Science (SCIE) 326
Scientific Reasoning (Revision 4)
Revision 5 is closed for registrations, replaced by current version
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Delivery Mode: Individualized study online
Credits: 3
Area of Study: Science
Prerequisite: Twelve credits of university-level science courses including at least six credits in courses with lab components.
Centre: Centre for Science
SCIE 326 has a Challenge for Credit option.
Overview
This course deals with both the formal and informal aspects of scientific reasoning. Topics covered include: what is science? what is reason? the scientific method; relations between theory and experiment; scientific paradigms; explanation and prediction; what is a scientific theory? principles of reasoning; systems of analytical reasoning; tools for analysis (Venn diagrams, classification, syllogisms, Boolean logic); statistical inference; traps and fallacies of reason; mathematics in science.
Evaluation
To receive credit for SCIE 326, you must achieve a course composite grade of at least “D” (50 percent). The weighting of the composite grade is as follows:
| 2 Essays (20% each) | Midterm Exam | Final Exam | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40% | 30% | 30% | 100% |
To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University's online Calendar.
Course Materials
Textbooks
Derry, Gregory N. What Science Is and How It Works. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1999.
Goldstein, Martin, and Inge Goldstein. The Experience of Science: An Interdisciplinary Approach. New York: Plenum, 1984.
Lee, Jeffrey A. The Scientific Endeavor: A Primer on Scientific Principles and Practice. San Francisco: Addison Wesley Longman, 2000.
Lessing, Doris. Prisons We Choose to Live Inside. New York: Harper and Row, 1986.
Toulmin, Stephen E. Foresight and Understanding: An Enquiry into the Aims of Science. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1961.
Other Materials
The course materials include two study guides and a student manual.
Challenge for Credit Course Overview
The Challenge for Credit process allows students to demonstrate that they have acquired a command of the general subject matter, knowledge, intellectual and/or other skills that would normally be found in a university level course.
Full information for the Challenge for Credit can be found in the Undergraduate Calendar.
- Undergraduate Challenge for Credit Policy
- Undergraduate Challenge for Credit Procedures
Challenge Evaluation
To receive credit for the SCIE 326 challenge registration, you must complete the two parts of the challenge exam and achieve a grade of at least “C-” (60 percent) on the entire exam.
Undergraduate Challenge for Credit Course Registration Form
Athabasca University reserves the right to amend course outlines occasionally and without notice. Courses offered by other delivery methods may vary from their individualized-study counterparts.
Opened in Revision 4, October 2, 2007.
View previous syllabus