Gertrude Hirsch Hadorn: Catalogue data in Autumn Semester 2017

Name	Prof. em. Dr. Gertrude Hirsch Hadorn
Address	Institut für Umweltentscheidungen ETH Zürich, CHN H 73.2 Universitätstrasse 16 8092 Zürich SWITZERLAND
Telephone	+41 44 632 58 93
E-mail	hirsch@retired.ethz.ch
URL	http://www.envphil.ethz.ch
Department	Environmental Systems Science
Relationship	Retired Adjunct Professor

Number	Title	ECTS	Hours	Lecturers
701-0019-00L	Readings in Environmental Thinking	3 credits	2S	J. Ghazoul, G. Hirsch Hadorn, A. Patt
Abstract	This course introduces students to foundational texts that led to the emergence of the environment as a subject of scientific importance, and shaped its relevance to society. Above all, the course seeks to give confidence and raise enthusiasm among students to read more widely around the broad subject of environmental sciences and management both during the course and beyond.
Learning objective	The course will provide students with opportunities to read, discuss, evaluate and interpret key texts that have shaped the environmental movement and, more specifically, the environmental sciences. Students will gain familiarity with the foundational texts, but also understand the historical context within which their academic and future professional work is based. More directly, the course will encourage debate and discussion of each text that is studied, from both the original context as well as the modern context. In so doing students will be forced to consider and justify the current societal relevance of their work.
Content	The course will be run as a ‘book reading club’. The first session will provide a short introduction as to how to explore a particular text (that is not a scientific paper) to identify the key points for discussion. Thereafter, in each week a text (typically a chapter from a book or a paper) considered to be seminal or foundational will be assigned by a course lecturer. The lecturer will introduce the selected text with a brief background of the historical and cultural context in which it was written, with some additional biographical information about the author. He/she will also briefly explain the justification for selecting the particular text. The students will read the text, with two to four students (depending on class size) being assigned to present it at the next session. Presentation of the text requires the students to prepare by, for example: • identifying the key points made within the text • identifying issues of particular personal interest and resonance • considering the impact of the text at the time of publication, and its importance now • evaluating the text from the perspective of our current societal and environmental position Such preparation would be supported by a mid-week ‘tutorial’ discussion (about 1 hour) with the assigning lecturer. These students will then present the text (for about 15 minutes) to the rest of the class during the scheduled class session, with the lecturer facilitating the subsequent class discussion (about 45 minutes). Towards the end of the session the presenting students will summarise the emerging points (5 minutes) and the lecturer will finish with a brief discussion of how valuable and interesting the text was (10 minutes). In the remaining 15 minutes the next text will be presented by the assigning lecturer for the following week.
Literature	The specific texts selected for discussion will vary, but examples include: Leopold (1949) A Sand County Almanach Carson (1962) Silent Spring Egli, E. (1970) Natur in Not. Gefahren der Zivilisationslandschaft Lovelock (1979) Gaia: A new look at life on Earth Naess (1973) The Shallow and the Deep. Roderick F. Nash (1989) The Rights of Nature Jared Diamond (2005) Collapse Robert Macfarlane (2007) The Wild Places Discussions might also encompass films or other forms of media and communication about nature.
701-0701-00L	Philosophy of Science Does not take place this semester. Shift in Semester. Will be offered in Spring Semester 2018.	3 credits	2V	G. Hirsch Hadorn, C. J. Baumberger
Abstract	The lecture explores various strands in philosophy of science in a critical way, focusing on the notion of rationality in science, especially with regards to environmental research. It addresses the significance and limits of empirical, mathematical and logical methods, as well as problems and ethical issues raised by the use of science in society.
Learning objective	Students learn to engage with problems in the philosophy of science and to relate them to natural and environmental sciences, thus developing their skills in critical thinking about science and its use. They know the most important positions in philosophy of science and the objections they face. They can identify, structure and discuss issues raised by the use of science in society.
Content	1. Core differences between classical Greek and modern conceptions of science. 2. Classic positions in the philosophy of science in the 20th century: logical empiricism and critical rationalism (Popper); the analysis of scientific concepts and explanations. 3. Objections to logical empiricism and critical rationalism, and further developments: What is the difference between the natural sciences, the social sciences and the arts and humanities? What is progress in science (Kuhn, Fleck, Feyerabend)? Is scientific knowledge relativistic? What is the role of experiments and computer simulations? 4. Issues raised by the use of science in society: The relation between basic and applied research; inter- and transdisciplinarity; ethics and accountability of science.
Lecture notes	A reader will be available for students.
Literature	A list of introductory literature and handbooks will be distributed to the students.
Prerequisites / Notice	Oral examination during the session examination. Further optional exercises accompany the lecture and offer the opportunity for an in-depth discussion of selected texts from the reader. Students receive an additional credit point. They have to sign up separately for the exercises for the course 701-0701-01 U.
701-0701-01L	Philosophy of Science: Exercises Does not take place this semester. Shift in Semester. Will be offered in Spring Semester 2018.	1 credit	1U	G. Hirsch Hadorn, C. J. Baumberger
Abstract	The exercises in philosophy of science serve to develop skills in critical thinking by discussing seminal texts about the rationality of science. Topics discussed include the significance and limits of empirical, mathematical and logical methods, as well as problems and ethical issues raised by the use of science in society.
Learning objective	Students can engage with problems in the philosophy of science and to relate them to natural and environmental sciences. They learn to analyze and summarize philosophical texts. In this way, they develop their skills in critical thinking with a focus on the rationality of science.
Content	The optional exercises accompany the lecture and serve to develop skills in critical thinking with a focus on the rationality of science, based on discussing seminal texts. The texts cover important positions in the philosophy of science and their critics. Topics discussed include the significance and limits of empirical, mathematical and logical methods, as well as problems and ethical issues raised by the use of science in society.
Lecture notes	A reader will be available for students.
Literature	A list of literature will be distributed to the students together with the reader.
Prerequisites / Notice	Students that want to subscribe for this course also have to subscribe for the lecture 701-0701-00 V "Wissenschaftsphilosophie". Credit points are given for preparing a structure and a summary of one of the texts.
701-0707-00L	Analysing Arguments in Science and Ethics Number of Participants is limited to 160 This lecture was offered until spring semester 17 under the title: "Analysing Texts". Students who completed this lecture already are not allowed to earn credits for this lecture again.	2 credits	2G	C. J. Baumberger, G. Hirsch Hadorn
Abstract	Problems of the environment and sustainable development are complex from a scientific as well as from an ethical point of view. Addressing them requires the ability to deal with arguments. This course provides basic knowledge and methods for reconstructing, analysing and evaluating arguments. We exercise and improve these abilities by using examples from science, ethics and political debates.
Learning objective	Students acquire basic knowledge and methods for analyzing arguments. They are able to apply these methods to complex arguments concerning scientific and ethical questions about the environment and sustainable development, and to construct themselves arguments and apply them successfully. Moreover, they are able to evaluate the contribution of arguments to controversial debates with the help of rules. Students acquire thereby a crucial skill for Critical Thinking, which aims at responsible argumentation, communication and action.
Content	In the sciences as well as in public discussions or in our everyday life, we try to convince others or to achieve consent in matters of disagreement. We do this with the help of arguments. But what are the criteria for arguments to be convincing and for claims to be clear? And how do we expediently feed arguments into a debate? How can we identify and avoid fallacies in reasoning? How do we analyse and define concepts? This course provides basic knowledge of conceptual analysis and argumentation theory as well as methods for identifying, reconstructing and evaluating claims and arguments. Its focus is on systematically addressing the following two questions: What do you mean? How do you know? The first question aims at a better understanding of the claim in question, the second at assessing the reasons that support or undermine the claim. We exercise and improve the abilities to address these questions by using texts on scientific and ethical questions concerning the environment and sustainable development. The course provides thus crucial skills for Critical Thinking, which aims at responsible argumentation, communication and action.
Lecture notes	A textbook will be used, and handouts will be available.
Literature	Brun, Georg; Gertrude Hirsch Hadorn. 2014. Textanalyse in den Wissenschaften. Inhalte und Argumente analysieren und verstehen. Zürich: vdf/UTB 3139 (2nd edition) Bowell, Tracy; Kemp, Gary. 2014. Critical Thinking. A Concise Guide. New York. Routledge. (4th Edition) Eemeren, Frans van; Grootendorst, Rob; Henkemans, Francisca Snoeck. 2010. Argumentation. Analysis, Evaluation, Presentation. New York: Routledge. Pfister, Jonas. 2013. Werkzeuge des Philosophierens. Stuttgart: Reclam. Sinnott-Armstrong, Walter; Fogelin; Robert. 2015. Understanding Arguments. An Introduction to Informal Logic. Concise. Stanford: Cenage Learning. (9th Edition)
Prerequisites / Notice	This is a compulsory course in the social sciences and humanities in the second year of the BA Environmental sciences. For 2 ECTS-credits, all written tasks that are distributed during the course need to be solved.