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Humanities (02_XASHI)

  • Coefficient : 1
  • Hourly Volume: 27.0h (including 18.0h supervised)
    Labo : 18h supervised
    Out-of-schedule personal work : 9h
  • Including project : 9h supervised and 9h unsupervised project

AATs Lists

Description

Applied epistemology: Critical analysis of information

The second semester aims to test the method when dealing with scientific information, or information presented as such, originating from laboratories or disseminated in the media. This is an opportunity to highlight points to watch out for and to understand the processes that create the illusion of “plausibility” and therefore credibility. This course also offers the opportunity to put this knowledge into practice through an experimental project: the production of a short film about a scientific hoax. Topics: Media, agnotology, conspiracy, pseudoscience, hoaxes, semiology The objectives of this course are to provide students with knowledge about:

  • The mechanisms of scientific information dissemination in the media
  • Biases, errors, and conflicts of interest in publications and media articles
  • The manipulation techniques used in so-called “pseudo-scientific” and “conspiracy” theories

Learning Outcomes AAv (AAv)

  • AAv1 [10,E1, F2, G1] : By the end of the semester, students should be able to evaluate the credibility of scientific information, or information presented as such, whether it comes from a laboratory or is disseminated in the media, by identifying areas of concern such as biased protocols, conflicts of interest, methodological errors, hoaxes, and pseudoscientific processes.

  • AAv2 [17,E1, F1, E4] : By the end of the semester, students should be able to use the techniques that create the illusion of plausibility by designing a scientific hoax, and critically analyze the impact of these techniques on public perception.

Assessment methods

Average of several short assessments

Key Words

Critical thinking, epistemology, scientific method, Media, agnotology, conspiracy, pseudoscience, hoaxes, semiology

Prerequisites

Level of general culture corresponding to final year class.

Resources