FACULTY OF COMMUNICATION

Department of Public Relations and Advertising

GENS 207 | Course Introduction and Application Information

Course Name
Scientific Thinking and Society
Code
Semester
Theory
(hour/week)
Application/Lab
(hour/week)
Local Credits
ECTS
GENS 207
Fall/Spring
3
0
3
4

Prerequisites
None
Course Language
English
Course Type
Service Course
Course Level
First Cycle
Mode of Delivery -
Teaching Methods and Techniques of the Course -
Course Coordinator -
Course Lecturer(s)
Assistant(s) -
Course Objectives The aim of this course is to help the students to develop a critical perspective about science and its relationship with society. In the first part of the course, the period during which modern science was born will be discussed in a broader fashion. In the second part, the focus will be on a series of issues taken from more recent periods of history of science. This course is for students that are interested in popular science.
Learning Outcomes The students who succeeded in this course;
  • to grasp science as a social activity and
  • to discuss how it is related with the society that generates it
  • to formulate an opinion on why modern science was born in Europe in 17th century, and not in another place and time
  • to express in what ways scientists’ understanding of the World and the Universe has changed after the “Scientific Revolution”
  • to recognize the examples of pseudoscience
  • to understand why the examples of pseudoscience are qualified as such
Course Description This course is designed to discuss the relationship between science and the society that generates it.

 



Course Category

Core Courses
Major Area Courses
Supportive Courses
Media and Management Skills Courses
Transferable Skill Courses

 

WEEKLY SUBJECTS AND RELATED PREPARATION STUDIES

Week Subjects Related Preparation
1 Introduction; presentation of the course and related questions; The Three Revolutions Course syllabus
2 Types of Societies and their technologies Machionis, J. (2017) “Society and Technology”
3 Sapiens and the Cognitive Revolution Harari, Y. (2015), Sapiens. A Brief History of Humankind, Part One: The Cognitive Revolution
4 Guns, Germs, and Steel I: Yali’s Question Diamond, J. (1997), Guns, Germs and Steel, Prologue: “Yali’s Question”; Part I “From Eden to Cajamarca”
5 Guns, Germs and Steel II: Agricultural Revolution Diamond, J. (1997), Guns, Germs and Steel, Part 2: “The Rise and The Spread of Food Production”
6 Dawn of Civilizations, Birth of Natural Philosophy and the Aristotelian Worldview Lecture Notes
7 Ptolemy and the Geocentric Model Lecture Notes
8 Nicholaus Copernicus and the Heliocentric Model Gribbin, J. (2002), Science: A History Chapter 1, “Renaissance Men” pp. 21-32
9 Tycho Brahe and his observations & Johannes Kepler and the movement of planets Gribbin, J. (2002), Science: A History Chapter 2, “The Last Mystics”
10 First Scientists: Galileo and others, Part I Gribbin, J. (2002), Science: A History Chapter 3, “The First Scientists”
11 First Scientists: Galileo and others, Part II Gribbin, J. (2002), Science: A History Chapter 3, “The First Scientists”
12 René Descartes, Christiaan Huygens, Robert Boyle and first steps of science Gribbin, J. (2002), Science: A History Chapter 4, “Renaissance Men” (Descartes: pp. 118-126; Boyle pp.
13 Robert Hooke and Isaac Newton Gribbin, J. (2002) Science: A History Chapter 5, “Newtonian Revolution” (Hooke: pp. 151-164; Newton pp. 172-188)
14 Semester Review Lecture Notes
15 Review of the Semester
16 Final examination

 

Course Notes/Textbooks

Reading 1: Machionis, J. (2017) “Society and Technology”, in Machionis, J. (2017) Sociology, 16th Edition, pp. 118-123, Pearson: Hoboken

Reading 2: Harari, Y. (2015), Sapiens. A Brief History of Humankind, HarperCollins: New York

Reading 3: Diamond, J. (1997), Guns, Germs and Steel. The Fates of Human Societies, W. W. Norton: New York

Reading 4: Gribbin, J. (2002), Science: A History 1543–2001, Penguin: London

Suggested Readings/Materials

 

EVALUATION SYSTEM

Semester Activities Number Weigthing
Participation
Laboratory / Application
Field Work
Quizzes / Studio Critiques
Portfolio
Homework / Assignments
Presentation / Jury
Project
Seminar / Workshop
Oral Exams
Midterm
2
60
Final Exam
1
40
Total

Weighting of Semester Activities on the Final Grade
3
60
Weighting of End-of-Semester Activities on the Final Grade
1
40
Total

ECTS / WORKLOAD TABLE

Semester Activities Number Duration (Hours) Workload
Theoretical Course Hours
(Including exam week: 16 x total hours)
16
3
48
Laboratory / Application Hours
(Including exam week: '.16.' x total hours)
16
0
Study Hours Out of Class
16
1
16
Field Work
0
Quizzes / Studio Critiques
0
Portfolio
0
Homework / Assignments
0
Presentation / Jury
0
Project
0
Seminar / Workshop
0
Oral Exam
0
Midterms
2
15
30
Final Exam
1
20
20
    Total
114

 

COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES AND PROGRAM QUALIFICATIONS RELATIONSHIP

#
Program Competencies/Outcomes
* Contribution Level
1
2
3
4
5
1

To be able to critically interpret theories, concepts, methods, instruments and ideas that form the basis of Public Relations and Advertising field.

2

To be able to collect and use necessary data to produce content in the field of Public Relations and Advertising with scientific methods.

3

To be able to use theoretical knowledge gained in the field of Public Relations and Advertising in practice.

4

To be able to use analytical thinking skills in the field of Public Relations and Advertising.

5

To be able to convey creative ideas and solution suggestions supported by scientific data in written and oral form to stakeholders.

6

To be able to take responsibility as individual and group members to solve problems encountered in the practice of Public Relations and Advertising field.

7

To be able to develop solutions that favor public good and raise awareness by having knowledge about regional, national and global issues and problems.

8

To be able to relate the basic knowledge of other disciplines supporting the field of Public Relations and Advertising with his/her own field of expertise.

9

To be able to use the knowledge, skills and competencies acquired by following regulations, innovations, changes, current developments, and occupational health and safety practices closely in the field of Public Relations and Advertising; in a lifelong manner and for individual and social purposes.

10

To be able to collect, interpret and share data by considering social, scientific and professional ethical values in the field of Public Relations and Advertising.

11

To be able to collect data in the areas of Public Relations and Advertising and communicate with colleagues in a foreign language ("European Language Portfolio Global Scale", Level B1)

12

To be able to speak a second foreign at a medium level of fluency efficiently.

13

To be able to relate the knowledge accumulated throughout the human history to their field of expertise.

*1 Lowest, 2 Low, 3 Average, 4 High, 5 Highest

 


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