Syllabus/Course Outline for my 1st Two Classes

Hello everyone! I started my classes today for the PhD program. I've listed the course outlines for each class. It's gonna be a CHALLENGE!  Looking forward to all of it! Erin

 

Syllabus

Course Outline

Unit 1 – Epistemology: Ways of Knowing

To successfully complete this learning unit, you will be expected to:

1. Evaluate the knowledge bases that contribute to practice and research in the different human service disciplines.
2. Critique the merits and limitations of personal experience, tradition, authority, trust, and intuition as alternative knowledge bases.

Unit 2 – Scientific Paradigms, Theory Building, and Validation

To successfully complete this learning unit, you will be expected to:

1. Analyze the role of theories in practice and in empirical research.
2. Contrast the use of theories in quantitative and qualitative studies.
3. Discuss Thomas Kuhn's assumptions about the progression of science.

Unit 3 – Logical Positivism and Empiricism

To successfully complete this learning unit, you will be expected to:

1. Analyze the major assumptions of logical positivism or empiricism, and their merits and limitations.
2. Organize the tenets of logical positivism into ontological, axiological, epistemological, and methodological assumptions.
3. Evaluate the methods logical positivism employs to build and test knowledge.
4. Assess how logical positivism is used to advance practice knowledge and theories.

Unit 4 – Postpositivism and Postmodernism

To successfully complete this learning unit, you will be expected to:

1. Analyze the major assumptions of postpositivism and postmodernism and their merits and limitations.
2. Organize the tenets of postpositivism and postmodernism into ontological, axiological, epistemological, and methodological assumptions.
3. Evaluate the methods postpositivism and postmodernism employed to build and test knowledge.

Unit 5 – Part 1 of Final Paper and Midcourse Reflection

To successfully complete this learning unit, you will be expected to:

1. Complete Part 1 of the course project.

Unit 6 – Interpretive and Social Constructivist Epistemologies

To successfully complete this learning unit, you will be expected to:

1. Analyze the major assumptions of interpretive epistemologies and their merits and limitations.
2. Organize the tenets of phenomenology and hermeneutics into ontological, axiological, epistemological, and methodological assumptions.
3. Evaluate the methods interpretive epistemologies employ to build and test knowledge.

Unit 7 – Critical Theory and Epistemologies for Diverse Populations

To successfully complete this learning unit, you will be expected to:

1. Analyze the major assumptions of critical theory and their merits and limitations.
2. Analyze the major assumptions of feminist epistemologies and alternative epistemologies that target diverse populations and their merits and limitations.
3. Organize the tenets of critical theory and feminist epistemology into ontological, axiological, epistemological, and methodological assumptions.
4. Analyze the methods employed by critical theory and alternative epistemologies to build and validate knowledge.

Unit 8 – Epistemology in Human Services Practice, Professions, Professionalism

To successfully complete this learning unit, you will be expected to:

1. Differentiate between the philosophies of technical rationality and reflection in action.
2. Analyze how technical rationality and reflection in action are reflected in daily practice in various disciplines.
3. Analyze the process of professionalization in the human service disciplines.
4. Evaluate how knowledge claims or epistemological paradigms are used to legitimize professions.

Unit 9 – Epistemological Debates in Research

To successfully complete this learning unit, you will be expected to:

1. Contrast the philosophical underpinnings for quantitative and qualitative research designs.
2. Critically assess the strengths and limitations of quantitative and qualitative research designs for theory testing and building.
3. Trace and analyze the epistemological debates regarding the use of quantitative and qualitative research.

Unit 10 – Course Wrap-Up

To successfully complete this learning unit, you will be expected to:

1. Analyze a practice theory, including its assumptions, scope, and main intervention strategies.

Syllabus

Course Outline

Unit 1 – Epistemology: Ways of Knowing

To successfully complete this learning unit, you will be expected to:

1. Evaluate the knowledge bases that contribute to practice and research in the different human service disciplines.
2. Critique the merits and limitations of personal experience, tradition, authority, trust, and intuition as alternative knowledge bases.

Unit 2 – Scientific Paradigms, Theory Building, and Validation

To successfully complete this learning unit, you will be expected to:

1. Analyze the role of theories in practice and in empirical research.
2. Contrast the use of theories in quantitative and qualitative studies.
3. Discuss Thomas Kuhn's assumptions about the progression of science.

Unit 3 – Logical Positivism and Empiricism

To successfully complete this learning unit, you will be expected to:

1. Analyze the major assumptions of logical positivism or empiricism, and their merits and limitations.
2. Organize the tenets of logical positivism into ontological, axiological, epistemological, and methodological assumptions.
3. Evaluate the methods logical positivism employs to build and test knowledge.
4. Assess how logical positivism is used to advance practice knowledge and theories.

Unit 4 – Postpositivism and Postmodernism

To successfully complete this learning unit, you will be expected to:

1. Analyze the major assumptions of postpositivism and postmodernism and their merits and limitations.
2. Organize the tenets of postpositivism and postmodernism into ontological, axiological, epistemological, and methodological assumptions.
3. Evaluate the methods postpositivism and postmodernism employed to build and test knowledge.

Unit 5 – Part 1 of Final Paper and Midcourse Reflection

To successfully complete this learning unit, you will be expected to:

1. Complete Part 1 of the course project.

Unit 6 – Interpretive and Social Constructivist Epistemologies

To successfully complete this learning unit, you will be expected to:

1. Analyze the major assumptions of interpretive epistemologies and their merits and limitations.
2. Organize the tenets of phenomenology and hermeneutics into ontological, axiological, epistemological, and methodological assumptions.
3. Evaluate the methods interpretive epistemologies employ to build and test knowledge.

Unit 7 – Critical Theory and Epistemologies for Diverse Populations

To successfully complete this learning unit, you will be expected to:

1. Analyze the major assumptions of critical theory and their merits and limitations.
2. Analyze the major assumptions of feminist epistemologies and alternative epistemologies that target diverse populations and their merits and limitations.
3. Organize the tenets of critical theory and feminist epistemology into ontological, axiological, epistemological, and methodological assumptions.
4. Analyze the methods employed by critical theory and alternative epistemologies to build and validate knowledge.

Unit 8 – Epistemology in Human Services Practice, Professions, Professionalism

To successfully complete this learning unit, you will be expected to:

1. Differentiate between the philosophies of technical rationality and reflection in action.
2. Analyze how technical rationality and reflection in action are reflected in daily practice in various disciplines.
3. Analyze the process of professionalization in the human service disciplines.
4. Evaluate how knowledge claims or epistemological paradigms are used to legitimize professions.

Unit 9 – Epistemological Debates in Research

To successfully complete this learning unit, you will be expected to:

1. Contrast the philosophical underpinnings for quantitative and qualitative research designs.
2. Critically assess the strengths and limitations of quantitative and qualitative research designs for theory testing and building.
3. Trace and analyze the epistemological debates regarding the use of quantitative and qualitative research.

Unit 10 – Course Wrap-Up

To successfully complete this learning unit, you will be expected to:

1. Analyze a practice theory, including its assumptions, scope, and main intervention strategies.

Wish me luck!