Postgraduate Course: Philosophy of Psychology MSc (PHIL11089)
Course Outline
| School | School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course will survey philosophical issues particular to the scientific study of the mind, with a special focus on the methodology and explanatory practices of psychology. We will cover questions such as: Can subjective reports count as evidence? Is "unconscious inference" a coherent concept? Are there mental images? What can evolution tell us about our minds? Do mental representations considered as computational states "mean" anything?
Formative feedback available;
- opportunity to submit a formative essay by the week 6 closing deadline
- students can discuss essay plans with course organiser before the summative essay is due |
| Course description |
Week 1: What is (philosophy of) psychology?
Week 2: Explanation: 1st and 3rd Person
Week 3: Behaviorism
Week 4: Critiques of Behaviorism
Week 5: Unconscious Inferences
Week 6: Gestalt and the New Mechanism
Week 7: The Role of Meaning?
Week 8: Inference and Belief in Simpler Minds
Week 9: Evolutionary Psychology
Week 10: Imagery Debate
Week 11: Imagery Continued / Review
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2014/15, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: 10 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 20,
Revision Session Hours 2,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
174 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
One 2,500 word essay
Assignment deadline: Monday 15th December 2014 by 12 noon
Return deadline: Monday 19th January 2015 |
| Feedback |
Not entered |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
Students who have completed this course should be able to:
* Examine the basic literature on psychological explanation
* Make use of the empirical literature in a philosophical context
* Critically discuss the evidential support for and theoretical significance of unconscious mental processes
* Critically evaluate the mental imagery debate
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Reading List
Readings for each week are listed on Learn.
There is one required textbook for this course:
Köhler, Wolfgang, Gestalt Psychology: An Introduction to New Concepts in Modern Psychology, Liveright, 1947.
Several copies will be made available on reserve in the library HUB. All other readings will be available online through the course website on Learn.
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Additional Information
| Course URL |
Please see Learn page |
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Additional Class Delivery Information |
The course is taught by Dr Alistair Isaac. |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Alistair Isaac
Tel: (0131 6)51 5174
Email: A.M.C.Isaac@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Lynsey Buchanan
Tel: (0131 6)51 5002
Email: Lynsey.Buchanan@ed.ac.uk |
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