FHV315 Philosophy of Science and Research Methods, Public Health

The course provides an introduction to the philosophy of science and various quantitative and qualitative research designs. The course aims to prepare the students for their independent research work with the project plan (FHV353) and the master's thesis (M30-FOL).

Emphasis is placed on giving the students an increased understanding of the philosophy of science, as well as an increased understanding of the connection between different research questions and the choice of research design. The course highlights different qualitative and quantitative research designs, data collection methods, and analytical tools. For example, the students be given a practical introduction to basic statistics, key statistical concepts, and relevant statistics programs, as well as qualitative data collection methods such as interviews, observation, and documents. The course will enable students to critically assess and reflect upon the researcher's role, and work in line with current research ethics and the quality criteria in research.

Knowledge:

• Have knowledge of important traditions within the philosophy of science and approaches relevant to the field.
• Have knowledge of the ethical issues related to research in the field.
• Have knowledge of qualitative and quantitative research design, data collection methods, and data analysis traditions.
• Have knowledge of assessing the quality of qualitative and quantitative research.

Skills

• Be able to reflect critically and independently on relationships between research questions, research design, choice of methodology and research ethics.
• Be able to use important qualitative and quantitative methods and software for analysis.
• Be able to reflect critically on the choice of research design, methodology and research results based on scientific arguments.

Competence

• Be able to apply their knowledge and skills on research related issues
• Be able to analyze and handle relevant ethical issues connected to practice and research
• Be able to communicate issues connected to the field, and analyzes and conclusions based on the discipline's expression, both with experts and the public
• Be able to contribute to innovation in research and evidence-based practice and participate in professional critical reflection.