Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Department of Philosophy

Department of Philosophy / Courses / Archives / Summer 2014 (1144) / PHIL 333
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PHIL 333:  Selected Topics
Mind:  Contemporary Issues

Summer Semester 2014 | Day | Burnaby

INSTRUCTOR: Kathleen Akins, WMC 5604 (kathleea@sfu.ca)

REQUIRED TEXT

  • Embodied Cognition: New Problems of Philosophy by Lawrence Shapiro.  Routledge, 2010.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Over the last 40 years, the predominant theory of mind in philosophy and psychology has been the computational theory — the view that psychological states are computational states.  There have been many responses/criticisms to this view, but the most sustained objections have come from theorists who view the mind as ‘embedded’ or ‘embodied’.  These are actually a diverse range of theories, all united in their view that computational theories of mind are wrong, but divided in their suggestions about what an embedded or embodied mind is supposed to be.  With the help of Lawrence Shapiro’s new text Embodied Cognition (New Problems in Philosophy) plus some supplementary readings from primary texts, we will spend the term trying to understand this new(-ish) movement—its historical origins, the claims it makes about the mind, how it differs from computational theories, and of course, which parts of all this might be true.  This class is suitable for students from any of the disciplines that make up the cognitive sciences, i.e. from philosophy, psychology, computer science, linguistics, neuroscience, etc.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

A. Mailbag:  5 questions about the reading/lecture submitted by students; and answered by the professor in the next class.  4 x 5% = 20%  (Graded pass/fail).

B. Short papers on readings:

a) 1 very short paper (1-2 pages) x 5 %  = 5 %    (Students will be required to re-write this paper if they receive below a B- grade.)

b) 2 (~5 pages) x 15%  = 30%

C. The Long Paper—Draft and Final Copy.  There will be suggestions for paper topics but students who have a particular interest, related to their main field of study, may write on alternative subjects if they first get approval from the professor.   First draft paper, 10-12 pages long, worth 30%.  Second Draft (graded on both absolute quality plus improvement over the first paper): 15%

Prerequisites: PHIL 201, 203 or 343, or COGS 100.