CORE041 Science – the greatest project of mankind

Faculty of Science
Autumn 2024
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 3 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
Teacher(s)
doc. Mgr. Jan Havliš, Dr. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
doc. Mgr. Jan Havliš, Dr.
National Centre for Biomolecular Research – Faculty of Science
Contact Person: RNDr. Pavel Lízal, Ph.D.
Supplier department: National Centre for Biomolecular Research – Faculty of Science
Timetable
Mon 17:00–18:50 B22/116 aula, except Mon 21. 10. ; and Mon 21. 10. 17:00–18:50 Kinosál N02901
Prerequisites
!TYP_STUDIA(ND) && !FORMA(C) && (!PROGRAM(B-UCB) && !PROGRAM(B-UCC) && !PROGRAM(B-UCF) && !PROGRAM(B-UCM) && !PROGRAM(B-UCZ) && !PROGRAM(B-LGM))
Interest in science and all that accompanies it.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is offered to students of any study field.
Course objectives
The main objective of the course is to convey an understanding of the broader context of science and scientific knowledge, as this understanding is not only important for good scientific practice, which is at the heart of any higher education, regardless of the discipline chosen, but is also relevant to our everyday lives in a complex modern society.
Learning outcomes
at the end of this course, the student will be able to:
understand why science has evolved within human society
understand how science is a unique tool for the acquisition of useful knowledge
understand how science influences our society and its functioning
Syllabus
  • 1) assumptions of the origin and existence of science as a social institution - the human mind, cognition and cooperative behaviour, the nature of the world around us and science as the resulting methodised cognition
  • 2) the procedures and ways in which the methodology of scientific knowledge can be fulfilled - asking and answering questions correctly so that the knowledge gained is maximally useful and correct
  • 3) the societal aspects of such methodical knowledge - science and technology, science and education, the ethics of scientific work
Teaching methods
the lecture is based on ppt presentation, its explication and discussion to this explication. the presentation itself will be available as study material (black-and-white printable pdf with high resolution and restricted access rights). it is recommended to attend the lecture because of the explication, which significantly extends the presentation.
Assessment methods
The course CORE041 is completed by a colloquium, which you will pass using one of the options. The first one is to complete by filling in the answer sheet in the study materials. The answer sheet is a DOCX text file; mark and type your answers directly into the answer sheet and hand it into the relevant drop-off folder. It consists of 18 single-choice questions and 9 short open-ended questions. For the single-choice questions, always choose the one you think is correct from the three options offered, and be sure to give a brief reason, without which the answer is invalid. For the open-ended questions, focus on the aspects you consider the most relevant. Each heading is worth 3 points; passing the colloquium is equivalent to obtaining 17 out of 27 points.

Group mini-projects are an alternative course completion. The main task will be to think about the problem and form an informed opinion. Completion of at least two group mini-project assignments will be adequate to successful completion of the course. The focus of the group project will be to analyze a problem related to the course content (methodology and ethics of science, social assumptions and implications of science) and propose a solution. The analysis should include a description and summary of the selected problem, supported by citations of relevant academic sources. Based on the analysis, an eventual solution should be proposed as a synthesis of ideas. This is not a search for absolute and perfect solutions, but a reflection on the possibilities and their realism. An understanding of the problem should aid such reflection. Groups will be a minimum of three and a maximum of five, with each member declaring their contribution to the development of the project. It is possible (even recommended) to use generative artificial intelligence (genAI) in the preparation of the text, however, it is necessary to include the following information as an attachment: the type of genAI used, the exact formulation of the prompts and the exact formulation of the outputs of the genAI (which you can then edit freely in the text). The required range is 5400 to 9000 characters including spaces. Projects will be due by the end of the examination period.

mini-project 01 - what is the role of cooperation in modern society?
mini-project 02 - how can we deal with unethical behaviour in science and research?
mini-project 03 - is science and technology necessary for human society?
mini-project 04 - do we need specific, general education about how science works in contemporary society?
mini-project 05 - what is the role of denialism in contemporary society and how to deal with it?
mini-project 06 - how to have an effective dialogue between science and scientists and the general public?
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2022, Autumn 2023.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/sci/autumn2024/CORE041