Unit rationale, description and aim
This unit examines philosophical problems about the nature of the mind, its relationship to the body, and its place in the world. In examining both classical and modern conceptions of soul and mind, and contemporary insights of cognitive science, students examine questions concerning the nature of selfhood, the (ir)reducibility of consciousness to neuro-physiology, and various issues raised by emerging technologies that raise profound questions about the nature and possibilities of mind. In exploring influential perspectives regarding those debates, students are required to develop reasoned positions of their own. In this way, the unit aims both to facilitate students' understanding of some key philosophical theories and debates, as well as to enhance their skills in critical analysis.
Learning outcomes
To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.
Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.
Explore the graduate capabilities.
Identify and accurately explain some of the centra...
Learning Outcome 01
Critically analyse selected contemporary debates i...
Learning Outcome 02
Demonstrate appropriate skills in philosophical re...
Learning Outcome 03
Effective English expression
Learning Outcome 04
Content
Topics will include:
- theories concerning the relation between mind, soul and body, such as varieties of dualism, physicalism, dual aspect theory, emergent monism and/or hylemorphism;
- definitions and theories of consciousness and intentionality;
- philosophical issues arising from recent work in the cognitive or mind sciences.
In addition, topics such as the following may also be included:
- phenomenological accounts of mind and body;
- the experience of selfhood and personal identity;
- philosophical issues arising from the possibilities of artificial intelligence and ‘mind-uploading’;
- mind and language;
- evolutionary cognitive psychology;
- reason, volition and emotion in mental life;
- the problem of other minds and the private language argument;
- the notion of the ‘extended mind’;
- mind, death and afterlife.
Assessment strategy and rationale
The assessment strategy for this unit has been designed to examine students’ understanding of the philosophical issues and theories under consideration, as well as their ability to critically analyse those issues and theories. It does so through a series of three graduated assessment tasks. The first two tasks prepare students for the third and principal task of writing an extended research essay. The two written analysis tasks examine students’ capacity to demonstrate an understanding of key concepts and theories, and to engage critically with some key texts in the field. The research essay examines students’ abilities to research and critically analyse an important issue in the philosophy of mind, and to develop and defend a coherent position of their own in a formally structured argumentative essay.
Overview of assessments
Written Analysis Task 1 Requires students to demo...
Written Analysis Task 1
Requires students to demonstrate understanding of key concepts, debates and/or texts
20%
Written Analysis Task 2 Requires students to demo...
Written Analysis Task 2
Requires students to demonstrate understanding of key concepts, debates and/or texts
30%
Research Essay Requires students to do further re...
Research Essay
Requires students to do further research, analyse an important issue in the philosophy of mind, and to argue for a coherent position in relation to it.
50%
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
This unit involves 150 hours of focused learning, or the equivalent of 10 hours per week for 15 weeks. The total includes formally structured learning activities such as lectures, tutorials and online learning. The remaining hours typically involve reading, research, and the preparation of tasks for assessment. The unit has been designed as a blend of direct instruction and project learning with a strong collaborative component. The direct instruction ensures that students develop a grounding in understanding basic problems, concepts and arguments in the philosophy of mind (see LO1). The collaborative learning enables the students to apply those concepts and theories critically and reflectively to problems in the field, and this feeds into the achievement of the other aim of the unit concerning the development of philosophical skills of analysis, interpretation and argumentation (see LO2-3). The collaborative context of the unit is focused especially on the weekly tutorial, during which the emphasis is on small group discussion of the weekly readings. Students engage in class discussions, provide written critiques of significant theories, and present their reasoned position on matters at issue, after being introduced to them through readings and lectures.