What is consciousness? An introduction to the philosophy of mind and cognitive science ADED1057E

  • Academic Session: 2024-25
  • School: Short Courses
  • Credits: 20
  • Level: Level 1 (SCQF level 7)
  • Typically Offered: Full Year
  • Available to Visiting Students: Yes
  • Collaborative Online International Learning: No

Short Description

What is consciousness? Is it merely a state of the brain, or something over and above that? Can things without brains, like machines, or even non-material things, be conscious? What does it even mean to say that something is "conscious"? This course addresses these and a variety of related questions including the relationship between mind and brain, and the nature of mental phenomena such as perception and sensation. 

Timetable

Offered in both Block 2 and Block 3

2 hours per week for 20 weeks

Wednesdays, 18.00-20.00

Requirements of Entry

None

Excluded Courses

None

Co-requisites

None

Assessment

2 x 1,500-word essays (40% each)

One multiple choice test (20%)

Course Aims

The aims of this course are to:

■ Introduce students to the basic philosophical terms used in contemporary philosophy of mind and cognitive science.

■  Provide students with a general understanding and appreciation of some key philosophical issues discussed in contemporary philosophy of mind and cognitive science, by guiding them through a number of classical and contemporary readings, and by introducing them to central issues and developments in the philosophy of mind.

■ Acquaint the students with the basic philosophical problems of the current study of the philosophy of mind and cognitive science, and make known to them the major solutions to these problems offered in classical and contemporary readings.

Intended Learning Outcomes of Course

By the end of this course students should be able to:

 

■ Demonstrate a familiarity with a specified range of positions in the philosophy of mind

■ Critically evaluate the key issues surrounding mental phenomena, such as the structure of mental content, the status of explanation in the psychological sciences and the possibility of artificial intelligence.

■ Analyse ways in which some philosophers have responded to different problems in this area.

■ Develop independent reading with an understanding of the basic issues in contemporary philosophy of mind and cognitive science.

Minimum Requirement for Award of Credits

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.