Undergraduate Course: Philosophy of Psychology (PHIL10081)
Course Outline
| School | School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This 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
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Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting 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
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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.
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Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Mark Sprevak
Tel:
Email: |
Course secretary | Miss Samantha Bell
Tel: (0131 6)50 3602
Email: |
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