Theoretical and Philosophical Basis of Nursing

Catalog description

This course gives students an overview of the process of intellectual inquiry, exploring the foundations of scholarly disciplines in general and the discipline of nursing in particular. The current state of nursing science, criteria for causation, and argumentation will be explored, with emphasis on historical, philosophical, positivist, gendered, and phenomenological ways of knowing. Structure, components, assumptions, limitations, methodologies, and types of reasoning will be evaluated with regard to the development of nursing knowledge. The intent of this course is to provide students with the opportunity to have a formative background in and analyze selected aspects of knowledge creation, particularly as this knowledge informs their individual research interests.