> work by Latour,  etc. on innovation -- that would be the practices of 
>> interest for  curriculum. The practices of Biology are those of 
>> naturalistic  natural science and, simply as an empirical (rather than a 
>> definitional) matter, these do not include the discourses and  practices 
>> of the Intelligent Design Community. Whether ID should  be a subject in 
>> the curriculum could be another question; but it  would not belong within
>> the subject of Biology -- for reasons that  have nothing to do with the 
>> war over abstract definitions of what  is and is not "science."
>>
>> What do you think?
>>
>> On Tue, 19 Jun 2007, Mike Cole wrote:
>>
>>> *Announcing two new degree programs at University of Oxford that are
>>> relevant to those interested in cognition and religion.*
>>>
>>> *Please pass on to interested students (or colleagues who might have
>>> interested students).*
>>>
>>> *Thanks,*
>>>
>>> *Justin Barrett*
>>>
>>> * *
>>>
>>> *ICEA MSc *
>>>
>>> What makes us human?  What makes culture possible?  The  University of
>>> Oxford's new Institute for Cognitive & Evolutionary Anthropology 
>>> announces a
>>> new 12 month MSc degree to commence in October 2007.  This  program in 
>>> "Human
>>> Biology" explores human thought, behaviour, and culture from the
>>> perspectives of the evolutionary and cognitive sciences.  Degree 
>>> candidates
>>> will read in primate behavioral ecology, human evolution (with a 
>>> behavioral
>>> ecology emphasis), mind and culture, and quantitative methods in  the 
>>> human
>>> sciences; and complete a supervised 10,000 word dissertation.   Program 
>>> staff
>>> includes Professor Robin Dunbar, Professor Harvey Whitehouse, and  Dr. 
>>> Justin
>>> Barrett.  Additional information about the course and how to  apply is
>>> available at http://www.isca.ox.ac.uk/admissions/how_to_apply.shtml.
>>> Applications for the 2007-2008 year will be accepted until July  26, 
>>> 2007.
>>>
>>> *ICEA DPhil *
>>>
>>> How can cognitive or evolutionary insights help explain patterns  in 
>>> cultural
>>> expression?  The University of Oxford's new Institute for  Cognitive &
>>> Evolutionary Anthropology announces a new 3 year DPhil degree to 
>>> commence in
>>> October 2007.  This research program offers the opportunity to  explore 
>>> human
>>> thought, behaviour, and culture from the perspectives of the 
>>> evolutionary
>>> and cognitive sciences.  Those who already have an appropriate  graduate
>>> degree in a related area (e.g., experimental psychology,  anthropology,
>>> evolution) may apply as Probationer Research Students (PRS) in  the 
>>> first
>>> instance; they may nonetheless subsequently be advised that one  of the
>>> master's degrees may be more suitable for them to start with.   Program 
>>> staff
>>> includes Professor Robin Dunbar, Professor Harvey Whitehouse, and  Dr. 
>>> Justin
>>> Barrett.  Additional information about how to apply is available at
>>> http://www.isca.ox.ac.uk/admissions/how_to_apply.shtml.   Applications 
>>> for
>>> the 2007-2008 year will be accepted until July 26, 2007.
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> xmca mailing list
>>> xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
>>> http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca
>>>
>>
>> Tony Whitson
>> UD School of Education
>> NEWARK  DE  19716
>>
>> twhitson@udel.edu
>> _______________________________
>>
>> "those who fail to reread
>>  are obliged to read the same story everywhere"
>>                   -- Roland Barthes, S/Z (1970)
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