Postgraduate Course: Philosophy of Mind and Cognitive Science (Online) (PHIL11130)
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) |
Course type | Online Distance Learning |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
Summary | This course examines how the mind fits into the physical world. This is one of the central issues in contemporary philosophy of mind and cognitive science, and we will address it by examining some of the following questions:
- How do our everyday explanations of behaviour, e.g. Asha walked to the shops because she needed to buy bread, relate to neurological explanations of that same behaviour, e.g. Asha walked to the shops because of activity in her motor cortex?
- Does the mind work like a computer?
- Where is my mind? Is it in the head or can it extend beyond my skull and into the world?
- What is innate knowledge and do we have any?
- What is the nature of introspection?
These issues bring together traditional concerns from the philosophy of mind and findings from psychology and neuroscience, and we will draw on a variety of sources in exploring possible answers to these questions.
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Course description |
Syllabus
Personal and Sub-personal explanations
Week 1: Introduction and functionalism - Synchronous seminar
Week 2: Non-reductive materialism - Synchronous seminar
Week 3: Eliminative materialism - Asynchronous forum seminar
Psychological explanations
Week 4: Mechanistic explanation - Synchronous seminar
Week 5: The language of thought hypothesis - Asynchronous forum seminar
Week 6: Tacit theories - Synchronous seminar
Cognitive architecture
Week 7: The extended mind - Asynchronous forum seminar
Week 8: The modular mind - Synchronous seminar
Week 9: The embodied mind - Asynchronous forum seminar
Week 10: Against the computational mind - Synchronous seminar
Week 11: Review - Asynchronous forum seminar
This may be subject to change; the final syllabus will be posted on Learn.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
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Academic year 2016/17, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: None |
Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Course Start Date |
19/09/2016 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
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Lecture Hours 22,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 10,
Summative Assessment Hours 20,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
144 )
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Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
85 %,
Practical Exam
15 %
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Additional Information (Assessment) |
Students will be assessed by a 2500 word essay at the end of the semester (85%) and successful participation in the on-line activities associated with the course (15%). How the participation component will be assessed will be made clear to the students at the start of the course.
Essay deadline: Monday 19th December 2016 by 12 noon
Word limit: 2500 maximum (excluding references)
Return deadline: Friday 20th January 2017 |
Feedback |
Students have the opportunity to submit a formative essay by week 6 deadline on Turnitin via Learn. The essay cannot be draft of summative essay but it can be on the same topic.
Formative essay deadline: Thursday 27th October 2016 by 12 noon
Return deadline: Friday 18th November 2016 |
No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- have a grasp of fundamental issues in the philosophy of mind and cognitive science, e.g. non-reductive materialism, eliminative materialism, varieties of functionalism, the extended mind hypothesis, tacit theories, nativism.
- be able to critically analyse and engage with literature by key philosophers in this field.
- understand how empirical work can support philosophical arguments, and be able to use empirical data in their essays and arguments.
- be able to present arguments clearly and concisely both within a classroom context and in a 2,500 word essay.
- gain transferable skills in research, analysis and argumentation
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Reading List
Available through Talis aspire
http://resourcelists.ed.ac.uk/index.html
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Additional Information
Course URL |
Please see Learn page |
Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Students can develop their ability for independent learning through online resources. |
Additional Class Delivery Information |
Priority for this course is given to online MSc/Dip/Cert Epistemology, Ethics and Mind students.
The course is taught by Dr Suilin Lavelle |
Keywords | Philosophy of mind; Cognitive Science |
Contacts
Course organiser | Dr Suilin Lavelle
Tel: (0131 6)50 3665
Email: J.S.Lavelle@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Lynsey Buchanan
Tel: (0131 6)51 5002
Email: Lynsey.Buchanan@ed.ac.uk |
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© Copyright 2016 The University of Edinburgh - 3 February 2017 5:05 am
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