Get updates on Eligibility, Admission, Placements Fees Structure
Quick Facts
| Medium Of Instructions | Mode Of Learning | Mode Of Delivery |
|---|---|---|
| English | Self Study | Video and Text Based |
Course Overview
Philosophical Foundations of Social Research program indulges in the nature of social science inquiry. The course covers many topics, such as the philosophy of science, ontology, epistemology, and applications in different areas. At the end of the course, participants will be familiar with the plurality of views in the intellectual community, applications of the philosophy of science in social sciences, analyze issues in social sciences, and practice scholarly discussions.
Philosophical Foundations of Social Research certification is an elective course in humanities and social sciences with no enrolment fee or prerequisites. It is an online undergraduate/postgraduate course that any interested candidates can join. The course is the result of a collaboration between IIT Guwahati and NPTEL. This AICTE approved FDP course will be taught by professor Sambit Mallick.
Philosophical Foundations of Social Research is an eight-week-long course with an e-certificate available for candidates. Participants will be given periodic assignments to evaluate their progress. A list of books is also available on the website for any additional studying.
The Highlights
- An introductory course in Humanities and social sciences
- Elective undergraduate/postgraduate course on Swayam
- Eight-week certification FDP course approved by AICTE
- Nil prerequisites
- The educator from IIT Guwahati
- Assignments and offline exam
- No enrolment fees
- The collaboration of IIT Guwahati and NPTEL
Programme Offerings
- No enrolment fees
- Elective undergraduate/postgraduate course on Swayam
- Educator from IIT Guwahati
- Collaboration of IIT Guwahati and NPTEL
- Eight-week certification FDP course approved by AICTE
- Assignments and offline exam
- Nil prerequisites
Courses and Certificate Fees
| Fees Informations | Certificate Availability | Certificate Providing Authority |
|---|---|---|
| INR 1000 | yes | IIT Guwahati (IITG) |
- Philosophical Foundations of Social Research training has an exam fee of Rs. 1,000. There is no enrollment or joining fee.
Philosophical Foundations of Social Research program fee structure
Course Name | Fee |
Philosophical Foundations of Social Research (Exam Fee) | Rs. 1,000 |
Eligibility Criteria
The Philosophical Foundations of Social Research program does not have any prerequisites or eligibility criteria for joining. Any interested candidate can become a participant.
Certificate Qualifying Details
There will be assignment submission and appearing for an offline exam to qualify for certification.
The offline exam will consist of 100 marks. 75% of the exam score will be taken to calculate the final score. Participants also need to submit all assignments and secure the minimum passing mark in the best six of eight assignments. 25% of the assignment score will be taken to calculate the final score.
The minimum passing final score is 40/100. However, only participants who secure at least 30/75 in the offline exam and 10/25 in the assignments will be given the certificate. If they do not fulfill these requirements, they will not be given the certificate regardless of the final score.
What you will learn
The aim of the Philosophical Foundations of Social Research program is to familiarise participants with the following topics:
- Philosophy of science and its application in social sciences
- Major differing social science classes and their metatheoretical foundations
- The plurality of views in social sciences
- Epistemology
- Ontology
Who it is for
Any interested individual can join the Philosophical Foundations of Social Research online course. It is best suited for students in undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in Humanities and Social Sciences.
Admission Details
Follow the Philosophical Foundations of Social Research by Swayam admission process given below and join the course.
- Go to the course website link https://onlinecourses.nptel.ac.in/noc21_hs42/preview and select ‘Sign in/Register
- In the sign-up sheet, use an appropriate account to log in or create a new registration account.
- In the website link, if the course enrollment process is open, click on join.
- To complete the exam process, fill the online form and pay the necessary exam fee.
Application Details
The Philosophical Foundations of Social Research program does not have a specific enrolment application form. Participants can use their existing Swayam/Microsoft/Google/Facebook account to sign in. alternatively, they can sign up by choosing a username and password and verifying a valid email address. For candidates who want to appear for the exam, there is an online exam form.
The Syllabus
- Introduction
- History of philosophy of social sciences
- Epistemology and ontology
- Empiricism and rationalism
- Auguste Comte and positivism
- Emile Durkheim
- Rules of sociological method
- Influence of sciences on sociology
- Objectivity in social sciences
- Social facts, autonomy of knowledge and the necessity of science
- Commonsense and science
- Comparative social sciences Organic analogy and precursor to functionalism
- Max Weber – I
- Positivism and neo Kantianism
- Methodology of social sciences
- Max Weber – II
- Methodological individualism
- (Meaningful) social action
- Interpretative understanding (verstehen) of social action: observatory and explanatory understanding
- Ideal types
- Karl Marx
- Idealism versus materialism
- Materialist conception of history
- Principles of dialectic
- Understanding nature
- Ideology and science: methodological implications
- Karl Popper: Principle of falsification
- Context of discovery and context of justification
- Hypothetico-deductive model
- Thomas Kuhn:Consensus-driven paradigm
- Normal science: tradition-bound activity
- Anomalies
- Crisis within normal scientific tradition
- Revolutionary science: tradition-shattering activity
- Positivism versus hermeneutics: conflicting traditions
- Natural sciences versus social sciences
- Objectivity and subjectivity in social sciences
- Quantitative and qualitative research traditions
- Conclusion
- Beginning of the end of social sciences philosophy
- Overview of the course
Evaluation process
Candidates who want to achieve the Philosophical Foundations of Social Research certification need to fill the online exam form and pay the exam fee. They need to appear for an offline proctored exam at one of the designated centers. All the information related to the exam - center details, date and schedule of the exam, exam duration, etc. will be made available to the participants.
Participants who secure the minimum required marks in the exam, as well as assignments and the final score, will be given the certificate. All three requirements need to be fulfilled to secure certification.
Instructors
IIT Guwahati (IITG) Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)
The minimum score required to pass the offline exam is 40/100.
The exam will be held in offline mode at the designated exam centers around the country. The details of the exam centers will be provided in advance to the participants.
There are no such prerequisites for the Philosophical Foundations of Social Research program.
No. Only digital copies of the certificate are available.
There are a total of eight assignments in this course.