| Unit name | Philosophy of Mind |
|---|---|
| Unit code | PHIL20010 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Jones |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | Department of Philosophy |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
The unit is concerned with the nature of mind and its relation to the natural physical world. It divides into roughly two parts, the first dealing with metaphysical and epistemological issues associated with the mind and mental states, the second dealing with specific issues that arise regarding explanations of consciousness and qualia. The unit addresses traditional approaches to the metaphysics of mind, such as Dualism, Physicalism and Functionalism, as well as more contemporary positions, such as Illusionism and Panpsychism.
The aim of this unit is to address a group of closely related questions: Is the mind identical to the brain? What are phenomenal properties? Are they reducible to the entities postulated by current science? How does the mind represent the world? Is there a Hard problem of phenomenal consciousness?
On successful completion of this unit students will be able to:
1. demonstrate detailed knowledge and in-depth understanding of the central debates and positions within the philosophy of mind,
2. demonstrate detailed knowledge and in-depth understanding of the key literature on those debates and positions,
3. demonstrate the ability to philosophically engage with the relevant debates and to critically assess the relevant positions, together with the key literature on these, to a standard appropriate to level I/5,
4. demonstrate skills in philosophical writing, of a standard appropriate to level I/5,
5. demonstrate the ability to collaboratively, critically, and charitably engage with peers’ philosophical arguments and ideas through written debate.
Lectures, small group work, individual exercises, seminars and virtual learning environment.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
None
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
When assessment does not go to plan
When required by the Board of Examiners, you will normally complete reassessments in the same formats as those outlined above. However, the Board reserves the right to modify the form or number of reassessments required. Details of reassessments are normally confirmed by the School shortly after the notification of your results at the end of the academic year.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. PHIL20010).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
