Syllabus - Phil 153: Philosophy of Mind - Spring 2017
Course description
This course explores the following questions: What is the nature of the mind? How do mind and body relate to each other? Are mental states just brain states? Can neuroscience tell us everything we need to know about the mind? Can science explain consciousness? What is it like to have a “what it is like” mental state? What can we learn about the mind from neuropathologies? What are the limits of the mind? How many kinds of minds are there? Do non-human animals have minds? What about plants? If there were alien life forms, how could we figure out whether they are intelligent and sentient? What is psychological continuity and how can it be disrupted?
Catalog description
Rival theories of the nature of the mind and mental activity, including dualism, materialism, functionalism. Difficulties in achieving a theoretical understanding of familiar psychological concepts such as belief, sensation, emotion, intention. Prerequisite: 3 units in philosophy or instructor permission. Units: 3.0
Course outcomes
You will:
- Develop critical reading, listening, and writing skills.
- Learn about different approaches to the mind, and about a selection of questions related to the mental (e.g. relationship between mind and brain, consciousness, non-human minds, beliefs about the self).
- Begin developing your own philosophically informed views about the mind and how it relates to other parts of the world.
- Develop an understanding of several philosophical theories Learn to apply philosophical theories to everyday questions.
Course format
All classes contain at least 2 of these elements:*
1. Lecture: the instructor introduces the reading for the day.
2. Class discussion: the whole class discusses questions raised during the lecture and/or questions posed by the instructor.
3. Group discussion: students form discussion groups.
4. In-class writing: students complete short writing assignments addressing a question posed by the instructor.
*Exceptions:
- April 6: special event
- April 13: online class
Check SacCT regularly for updates.
Evaluation: Your total number of points is calculated by adding the weighted points earned on the following assessment items:
Description of assessment items:
In-class writing exercises: These are short (100-200 words) written exercises we’ll do in class. You will be asked to answer one or two questions or write a response to the assigned reading for the day. In order to do well on these exercises, you need to do the readings and make sure you understand them. There will be no make-up options for these exercises (see the late submissions policy below). If you miss a class or arrive to class by the time the exercise is over, you do not earn any points.
There are 15 in-class exercises, worth 1.5 point each. I’ll drop the two lowest-scoring exercises. You can earn a maximum of 19.5 points total on these exercises. See the “Rubrics” folder for details on how these exercises are graded).
Writing assignments: These are written exercises (maximum 300 words) that you will do at home and submit through SacCT on their due date. Starting week 3, there are written assignments due every week, sometimes twice a week. In order to do well on these exercises, you need to understand the readings and the material discussed in class during the preceding sessions. Pay attention to the schedule and make sure you do not miss the deadlines. There will be no make-ups (see the late submission policy below).
There are 10 written assignments, worth 3 points max. each (see the “Rubrics” folder for details on how these exercises are graded).
Handout: You are expected to select a reading and develop a handout for it. The handout must summarize the argument of the reading. Ideally, it will also include questions challenging the argument or expanding it. Format: it can be regular structured prose (up to one two-sided page), a mental map, a comic strip, a song (up to 2 mins), an animation (up to 2mins), a collage … be creative! (samples of handouts will be made available).
Video Report: Check SacCT for details.
Short Paper: You will write a short paper on the self and personal identity. The paper will describe some event or situation and argue whether or not, and if so how, that event or situation is relevant to the self and personal identity.
Your paper must contain:
A clear thesis statement. Explicit reference to and engagement with at least one of the assigned readings. References to other class material (assigned readings or questions discussed in class). Your paper cannot be a mere summary of a reading, or a statement of a personal opinion that does not explicitly engage with class materials. Maximum length: 1,000 words.
Note: writing assignment 1 (due 02/09) is designed to help you prepare for this paper.
Field work: You need to prepare two questions that will help you figure out someone’s approach to the mind (e.g. whether they are a dualist, identity-theorist, functionalist, materialist), without directly asking, e.g., “are you a dualist?”. These questions could take form of thought experiments combined with requests for personal intuitions about it. You need to survey at least two people who are not enrolled in this class (e.g. friends, relatives), and analyze their responses to determine which theory of the mind best reflects their intuitions (you need to give reasons for your conclusion, appealing to class material). We’ll hold a class session to share everyone’s “field reports”. You will be expected to bring a report, in hard copy, containing your questions, the participants’ responses, and your conclusions. I will evaluate both your questions and reasoned conclusions.
Group presentation: The class will be divided in groups of three, and each group will prepare a presentation on one of the arguments or theories covered in class. Groups will present at the end of the semester. More details about group presentations will be provided in class and made available through the course site.
Participation: Taking a philosophy course is not like watching TV or going through your social media feed. You do not master philosophy and come to understand complex arguments simply by passively soaking up what happens around you in the classroom. In order to learn, you need to take an active role in processing the course material.
If you think you can do well in this course by working alone at home, without participating in class, please consider the following: Respectful and constructive discussion is a critical part to learning and becoming a good thinker. The pathway to good ideas and well-formed arguments is usually not a lonely one, but one filled with contributions and insights from others, sometimes in the form of challenges and questions, sometimes in the form of suggestions or comments. It is important to keep in mind that in this course, and in many others, you can learn not only from the texts and from me, but also from your classmates. Class discussions are a good opportunity to learn from classmates and to practice your own argumentative skills. It is also a way to initiate collaborative projects.
Participation will be evaluated on two parameters: relevance and quality.
There is a maximum of 0.5 of a point per class, and a total of 10 points you can earn for participation. There are two participation formats: speaking in class, and writing your questions/comments and handing them to me at the end of class. Written participation contributions that were not handed to me at the end of each class will not be considered. If you feel uncomfortable speaking in class, come talk to me about it. I might help you with that. Check the folder “how to get a good participation grade” for details.
Other Important Information
I am here to help: Remember that I am here to help you learn as best as I can. Please utilize my office hours for additional feedback and guidance on course-related issues.
Attendance: Attending class is expected. There will be in-class assignments every week, and you will not be excused due to absence. Attendance is also required for participation, which is an important part of your grade (see below).
Any student who misses 2 or more classes in the first 2 weeks may be administratively dropped to make room for students on the waitlist.
Classroom behavior: The classroom should be a safe space to discuss any topic, no matter how controversial. We all have to build and maintain that safety by discussing respectfully, avoiding personal attacks, offensive epithets, contemptuous gestures and exclusive language. Any student who feels uncomfortable in class is encouraged to get in contact with me.
Use of electronic devices in class: Electronic devices, such as laptops, tablets, phones, and Google Glasses, are not allowed in class. The exceptions to this rule will take place during specific sessions in which laptops and/or tablets will be part of the class dynamics (the instructor will announce these sessions in advance).
Writing: Writing is a critical part of this course, and of philosophy in general. Come talk to me if you want resources and/or need extra advice on writing.
Gender neutral writing: In philosophy, gender-neutral writing is the accepted practice recommended by the American Philosophical Association. See the American Philosophical Association guidelines www.apaonlinecsw.org/apa-guidelines-for-non-sexist-use-of-language.
Plagiarism: Plagiarizing someone else’s work is a serious academic offence, and it is bad for many reasons. Always use quotation marks and a footnote citation to indicate sentences or passages you borrow from another author. Assignments in which plagiarism is found will at the least be graded at 0 (not just an F). All incidents of plagiarism will be reported both to the Department Chair and to the Judicial Officer in the Office of Student Affairs for possible further administrative sanction. You are responsible for reading and understanding the details of the University's plagiarism policy. All papers will be put through plagiarism software. See the current student handbook for further information on student rights and responsibilities. Here is a link to the university's honesty policy: http://www.csus.edu/umanual/student/stu-0100.htm Come talk to me if you are not sure about what constitutes plagiarism.
Disability access statement: Please tell me early if you have a disability requiring accommodation (documentation to SSWD, Lassen Hall 1008, 916-278-6955) or if you need to miss something to participate in officially recognized student activities. More information available here: http://www.csus.edu/sswd/index.html
If you miss a class… Please do not email me with the question “Did I miss anything important?” It is your responsibility to ask your classmates about the class you missed and take any other steps necessary to keep up with the course content. You won’t be excused of any of the required exercises for the reason “I didn’t know”.
Also, read this poem: http://www.loc.gov/poetry/180/013.html
Email policy: Before emailing me with a question:
- check the syllabus in case your question is already answered there;
- ask other students, for they might help you resolve your doubts;
- consider whether it would be more appropriate to talk to me in person.
If after doing that, you still have a reason to email me, take into account that I don’t carry a smart phone with email access, and I don’t check my email unless I’m working on my computer, so do not expect quick responses. Allow at least two business days before receiving an answer. If you haven’t heard from me after that, please send me a follow-up email.
Some advice on how to correspond with your professors: http://www.csus.edu/phil/guidance/how-to-correspond.html
Late submissions and missed exercises:
Accommodations will only be made under exceptional circumstances, such as a documented medical or family emergency (you need to contact me as soon as you can after the emergency and before the due date; extensions will usually not be given on or after the due date). Late assignments turned in after the due time on their due dates (i.e. after 13:30 on the due day) will be docked 10% (e.g., A- 90% becomes B- 80%); later assignments will not be accepted (i.e., assignments submitted after midnight of the due date will not be marked and will receive a zero grade).
Please be aware that this course includes many in-class writing assignments; missing any of them due to absence will result (unless it is an exceptional circumstance as mentioned above) in losing the points allocated to that assignment.
Required Materials: There is no textbook required for this course. Required readings and media materials (noted on the schedule) will be made available on the course website.
Technology Requirements: Students must have a reliable way of accessing SacCT. All important course announcements, information, and resources will be communicated and available through SacCT (except the material in the required text). Technical problems must be directed to the ITC Help Line @ 278-7337.
Anonymous grading: In order to guarantee impartial grading, I intend to grade as much work as possible anonymously. I need you to help me with that. Instead of your name, indicate your ID# on the two in-class exercises and the three assignments (paper outline, draft paper, and final paper).
Office hours: I strongly recommend that you come to my office hours at least once during the semester.
In-class writing exercises: These are short (100-200 words) written exercises we’ll do in class. You will be asked to answer one or two questions or write a response to the assigned reading for the day. In order to do well on these exercises, you need to do the readings and make sure you understand them. There will be no make-up options for these exercises (see the late submissions policy below). If you miss a class or arrive to class by the time the exercise is over, you do not earn any points.
There are 15 in-class exercises, worth 1.5 point each. I’ll drop the two lowest-scoring exercises. You can earn a maximum of 19.5 points total on these exercises. See the “Rubrics” folder for details on how these exercises are graded).
Writing assignments: These are written exercises (maximum 300 words) that you will do at home and submit through SacCT on their due date. Starting week 3, there are written assignments due every week, sometimes twice a week. In order to do well on these exercises, you need to understand the readings and the material discussed in class during the preceding sessions. Pay attention to the schedule and make sure you do not miss the deadlines. There will be no make-ups (see the late submission policy below).
There are 10 written assignments, worth 3 points max. each (see the “Rubrics” folder for details on how these exercises are graded).
Handout: You are expected to select a reading and develop a handout for it. The handout must summarize the argument of the reading. Ideally, it will also include questions challenging the argument or expanding it. Format: it can be regular structured prose (up to one two-sided page), a mental map, a comic strip, a song (up to 2 mins), an animation (up to 2mins), a collage … be creative! (samples of handouts will be made available).
Video Report: Check SacCT for details.
Short Paper: You will write a short paper on the self and personal identity. The paper will describe some event or situation and argue whether or not, and if so how, that event or situation is relevant to the self and personal identity.
Your paper must contain:
A clear thesis statement. Explicit reference to and engagement with at least one of the assigned readings. References to other class material (assigned readings or questions discussed in class). Your paper cannot be a mere summary of a reading, or a statement of a personal opinion that does not explicitly engage with class materials. Maximum length: 1,000 words.
Note: writing assignment 1 (due 02/09) is designed to help you prepare for this paper.
Field work: You need to prepare two questions that will help you figure out someone’s approach to the mind (e.g. whether they are a dualist, identity-theorist, functionalist, materialist), without directly asking, e.g., “are you a dualist?”. These questions could take form of thought experiments combined with requests for personal intuitions about it. You need to survey at least two people who are not enrolled in this class (e.g. friends, relatives), and analyze their responses to determine which theory of the mind best reflects their intuitions (you need to give reasons for your conclusion, appealing to class material). We’ll hold a class session to share everyone’s “field reports”. You will be expected to bring a report, in hard copy, containing your questions, the participants’ responses, and your conclusions. I will evaluate both your questions and reasoned conclusions.
Group presentation: The class will be divided in groups of three, and each group will prepare a presentation on one of the arguments or theories covered in class. Groups will present at the end of the semester. More details about group presentations will be provided in class and made available through the course site.
Participation: Taking a philosophy course is not like watching TV or going through your social media feed. You do not master philosophy and come to understand complex arguments simply by passively soaking up what happens around you in the classroom. In order to learn, you need to take an active role in processing the course material.
If you think you can do well in this course by working alone at home, without participating in class, please consider the following: Respectful and constructive discussion is a critical part to learning and becoming a good thinker. The pathway to good ideas and well-formed arguments is usually not a lonely one, but one filled with contributions and insights from others, sometimes in the form of challenges and questions, sometimes in the form of suggestions or comments. It is important to keep in mind that in this course, and in many others, you can learn not only from the texts and from me, but also from your classmates. Class discussions are a good opportunity to learn from classmates and to practice your own argumentative skills. It is also a way to initiate collaborative projects.
Participation will be evaluated on two parameters: relevance and quality.
There is a maximum of 0.5 of a point per class, and a total of 10 points you can earn for participation. There are two participation formats: speaking in class, and writing your questions/comments and handing them to me at the end of class. Written participation contributions that were not handed to me at the end of each class will not be considered. If you feel uncomfortable speaking in class, come talk to me about it. I might help you with that. Check the folder “how to get a good participation grade” for details.
Other Important Information
I am here to help: Remember that I am here to help you learn as best as I can. Please utilize my office hours for additional feedback and guidance on course-related issues.
Attendance: Attending class is expected. There will be in-class assignments every week, and you will not be excused due to absence. Attendance is also required for participation, which is an important part of your grade (see below).
Any student who misses 2 or more classes in the first 2 weeks may be administratively dropped to make room for students on the waitlist.
Classroom behavior: The classroom should be a safe space to discuss any topic, no matter how controversial. We all have to build and maintain that safety by discussing respectfully, avoiding personal attacks, offensive epithets, contemptuous gestures and exclusive language. Any student who feels uncomfortable in class is encouraged to get in contact with me.
Use of electronic devices in class: Electronic devices, such as laptops, tablets, phones, and Google Glasses, are not allowed in class. The exceptions to this rule will take place during specific sessions in which laptops and/or tablets will be part of the class dynamics (the instructor will announce these sessions in advance).
Writing: Writing is a critical part of this course, and of philosophy in general. Come talk to me if you want resources and/or need extra advice on writing.
Gender neutral writing: In philosophy, gender-neutral writing is the accepted practice recommended by the American Philosophical Association. See the American Philosophical Association guidelines www.apaonlinecsw.org/apa-guidelines-for-non-sexist-use-of-language.
Plagiarism: Plagiarizing someone else’s work is a serious academic offence, and it is bad for many reasons. Always use quotation marks and a footnote citation to indicate sentences or passages you borrow from another author. Assignments in which plagiarism is found will at the least be graded at 0 (not just an F). All incidents of plagiarism will be reported both to the Department Chair and to the Judicial Officer in the Office of Student Affairs for possible further administrative sanction. You are responsible for reading and understanding the details of the University's plagiarism policy. All papers will be put through plagiarism software. See the current student handbook for further information on student rights and responsibilities. Here is a link to the university's honesty policy: http://www.csus.edu/umanual/student/stu-0100.htm Come talk to me if you are not sure about what constitutes plagiarism.
Disability access statement: Please tell me early if you have a disability requiring accommodation (documentation to SSWD, Lassen Hall 1008, 916-278-6955) or if you need to miss something to participate in officially recognized student activities. More information available here: http://www.csus.edu/sswd/index.html
If you miss a class… Please do not email me with the question “Did I miss anything important?” It is your responsibility to ask your classmates about the class you missed and take any other steps necessary to keep up with the course content. You won’t be excused of any of the required exercises for the reason “I didn’t know”.
Also, read this poem: http://www.loc.gov/poetry/180/013.html
Email policy: Before emailing me with a question:
- check the syllabus in case your question is already answered there;
- ask other students, for they might help you resolve your doubts;
- consider whether it would be more appropriate to talk to me in person.
If after doing that, you still have a reason to email me, take into account that I don’t carry a smart phone with email access, and I don’t check my email unless I’m working on my computer, so do not expect quick responses. Allow at least two business days before receiving an answer. If you haven’t heard from me after that, please send me a follow-up email.
Some advice on how to correspond with your professors: http://www.csus.edu/phil/guidance/how-to-correspond.html
Late submissions and missed exercises:
Accommodations will only be made under exceptional circumstances, such as a documented medical or family emergency (you need to contact me as soon as you can after the emergency and before the due date; extensions will usually not be given on or after the due date). Late assignments turned in after the due time on their due dates (i.e. after 13:30 on the due day) will be docked 10% (e.g., A- 90% becomes B- 80%); later assignments will not be accepted (i.e., assignments submitted after midnight of the due date will not be marked and will receive a zero grade).
Please be aware that this course includes many in-class writing assignments; missing any of them due to absence will result (unless it is an exceptional circumstance as mentioned above) in losing the points allocated to that assignment.
Required Materials: There is no textbook required for this course. Required readings and media materials (noted on the schedule) will be made available on the course website.
Technology Requirements: Students must have a reliable way of accessing SacCT. All important course announcements, information, and resources will be communicated and available through SacCT (except the material in the required text). Technical problems must be directed to the ITC Help Line @ 278-7337.
Anonymous grading: In order to guarantee impartial grading, I intend to grade as much work as possible anonymously. I need you to help me with that. Instead of your name, indicate your ID# on the two in-class exercises and the three assignments (paper outline, draft paper, and final paper).
Office hours: I strongly recommend that you come to my office hours at least once during the semester.