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Epistemology of Social Sciences

Code: 101128
Credits: 6
2026/2027
Degree programme Type Course
Sociology OB 3

Contact lecturer

Name :
Anna Berga Timoneda
Email :
anna.berga@uab.cat

Group languages

You can consult this information at the end of the document.

Prerequisites

There is no prerequisites

Objectives

The course of Epistemology of Social Sciences invites the student to develop a critical perspective and a reflexive habit on the practice of sociology. The accent of the course is put in the analysis of the particularities of sociological discourse in relation to its practice, that is, with the profession of sociologist. It is not, then, a course based on theories, but rather it intends to promote the capacity for epistemological vigilance at the service of a rigorous professional practice, regardless of the theoretical perspective that follows. To achieve this purpose, the course is developed in three blocks of contents: brief previous observations on the sociological perspective; some considerations about scientific knowledge and the conditions of its production in social sciences and, finally, a review of the particular epistemological problems posed by research in sociology and the dissemination of sociological knowledge.

Learning outcomes

  1. Students must be capable of managing their own time, planning their own study, managing the relationship with their tutor or adviser, as well as setting and meeting deadlines for a work project.
  2. Developing critical thinking and reasoning and communicating them effectively both in your own and other languages.
  3. Developing self-learning strategies.
  4. Respecting the diversity and plurality of ideas, people and situations.
  5. Defining the main micro and macro sociological concepts.
  6. Recognising the sociological implications of several intellectual debates (about the subject, action, social order, language, etc.).
  7. Identifying the use of these approaches in different moments of the sociological theory.
  8. Relating their usage and criticism in the historical context in which they emerged.
  9. Rearranging the different meanings of the problems derived from the application of public policies and conflict situations.
  10. Documenting their connections with several sociological hypothesis, observing the epistemological distinction between facts and value judgements.

Contents

GENERAL PROGRAM


The Sociological Perspective


1. Sociology and reflexivity

2. Body of knowledge or perspective?

3. Social and sociological problems

4. Common knowlege and sociological knowledge

5. Positive ingenuity and systematization of doubt


The production of sociological knowledge


  1. On \"reality\"
  2. Thought and action. Theory and provocation
  3. An indiciary epistemology
  4. Sociology and art
  5. Metaphors and paradoxes


The office of sociologist as Pierre Bourdieu. Epistemological challenges


  1. The initiation to the trade
  2. Relational thinking
  3. The radical doubt
  4. Criticism of cultured tradition
  5. Participating objectivation



Practical sessions


  1. Why Sociology?
  2. Un exercici de crítica epistemològica
  3. Social problem-Sociological problem
  4. What is science?
  5. Art and Sociology
  6. Feminist Epistemologies
  7. Cience and Religion
  8. Discussion about reflexivity in sociological practice




Learning activities and methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Group working 16 0.64
Readings proposed at the seminars 60 2.4
Seminary sessions 22 0.88
Individual work 8 0.32
Presentation sessions on the subjects of course 22 0.88

The methodology that will be followed during the Epistemology of Social Sciences will be based on what is defended by the subject's program: reflexivity. Therefore, the activity will be divided as follows:

1. A common two-hour weekly session to establish a minimum critical starting point on the concepts to be used

2. A second weekly session of two hours in order to develop practical sessions and seminars from materials that will be distributed in a timely manner. All sessions are open to participation, but the second ones, in a special way, will be devoted to the debate. In these second sessions, it will usually be based on a brief reflection in order to tackle the subsequent debate. The discussion materials will be added to the Virtual Campus.

3. A compulsory reading will be required from among those proposed in the bibliography, which in the final exam will be related to the topic presented.

The methodology, on the other hand, will seek to fulfill the competencies provided for this subject as closely as possible.

Annotation: within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Assessment

Continuous assessment activities

Title Weight Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
1. Seminar exercises 10 % 5 0.2 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, 10
4. Final group work 35 % 12 0.48 1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 10
2. Self-analysis essay 20% 3 0.12 1, 2, 3, 8
3. Written exam on the reflexive sociology 35 % 2 0.08 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

The continuous assessment will take into account:

a. a brief essay on what led you to study sociology (self-socioanalysis exercise) (20 per cent).
b. practical exercises, carried out in the classroom throughout the course, of reflection and debate on the subject. Active participation will be assessed (10 per cent).
c. a final course work, carried out in a group (3 members) of epistemological critique, written and with oral presentation in the classroom (35 per cent).
d. a final exam on the contents of the syllabus developed in class, and in relation to the compulsory readings (35 per cent).

 

Regular class attendance (minimum 70%), which will be assessed randomly, is necessary in order to be able to follow the continuous assessment.

Passing the course means having passed each of the parts independently.

 

Single evaluation 

In the event that you can not attend the class regularly for justified reasons, at the beginning of the course you can opt for the single evaluation. This will consist on a series of readings indicated by the teacher at the begining of the course (40%), and a final exam on the overall content of the subject (60%). The date of submission will be anounced at the beginning of the course. 

 

Use of artificial intelligence: In this subject, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is not allowed in any of its phases. Any work that includes fragments generated with AI will be considered a lack of academic honesty and may lead to a partial or total penalty in the grade of the activity, or higher penalties in serious cases.

 

Non-assessable: Students who have not submitted any of the assessment activities will be classified as \"no avaluable\".

 

In case of plagiarism, the evaluation of the activity will be 0

Bibliography

Basic Bibliography

Compulsory

Pierre Bourdieu “La pràctica de la sociologia reflexiva” a Per una sociologia reflexiva. Barcelona. Herder, 1994, pp. 189-229. (Edició original: Réponses.Pour une anthropologie réflexive. París. Éd. du Seuil, 1992. Ed. espanyola: Una invitación a la sociología reflexiva. Siglo XXI, 2005)

Salvador Cardús, ed. La mirada del sociòleg. Barcelona: Proa, 1999, p. 171-198


Complementary Bibliography


Sociological perspective


Bauman, Z. (2014). ¿Para qué sirve realmente un sociólogo? Paidós.

Berger, P. L., & Berger, B. (1976). Sociology: A biographical approach. Penguin Books.

Braham, P. (2013). Key concepts in sociology. Sage.

Bruce, S. (1999). Sociology: A very short introduction. Oxford University Press.

Collins, R. (1992). Sociological insight: An introduction to non-obvious sociology. Oxford University Press.

Game, A., & Metcalfe, A. (1996). Passionate sociology. Sage.

Nisbet, R. (1979). La sociología como forma de arte. Espasa-Calpe.

Osborne, R., & Van Loon, B. (1998). Sociology for beginners. Icon Books.


Epistemological reflections


Bank, M. (2015). Visual methods in social research. Sage.

Berga, A. (2003). La violència: Problema o símptoma? Una mirada sociològica. Educació Social, 23, 11–22.

Berger, P. (1992), Sociología: ¿se anula la invitación? Facetas. Amorrortu, pp. 39-42.

Biglia, B. (2015). Avances, dilemas y retos de la epistemología feminista en la investigación social. A I. Mendia, M. Lúxan, M. Legarreta, G. Guzmán, I. Zirion, & J. Azpiazu (Eds.), Otras formas de (re)conocer (pp. 21–44). Universidad del País Vasco (UPV/EHU), Hegoa i SIMReF.

Bourdieu, P. (1973). Le métier de sociologue (2a ed.). Mouton.

Bourdieu, P. (2001). Science de la science et réflexivité. Raisons d'Agir Éditions.

Bourdieu, P. (2008). Esbós d'autoanàlisi. Publicacions de la Universitat de València.

Bricmont, J., & Sokal, A. (1999). Impostures intel·lectuals. Empúries.

Cardús, S., & Estruch, J. (1986). Teoria i provocació. Papers, 26, 69–104.

Chalmers, A. F. (1982). ¿Qué es esa cosa llamada ciencia? Siglo XXI.

Corsi, G., Esposito, E., & Baraldi, C. (1996). Paradoja. A Glosario sobre la teoría social de Niklas Luhmann (pp. 123–126). Universidad Iberoamericana.

Estradé, A. (1981). Paradoxes: Apunts per a una epistemologia paradoxal en sociologia. Papers: Revista de Sociologia, (15), 47–67.

Feyerabend, P. (1981). Tratado contra el método. Tecnos.

Gadamer, H.-G. (2011). La primacía hermenéutica de la pregunta. A Verdad y método I (pp. 439–458).

Ginzburg, C. (1983). Señales. Raíces de un paradigma indiciario. A Crisis de la razón. Nuevos modelos en la relación entre saber y actividad humana. Siglo XXI.

Huff, D. (2011). Cómo mentir con estadísticas. Ares y Mares.

Kołakowski, L. (1994). Husserl y la búsqueda de la certeza. Alianza.

Lakoff, G., & Johnson, M. (1995). Metáforas de la vida cotidiana (C. González Marín, Trad.). Cátedra. (Treball original publicat el 1980)

Locke, D. (1997). La ciencia como escritura. Cátedra. (Treball original publicat el 1992).

Luhmann, N. (2000). ¿Cuál es el caso? Y ¿qué esconde detrás del mismo? Las dos sociologías y la teoría de la sociedad. POLIS México, 293–314.

Piovani, J., & Muñiz, L. (2018). ¿Condenados a la reflexividad? Apuntes para repensar el proceso de investigación social. CLACSO.

Poupeau, F., & Suárez, H. J. (2007). Pierre Bourdieu: Un auto-análisis no biográfico. Revista Temas Sociológicos, 12, 251–278.

Terricabras, J.-M. (1995). Fer filosofia, avui. Edicions 62.

Terricabras, J.-M. (1997). Atreveix-te a pensar. La Campana.

Tusón, J. (2008). Això és (i no és) allò. Ara Llibres.

Wagensberg, J. (2006a). A más cómo, menos por qué. Tusquets.

Wagensberg, J. (2006b). Si la naturaleza es la respuesta, ¿cuál es la pregunta? Tusquets.

Watzlawick, P. (1984). El arte de amargarse la vida. Herder.

Watzlawick, P. (1992). ¿Es real la realidad? (5a ed.). Herder.

Weber, M. (2005). La ciència i la política. Publicacions de la Universitat de València.

Wirth, L. (1978). Pròleg. A K. Mannheim, Ideologia i utopia (pp. 27–42). Edicions 62.



Fiction and essay



Chesterton, G. K. (1965). La innocència del Pare Brown. Plaza & Janés.

Chesterton, G. K. (1969). L'home que fou dijous. Edicions 62.

Ernaux, A. (2024). El lloc. Angle Editorial.

Foster Wallace, D. (2014). L'aigua és això. Edicions del Periscopi.

Lakoff, G. (2008). No pensis en un elefant! Llenguatge i debat polític. Viena Edicions



Magazins and webs

Mètode: www.metode.cat

Singularity University: www.su.org

Heterodox Academy: https://heterodoxacademy.org

Medium. Intersection of Science, Art and Business: www.medium.com


Software

Any text editor

Course groups and languages

The information provided is provisional until November 30. After this date, you will be able to consult the language of each group through this link. To access the information, you will need to enter the course CODE

Type of teaching Group Language Semester Shift
(TE) Theory 1 Catalan second semester morning-mixed
(SEM) Seminars 1 Catalan second semester morning-mixed
(TE) Theory 51 Catalan second semester afternoon
(SEM) Seminars 51 Catalan second semester afternoon