Spring 2027

Applications of Epistemic Principles in Medical Science

Applications of Epistemic Principles in Medical Science explores epistemology's role in medical knowledge, covering rationalism, empiricism, and responses to the Covid-19 pandemic.

offering recorded2 credits
Recorded instructors · Spring 2027 No instructors listed

Summary

What you’ll be able to do

  • Compare and contrast the promises and pitfalls of empiricism and rationalism in the context of medical science.

  • Describe how the Evidence-Based Medicine movement fits in a historical context.

  • Evaluate studies on the grounds of internal and external validity.

  • Judge the validity of competing claims in a scientific controversy.

  • Identify early warning signs of epistemic blunders and build mental habits to protect against them.

  • Anticipate the epistemic challenges posed by novel or rapidly changing circumstances.

Source: UW Guide

Grade history

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average GPA
letter grades

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Prerequisites

Course map

MED SC-M 810, 811, 812, and 813

MEDICINE 923

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Professors

Spring 2027

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Calendar & sections

Spring 2027

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SectionModeEnrolled / capacityWaitlist
LEC 004Classroom Instruction0 / 00

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Student experience

the class

Explore the intellectual framework upon which medical science is built. Epistemology is the science and theory of knowing. It asks, "When is belief justified?" Gain an understanding of the foundational principles of epistemology, including rationalism and empiricism, and apply them to the development of medical knowledge. Assess the validity of claims, including the relative value of competing claims in the context of medical controversies. Uncover the epistemic blunders that led to mistaken beliefs in the medical profession and develop habits to resist repeating such mistakes in the present and future. Consider how our epistemological beliefs affected our responses to the Covid-19 pandemic.

difficulty & workload

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Topics

  • Epistemology, rationalism, and empiricism
  • Development of medical knowledge and Evidence-Based Medicine history
  • Medical controversies and competing scientific claims
  • Epistemic blunders and mistaken beliefs in medicine
  • Epistemological responses to the Covid-19 pandemic

Skills

  • Assessing claim validity and evaluating study internal and external validity
  • Identifying epistemic blunders and developing protective mental habits
  • Comparing and applying rationalism and empiricism to medical knowledge development

Grades

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Sources & history

UW–Madison

Catalog & offerings

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Catalog observation history

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Selected offering source records
MEDICINE 923 · Spring 2027

Applications of Epistemic Principles in Medical Science

Recorded 2026-10-14
Raw records 
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  {
    "run_id": "20261014T203208-0851c9a1",
    "semester": "1274",
    "observed_at": "2026-10-14 17:50:09.728220+00:00",
    "offering_id": "1274:632:026899",
    "course_id": "MEDICINE 923",
    "course_uid": "course_27594ef06022324ac19e4f0c",
    "term_id": "1274",
    "source_course_id": "026899",
    "source_subject_id": "632",
    "title": "Applications of Epistemic Principles in Medical Science",
    "credits_min": 2,
    "credits_max": 2,
    "typically_offered": "Not Applicable"
  }
]
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Dataset & model

Recorded 2026-10-14

View the dataset on Hugging Face
Model outputs & technical records
Qwen/Qwen3.8-27B
LLM outputs across runs
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Full model traces

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Model & dataset provenance 
{
  "model": "Qwen/Qwen3.8-27B",
  "model_revision": "1d4bf0f2ff6012fd82039f2fa52739d0dd7c60c0",
  "task_version": "17",
  "output_id": "8442827c7ba6d9782ce0029089e68e1948c6f7e70b4358fd6cfd31e50fcdaae3",
  "requirements_status": "valid",
  "dataset_revision": "fc1811fa52e581ea57a35c0cf3343f8740a8ffbf",
  "observed_at": "2026-10-14 17:50:09.728220+00:00"
}