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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2017/2018

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences : Philosophy

Undergraduate Course: Philosophy of Psychology (PHIL10081)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences CollegeCollege of Humanities and Social Science
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryThis course will survey philosophical issues particular to the scientific study of the mind, with a special focus on the methodology and explanatory practices of psychology. We will cover questions such as: Can subjective reports count as evidence? Is "unconscious inference" a coherent concept? Are there mental images? What can evolution tell us about our minds? Do mental representations considered as computational states "mean" anything?
Course description Week 1: What is (philosophy of) psychology?
Week 2: Explanation: 1st and 3rd Person
Week 3: Behaviorism
Week 4: Critiques of Behaviorism
Week 5: Unconscious Inferences
Week 6: Gestalt and the New Mechanism
Week 7: The Role of Meaning?
Week 8: Inference and Belief in Simpler Minds
Week 9: Evolutionary Psychology
Week 10: Imagery Debate
Week 11: Imagery Continued / Review
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Students MUST have passed: Knowledge and Reality (PHIL08017) AND Mind, Matter and Language (PHIL08014)
Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesVisiting students should have at least 3 Philosophy courses at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this). We will only consider University/College level courses.
High Demand Course? Yes
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2017/18, Available to all students (SV1) Quota:  25
Course Start Semester 2
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Seminar/Tutorial Hours 22, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 174 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) 1. Weekly participation (online web forum posts --- see Course Guide for details) (20%)
2. End-of-semester essay of 3,000 words (80%)
Feedback Not entered
No Exam Information
Academic year 2017/18, Part-year visiting students only (VV1) Quota:  5
Course Start Semester 2
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Seminar/Tutorial Hours 22, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 174 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) 1. Weekly participation (online web forum posts --- see Course Guide for details) (20%)
2. End-of-semester essay of 3,000 words (80%)
Feedback Not entered
No Exam Information
Learning Outcomes
Students who have completed this course should be able to:
* Examine the basic literature on psychological explanation
* Make use of the empirical literature in a philosophical context
* Critically discuss the evidential support for and theoretical significance of unconscious mental processes
* Critically evaluate the mental imagery debate
Reading List
1. Wolfgang Köhler, Gestalt Psychology (1947) ¿ this book is available cheaply online or from Blackwell¿s books; there are also several copies on reserve in the HUB section of the library
A complete reading list, with readings for each week, is on Learn.
Additional Information
Course URL http://www.philosophy.ed.ac.uk/ug_study/ug_honours/ug_hons_index.html
Graduate Attributes and Skills Not entered
Keywordspsychology,philosophy,mind,consciousness,externalism,meaning,evolutionary psychology
Contacts
Course organiserDr Mark Sprevak
Tel:
Email:
Course secretaryMiss Samantha Bell
Tel: (0131 6)50 3602
Email:
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