Course Information
SemesterCourse Unit CodeCourse Unit TitleT+P+LCreditNumber of ECTS CreditsLast Updated Date
8EGK052History and Philosophy of Science2+0+02307.10.2026
Course Details
Language of Instruction Turkish
Level of Course Unit Bachelor's Degree
Department / Program Pre-School Teaching
Type of Program Formal Education
Type of Course Unit Elective
Course Delivery Method Face To Face
Objectives of the Course This course aims to enable pre-service teachers to: (A1) understand types of knowledge, the characteristics of scientific knowledge and the basic elements of the scientific method; (A2) follow, from a holistic perspective, the historical development of scientific explanations of the universe and humankind and of science and philosophy from the first civilizations to the present; (A3) critically discuss the impact of scientific revolutions on social transformation and the main approaches in the philosophy of science; (A4) develop the habit of approaching events from a scientific perspective and recognize the importance of this perspective in supporting children ` s curiosity in early childhood.
Course Content Science, philosophy and the scientific method; types of knowledge and characteristics of scientific knowledge; the human story and science in Mesopotamia, Egypt, India and China; science and philosophy in Ancient Greece; science and philosophy in medieval Europe, scholastic philosophy and the Islamic cultural world; science and philosophy in the Renaissance, the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment; classification of the sciences and science in the 19th century; the Vienna Circle, Popper and falsifiability; Kuhn and paradigms; models of the universe, Earth ` s place in the universe, the cosmic calendar and evolution; relations between science, scientism, ideology, ethics and religion; the Frankfurt School and critiques of science in the 20th and 21st centuries; turning children ` s questions into scientific thinking in early childhood.
Course Methods and Techniques Lecture, question and answer, discussion, case study, group work, simple experiments and demonstrations, timeline and concept map activities, written reflection.
Prerequisites and co-requisities None
Course Coordinator Asist Prof.Dr. Mehmet Ceylan mehmet.ceylan@hku.edu.tr
Name of Lecturers Asist Prof.Dr. Mehmet Ceylan mehmet.ceylan@hku.edu.tr
Assistants None
Work Placement(s) No

Recommended or Required Reading
Resources Topdemir, H. G. (2025). Bilim tarihi ve felsefesi [History and philosophy of science]. Pegem Akademi.
Davis, J. C. (2005). The human story (B. Bıçakçı, Trans.). Türkiye İş Bankası Kültür Yayınları.
Hawking, S., & Mlodinow, L. (2005). A briefer history of time (S. Öğünç, Trans.). Doğan Kitap.
Sagan, C. (2016). Pale blue dot (S. Sertabiboğlu, Trans.). Ayrıntı Yayınları.
Course Notes Topdemir, H. G. (2025). Bilim tarihi ve felsefesi [History and philosophy of science]. Pegem Akademi.
Reading books (at least two must be read): Davis, J. C. (2005). The human story (Turkish translation). Türkiye İş Bankası Kültür Yayınları; Hawking, S., & Mlodinow, L. (2005). A briefer history of time (Turkish translation). Doğan Kitap; Sagan, C. (2016). Pale blue dot (Turkish translation). Ayrıntı Yayınları.
Lecture notes are shared via Google Classroom.

Course Category
Social Sciences %100

Planned Learning Activities and Teaching Methods
Activities are given in detail in the section of "Assessment Methods and Criteria" and "Workload Calculation"

Assessment Methods and Criteria
In-Term Studies Quantity Percentage
Mid-terms 1 % 40
Final examination 1 % 60
Total
2
% 100

 
ECTS Allocated Based on Student Workload
Activities Quantity Duration Total Work Load
Course Duration 14 2 28
Hours for off-the-c.r.stud 14 2 28
Assignments 2 6 12
Mid-terms 1 8 8
Final examination 1 14 14
Total Work Load   Number of ECTS Credits 3 90

 
Course Learning Outcomes: Upon the successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
Bilgi 
1 Distinguishes scientific knowledge from everyday, philosophical and religious knowledge in terms of its source, method and mode of verification.
3 Explains the historical change of scientific explanations of the universe, the origin of life and humankind.
4 Explains the development of science and philosophy from the first civilizations to the Enlightenment with the main thinkers of each period and their contributions.
Beceri 
2 Evaluates whether a claim is scientific based on the characteristics of scientific knowledge and the criterion of falsifiability.
5 Analyzes a scientific revolution in terms of paradigm shift and its social effects.
6 Compares the main approaches in the philosophy of science (logical positivism, falsificationism, critical theory) in terms of their views of science.
Yetkinlik 
7 Develops a proposal to turn a preschool child ` s question into a learning opportunity that leads the child to observe, predict and experiment.

 
Weekly Detailed Course Contents
WeekTopicsStudy MaterialsMaterials
1 Course introduction. How do we know something? Types of knowledge Reading the syllabus. Study questions: How do we know that we know something? What is the difference between believing and knowing? Course syllabus; lecture notes (Classroom)
2 The story of humankind and science in the first civilisations: Mesopotamia, Egypt, India and China Weekly reading. Study questions: How did the agricultural revolution affect the birth of scientific knowledge? What is the difference between practical and theoretical knowledge? Davis (2005); Topdemir (2025)
3 Historical development of the sciences and philosophy – 1: pre-Greek and Greek periods; the birth of philosophy Weekly reading. Study questions: Why is the question "What is the primary substance of everything?" considered the beginning of science? How did Eratosthenes measure the Earth ` s circumference? Topdemir (2025)
4 Historical development of the sciences and philosophy – 2: medieval Europe, scholastic thought and science in the Islamic world Weekly reading. Study questions: Were the Middle Ages really "dark"? What role did the translation movement play in the continuity of science? Topdemir (2025)
5 Historical development of the sciences and philosophy – 3: the Renaissance, the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment Weekly reading. Study questions: What makes the Scientific Revolution a "revolution"? What does the Galileo affair tell us about the relationship between science and authority? Topdemir (2025); Hawking & Mlodinow (2005), chapter on Newton ` s universe
6 On science and philosophy: characteristics of scientific and philosophical knowledge, the scientific method Weekly reading. Study questions: What conditions must knowledge meet to be scientific? Why does induction not provide certain knowledge? Topdemir (2025)
7 Classification of the sciences and science in the nineteenth century Weekly reading. Study questions: According to Comte, what stages does knowledge go through? Did the theory of evolution change only biology? Topdemir (2025)
8 Midterm exam Review of weeks 1–7 Topdemir (2025)
9 Philosophy of science – 1: the Vienna Circle, verifiability and Popper’s criterion of falsifiability Weekly reading. Study questions: How can the statement "All swans are white" be verified or falsified? Why is astrology not a science? Topdemir (2025)
10 Philosophy of science – 2: science from the twentieth century to the present; Kuhn and paradigms Weekly reading. Study questions: According to Kuhn, does science progress cumulatively or through revolutions? Where do Popper ` s and Kuhn ` s views of science differ? Topdemir (2025); Hawking & Mlodinow (2005), chapters on relativity and quantum theory (optional)
11 Thinking about the universe: from a flat earth to an expanding universe Weekly reading. Study questions: What should a good scientific theory do? Why do we trust a theory if it can never be conclusively proven? Hawking & Mlodinow (2005), first chapters
12 Our place in the universe: the pale blue dot Weekly reading. Study questions: What does the "pale blue dot" photograph tell us? How does this awareness affect our responsibility towards the Earth? Sagan (2016)
13 The cosmic calendar and life on Earth Weekly reading. Study questions: How many seconds does human history correspond to on the cosmic calendar? What evidence is the theory of evolution based on? Sagan (2016); lecture notes (cosmic calendar and evidence for evolution)
14 Science, scientism, ideology, ethics and religion; the Frankfurt School and critiques of science in the 20th–21st centuries Reviewing sources used during the semester. Study questions: Is the idea that science can answer every question a scientific claim? How should a teacher respond to a child ` s "Why?" question? Topdemir (2025); sources used during the semester
15 Overall review Review of all topics and reading books Topdemir (2025); reading books
16 Final exam Review of all topics and reading books Topdemir (2025); reading books

 
Sustainable Development Goals
Contribution of Learning Outcomes to Programme Outcomes
P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 P6 P7 P8 P9 P10 P11 P12 P13 P14
All 2 2 4 3 3 4 5 2 1 3
In1 3 4 2
In3 4 4 4 3
In4 3 4
Sk2 3 5 2
Sk5 3 3 4 1 2
Sk6 4 3 4 3
Co7 2 2 3 3 3 2 2 2 1

  Contribution: 1: Very Slight 2:Slight 3:Moderate 4:Significant 5:Very Significant