Undergraduate Course: The Computational Mind (PHIL10134)
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 | Computation appears to be our best hope for explaining how the mind works. Over the past forty years, computational models have scored numerous successes in explaining various mental phenomena. Today, computation dominates cognitive science. This course introduces the computational approach to the mind and explores some foundational questions and challenges that it faces. |
| Course description |
Topics covered by the course include:
- What is a computation?
- If the mind is a computer, what kind is it?
- Is computation a real feature of brain, or a projection of our
interests?
- Can consciousness be explained by computation?
- Are cognitive computations in the brain or do they spill into the
environment?
|
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: 24 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
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 (hard limit on word count) (80%) |
| Feedback |
Not entered |
| No Exam Information |
|
| Academic year 2017/18, Part-year visiting students only (VV1)
|
Quota: 6 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
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 (hard limit on word count) (80%) |
| Feedback |
Not entered |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
| To develop further the philosophical skills, and to extend as well as deepen the philosophical knowledge, acquired in previous philosophy courses.
|
Reading List
1. A. Clark. Mindware: An Introduction to Cognitive Science. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2 edition, 2014.
2. T. Crane. The Mechanical Mind. Routledge, London, 3rd edition, 2016.
3. J. Haugeland. Artificial Intelligence: The Very Idea. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 1985.
A complete reading list, with readings for each week, is on Learn.
|
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | computation,philosophy,mind,consciousness,externalism |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Mark Sprevak
Tel:
Email: |
Course secretary | Miss Samantha Bell
Tel: (0131 6)50 3602
Email: |
|
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|
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