Undergraduate Course: Theories of Mind (Philosophy Hons) (PHIL10024)

Course Outline
School	School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences	College	College of Humanities and Social Science
Course type	Standard	Availability	Available to all students
Credit level (Normal year taken)	SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate)	Credits	20
Home subject area	Philosophy	Other subject area	None
Course website	http://www.philosophy.ed.ac.uk	Taught in Gaelic?	No
Course description	What is a mind ż what are the essential characteristics distinguishing mental from non-mental systems? Two key features traditionally offered in response to this question are (1) representational content: mental states can be about external objects and states of affairs, they can represent and bear content or meaning; (2) conscious experience: only minds are consciously aware and have subjective, qualitative experiences ż roughly, there is something it is like to be a mind. A central aim of the course will be to examine the extent to which these two features can be captured or explained by computational and/or physicalist methods, and to explore some of the conceptual issues basic to Cognitive Science and Artificial Intelligence as theoretical approaches to the mind.

Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites	It is RECOMMENDED that students have passed Knowledge and Reality (PHIL08017) AND Mind, Matter and Language (PHIL08014)	Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations		Other requirements	None
Additional Costs	None.

Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisites	Visiting students should have at least 3 Philosophy courses at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this). We will only consider University/College level courses.
Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus?	Yes

Course Delivery Information

Delivery period: 2014/15 Semester 1, Available to all students (SV1)			Learn enabled: Yes	Quota: 25
Web Timetable	Web Timetable
Course Start Date	15/09/2014
Breakdown of Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info)	Total Hours: 200 ( Seminar/Tutorial Hours 22, Summative Assessment Hours 2, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 172 )
Additional Notes
Breakdown of Assessment Methods (Further Info)	Written Exam 60 %, Coursework 40 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Exam Information
Exam Diet	Paper Name	Hours & Minutes
Main Exam Diet S1 (December)		2:00

Delivery period: 2014/15 Semester 1, Part-year visiting students only (VV1)			Learn enabled: No	Quota: 5
Web Timetable	Web Timetable
Course Start Date	15/09/2014
Breakdown of Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info)	Total Hours: 200 ( Seminar/Tutorial Hours 22, Feedback/Feedforward Hours 7, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 167 )
Additional Notes
Breakdown of Assessment Methods (Further Info)	Written Exam 60 %, Coursework 40 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Exam Information
Exam Diet	Paper Name	Hours & Minutes
Main Exam Diet S1 (December)		2:00

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
Students are asked to read, critically assess and discuss some of the most important texts in the philosophy of mind. Students will acquire the necessary conceptual resources to analyze and criticize different theoretical positions in this area. Students are encouraged to develop their critical and analytic skills in individual research.

Assessment Information
Mid-term essay of 1,500 words (40%) End-of-semester exam (60%)

Special Arrangements
None

Contacts
Course organiser	Dr Paul Schweizer Tel: (0131 6)50 2704 Email: paul@inf.ed.ac.uk	Course secretary	Miss Susan Richards Tel: (0131 6)51 3733 Email: sue.richards@ed.ac.uk