Unit name | Consciousness and Psychology |
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Unit code | PSYC31050 |
Credit points | 20 |
Level of study | H/6 |
Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2C (weeks 13 - 18) |
Unit director | Professor. Kit Pleydell-Pearce |
Open unit status | Not open |
Pre-requisites |
Level 5 Psychology |
Co-requisites |
None |
School/department | School of Psychological Science |
Faculty | Faculty of Life Sciences |
This unit provides an introduction to the problem of consciousness as viewed from psychological, physiological, computational and philosophical perspectives. Extensive prior knowledge of physiology and philosophy is neither necessary nor assumed. A central question is whether contemporary theory can lead to an understanding of consciousness within a scientific framework (e.g. Searle, 1998). Opposing views hold that conscious experience transcends contemporary scientific method, and may remain forever ineffable, at least without a fundamental revision in our understanding of the physical world (e.g. Nagel, 1993; Chalmers, 1996). The unit includes extensive consideration of brain mechanisms of consciousness. This includes coverage of brain systems associated with sleep and wakefulness and also extensive coverage of disorders of consciousness. A significant learning outcome is that students will develop a deeper understanding of brain function. The impact of brain injury and disease are also considered and this includes split brain, blindsight, neglect and related topics. A second considerable component of the unit examines whether the human brain can be considered to be a computational device and this introduces students to the position known as functionalism. Finally, the unit introduces students to a wide range of different theoretical accounts of consciousness.
By the end of the unit, students will be able to have:
This unit comprises 18 x 1 hour lectures and 4 x 1 hour tutorials.
Coursework: 1x 1600 word essay
Examination: 1 x 2 hour written exam
Final Grade: Based on 30% coursework and 70% exam
This unit is primarily based upon peer reviewed scientific papers rather than any specific textbook.