KYIV NATIONAL TARAS SHEVCHENKO UNIVERSITY

INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

“Methodology of European Law Research”

SYLLABUS

Module 1

Methodology of scientific researches.

©Prof. Dobronravova Iryna

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Kyiv 2025

Introduction

1. The purpose and objective of the course is provide the students with basic knowledge about methodologies, methods and organization of scientific processes as a part of training for their

professional scientific carrier.

2. Prerequisites for mastery or choice of the academic discipline:  

a) Effective mastery of discipline “Philosophy”

b) Knowledge of theoretical base in scientific profession.  

3. Annotation:

Academic discipline “Methodology of European Law Research” is mandatory discipline, which

is a variant of general discipline “Methodology and organization of scientific researches”,  providing mastery in global and special competences by graduates of Kyiv National Shevchenko University. Program of the discipline contains two modules of content.  One is realized by lectors from philosophical department and provides general competences. The second one is realized by lectors from Institute of international relations which provides special competences for researches of European laws.  Final control form is a test.  

First module concerns the concepts of method, methodology, methodic, of researches, understanding the science as research, consideration of special and philosophical levels of methodology. Structure of theoretical and empirical knowledge has to be considered in relations with theoretical and empirical methods. It is important the consideration of actual methodological problems of modern nonlinear science.

4. Tasks: 

a) to acquaint the students with modern methodological conceptions and methodological traditions of New Age European science,

b) to form integrative image about scientific research processes, to provide elaboration of methodological skills and their comprehensive usage in frames of certain methodological position,

c) to improve the skills of searching, selection and processing of scientific information, formulation of purpose, tasks and conclusions of professional researches/

5. Results of learning:

Results of learning  (1. to know; 2. can; 3.comunication; 4. autonomy and responsibility )		Methods of teaching and learning	Methods of estimation	Percentages of final estimations
Code	Results of learning
	To know:
1.1	Basic approaches for science understanding: science as knowledge, social institute and research activity.	Lecture,   independent work	Test, essay, report at workshop	3
1.2	Science of New Age in Europe as research.	Lecture,  independent work	Test, essay, report at workshop	3
1.3	Foundations of science: Ideals and norms of scientific researches, scientific world picture, philosophical foundations.	Lecture,  independent work	Test, essay, report at workshop	3
1.4	Global scientific revolution as a way to transit to new type of rationality.	Lecture,  independent work	Test, essay, report at workshop	3
1.5	Nonlinear style of thinking in post non-classical science.	Lecture,  independent work	Test, essay, report at workshop	3
	Can:
2.1	To distinguish the understanding of   science as knowledge, social institute and research activity.	Lecture,  independent work	essay, report at workshop	2
2.2	To distinguish method, methodology and methodic rules of scientific researches	Lecture,  independent work	essay, report at workshop	2
2.3	To understand origins of incommensurability of paradigms and theories in conceptions by Kuhn and Feyerabend	Lecture,  independent work	essay, report at workshop	2
2.4	Can use the principles of nonlinear style of thinking to study the social relations as objects of post non-classical science.	Lecture,  independent work	essay, report at workshop	2
2.5	To understand the cooperative effects as coherence in movement of non-linear media	Lecture,  independent work	essay, report at workshop	2
	Autonomy and responsibility
4.1	Capacity to work autonomously	independent work	essay	4
4.2	Capacity to search, processing and analyzing of information from different  sources	independent work	essay	4

6. Course role at a program scale:

“Methodology of European law researches” - is a mandatory course for a Master’s degree program.

The aim of professional study and need general competences

Training of highly qualified specialists in European Law,

possessing the fundamental knowledge and practical

skills in International and European Law, and being able

to apply the acquired knowledge in their professional activities.  

GC 1. Ability to think critically, analyze and synthesize

information.

GC 2. Ability to identify, reveal and solve problems.

GC 3. Ability to adapt and take action in a novel

situation.  

GC 4. Ability to generate new ideas (creativity).

GC 5. Ability to develop and manage projects.

GC 6. Ability to conduct research at a satisfactory level.

GC 7. Ability to learn and acquire contemporary

knowledge.   

Programe Results	G1	G2	G3	G4	G5	G6	G7
1 Basic approaches for science understanding: science as knowledge, social institute and research activity.							+
2 Science of New Age in Europe as research.	+	+	+
3.  Foundations of science: ideals and norms of scientific researches, scientific world picture, philosophical foundations.				+	+	+
4 Global scientific revolution as a way to transit to new type of rationality.							+
5 Methodological traditions (empiricism and rationalism), Variety of methodologic systems in philosophy of science in XX century.	+						+
6 Nonlinear style of thinking in post non-classical science.	+		+		+		+
7 Synergy means jointly action. Self-organization as becoming of new integrative systems. Cooperative effects as coherence in movement of non-linear media				+	+	+

For course evaluation, “modular-rating” system is used.

Evaluation scale

Mark (points)	University scale	ECTS scale
90-100	Pass	A – pass
85-89 75-84	Pass	B – pass C - pass
65-74 60-64	Pass	D – pass E - pass
1-59	Fail	FX – fail F - fail

Course Plan

(Module 1)

Theoretical basics of methodology and organization of scientific researches

CURRICULA

(6h. - lectures, 4 h. - seminars, 1h. – consulting, 19 h. – independent work of students) _

		Lectures	Workshops	Independent work of students.	Current control evaluation
Methodology of scientific researches
1	Science as research   activity.	lecture 2 hours test	workshop 2 hours speech	6 hours preparation  for presentation or essay	20 points
2	Main methodologic traditions and variety of methodological systems.	Lecture 2 hours test	workshop 1hour speech	6 hours preparation  for presentation or essay	15 points
3	Nonlinear style of thinking in post non-classical science.	Lecture 2 hours test	Workshop 1 hour speech	7 hours preparation  for presentation or essay	15 points

Methodology of scientific researches

Workshop 1. Methodology and methods of scientific research. Main methodologic traditions and variety of methodological systems in XX century.

1.     Main definitions: method, methodic. Reasoning in method application – methodology.

2.     Methodological traditions in European philosophy of New Age. Empiricism (F. Bacon) and rationalism (R/Descartes)

3.     Variety of methodologic systems in philosophy of science in XX century. Analytic methodological systems: logical empiricism (Vienna circle) and critical rationalism (K. Popper)

4.     Historical school: T. Kuhn, I. Lacatos, P. Feyerabend.

5.     Scientific realism (H. Putnam)

6.     Rational criticism of scientific values. (L. Laudan)

Lecture 1. Science as research. Historical types of scientific rationality.

 Basic approaches for science understanding: science as knowledge, social institute and research activity. Science of New Age in Europe as research.  Foundations of science: Ideals and norms of scientific researches, scientific world picture, philosophical foundations. Systems of foundations as historical types of scientific rationality. Global scientific revolution as a way to transit to new type of rationality. Classica, non-classical and post non-classical science/

Lecture 2. Methods and methodology of scientific research. Main methodologic traditions in Europe of New Age and variety of methodological systems in XX century.

Main definitions: method, methodic. Reasoning in method application – methodology. Methodology as a philosophical discipline – history of methodology, Methodological traditions (empiricism and rationalism),

Variety of methodologic systems in philosophy of science in XX century.

Analytic methodological systems: logical empiricism (Vienna circle) and critical rationalism (K. Popper). Historical school: T.Kuhn, I.Lacatos, P. Feyerabend. Scientific realism (H.Putnam). Rational criticism of scientific values. (Laudan)

Workshop 2. Science and scientific researches.

1.              Basic approaches for science understanding: science as knowledge, social institute and research activity.

2.              Ideals and norms as regulative principles of scientific research activity and estimation of scientific knowledge.

3.              Scientific world picture, its relation to scientific theories.

4.              System of philosophical foundations of science.

5.              Globally scientific revolutions and historical types of scientific rationality.

Lecture 3.  Nonlinear style of thinking in post non-classical science.

Nonlinearity as basis of self-organization in open media far from equilibrium.

Synergetics as transdisciplinary program of researches of self-organization. Synergy means jointly action. Self-organization as becoming of new integrative systems. Cooperative effects as coherence in movement of non-linear media elements to certain attractors, Joint actions of elements form the part of a new whole in subordination to becoming complex whole system.

Critical points as points of branching of nonlinear dynamics. Bifurcation point as turning point of choice by chance of new real necessity, which contains a chance. Bifurcation situation as situation of formation the effective cause. Outer or inner impacts are conditions of choice one of alternative possibilities. System in bifurcation point is in uncertain state and even small impact can define further development as condition in formation of effective cause. It is bonus for human influence for free choice of favorable variant. However, it means risk and responsibility of human activity in such situations.

Order out of chaos and scenario of transition to dynamic chaos. Fractals (from “fractional dimension”) Fractals are complex structures with scale invariance (scale self-similarity). They appear in the edge of chaos in competition of different attractors.

Forms of social self-organization: exited crowd, game and myth.

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Recommended literature:

Handbooks:

Andersen, H., Hepburn, B. Scientific method // https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/scientific-method/

Gauch, H.G. Jr. (2012) Scientific Method in Brief. Cambridge University Press.

The Oxford handbook of philosophy of social science /edited by Harold Kincaid. 2012.

Staddon, J. (2018) Scientific method. How Science Works, Fails to Work, and Pretends to Work. Routledge, New York, London

Original sources:

Kuhn T. Structures of Scientific Revolutions. Chicago, 1962

Laudan L. Science and Values. University of California Press. 1984.

Lakatos I.. Falsification and the Methodology of Scientific Research Programs / Criticism and the growth of Knowledge. Cambr. Univ. Press. 1970.

Feyerabend P. Against Method. First published by New Left Books, 1975.

Karl Popper Conjectures and Refutations. Routledge, 2002. Chapter 10.

Putnam H. Realism with a Human Face. Publisher: Harvard University Press, Year: 1992. Preface. Chapter 1.

Putnam H. Realism and Reason. Cambridge Univ. Press, 1983.

Stepin V. Theoretical Knowledge. A C.I.P. Catalogue record for this book is available from the Library of Congress. Published by Springer, P.O. Box 17, 3300 AA Dordrecht, The Netherlands. 2005. Chapters 3, 5.

Additional literature:

Dobronravova I.S. Dialectic as a Means for Understanding Nonlinear Science //" Dialectic, Cosmos, and Society, No. 10 (1997), 7-15. http://philsci.univ.kiev.ua/ENG/DOBRO/Dialec.html

Dobronravova I. Nesterova M. Social Self-Organization as Cohesion Driver in Socio-Cultural Sphere // Socio-Cultural Management Journal. Volume 5 (2022), Number 1, pp. 58-73
doi: https://doi.org/10.31866/2709-846x.1.2022.257669

Multimedia resources:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wrCpLJ1XAw&t=187s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ioyWeUEyvo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IawIjqOJBU8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-X8Xfl0JdTQ&t=13s

Tests

Test 1 

1 Choose right variant

a) Science became research at New Ages

b) Science was always the research

2 Choose right variant: 

a) Truth as scientific value is regarded as objective truth

b) Truth as scientific value is regarded as revelation 

3 Choose right variant:  

a) Novelty as scientific value corresponds to values of traditional civilization

b) Novelty as scientific value corresponds to values techno civilization.

4 Choose right variant 

a) Norms of scientific researches are constant

b) Norms of scientific researches of historically are changeable

5 Choose right variant:

a) Idealized abstract objects present only in natural sciences

b) Idealized abstract objects present in social sciences also

6 Choose right variant 

a) Public character of science in New Age concerns only the place of scientists in society

b)  Public character of science in New Age implies demonstration of methods to society

Test 2 :

1 Choose right variant:

a) Popper’s critical rationalism is completely opposite to logical empiricism

b) Critical rationalism and logical empiricism are the parts of Analytic philosophy of science

2 Choose right variant:

a) Positivism always used inductive logics

b) Neo-positivism (logical empiricism) analyzed scientific theories with methods of deductive logics in 30ty – 50ti of XX century

3 Choose right variant:

a) Kuhn regarded old and new paradigms incommensurable

b)  Kuhn recognized the possibility of rational chose between paradigms

4 Choose right variant:

a) Lacatos developed Popper’s falsificationism

b) Conceptions of historical school negate all ideas of analytic methodologies

5 Choose right variant:

a) Feyerabend criticized in his book “Against method” completely all content of previous methodological conceptions

b)Feyerabened regarded empirical progress as the main aim of science

6 Choose right variant:

a) Laudan showed how to criticize the scientific values in rational way

b) Laudan regarded truth as no refutable value

Test 3

1 Choose right and complete variant:

a) Basis of self-organization is nonlinearity of medium

b) Self-organization happens in open medium

2 Choose right and complete variant:

a) Self-organization leads to becoming of order on chaotic medium

b) Self-organization can lead to order or to chaos depends on its phase

3 Choose right and complete variant:

a) Situation of bifurcation is situation of forming the effective cause, which is equal to cause

b) Small causes result large effects in situation of bifurcation

4 Choose right and complete variant:

a)Self-organization leads to emergence of new quality unreducible to features of integrated parts

b)Interrelations of elements of medium influence on self-organization

5 Choose right and complete variant:

a)Choice of variant in bifurcation point is choice by chance

b)Human person can influent on choice in bifurcation point

6 Choose right and complete variant:

a)Myths as forms of social self-organization present in modern life

b)Myths are typical only for ancient culture

a) Conceptions of historical school negate all ideas of analytic methodologies

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