Course Syllabus, Winter 2002
COURSE: Social Science 139
PROFESSOR: Don Hoffman
SECRETARY: Justine Sarashid
GENERAL INFORMATION
In this class we will read and discuss current literature on the classic mind/body problem. Some questions we will consider are these: What is consciousness and what is matter and how are the two related? How can brains have minds? How can neural activity cause my sensation of red or my feeling of pain? The course will be multidisciplinary, drawing on information from the fields of computer vision, artificial intelligence, cognition, neurophysiology, philosophy, and psychophysics. During the first couple weeks I will provide a general introduction to the subject. Students will then choose book chapters on the mind/body problem (from the books by Tye and Hoffman), present these to the class, and lead discussions. The goal is for all involved to know the state of the field and the open problems by the end of the second quarter.
GRADING
Your grade will be based on three measures: (1) Your oral presentation, (2) your participation in discussions, and (3) a final exam. I discuss each briefly. (1) Your grade for the oral presentation will be based on how well you master the material you present, how clearly you present its essence, and how penetratingly you critique its strengths and weaknesses. (2) You are, of course, expected to have read whatever material is the subject for discussion in each session, whether or not you are the primary presenter. Come prepared with questions for the discussion leader, critiques of the material, and general comments. To make sure that we all read the material, at the beginning of each class we will put all our names in a hat and draw one out at random. The person whose name is drawn will open the class with a five minute summary of the material for that day. (3) The final will be a 40-question multiple-choice exam. It will cover the books by Tye and Hoffman, and the information presented in the first five overview lectures. The final will count for half of your grade. Your oral presentation will count for 40%, and your participation in discussions 10%.
SCHEDULE OF LECTURES AND READINGS
Lecture. Date: Topic
1. Tu 1/8: Overview of philosophy of mind
2. Th 1/10: Overview of philosophy of mind
3. Tu 1/15: Overview of philosophy of mind
4. Th 1/17: Overview of philosophy of mind
5. Tu 1/22: Overview of philosophy of mind
6. Th 1/24: Tye, 1995, chapter 1: 1.1--1.5
7. Tu 1/29: Tye, 1995, chapter 1: 1.6--1.1.11
8. Th 1/31: Tye, 1995, chapter 2: 2.1--2.3
9. Tu 2/5: Tye, 1995, chapter 2: 2.4--2.7
10. Th 2/7: Tye, 1995, chapter 3
11. Tu 2/12: Tye, 1995, chapter 4
12. Th 2/14: Tye, 1995, chapter 5
13. Tu 2/19: Tye, 1995, chapter 6
14. Th 2/21: Tye, 1995, chapter 7
15. Tu 2/26: Hoffman, 1997, chapter 1
16. Th 2/28: Hoffman, 1997, chapter 2
17. Tu 3/5: Hoffman, 1997, chapter 3
18. Th 3/7: Hoffman, 1997, chapter 4
19. Tu 3/12: Hoffman, 1997, chapter 5
20. Th 3/14: Hoffman, 1997, chapter 6,7
--- Tu 3/19, 4:00 --6:00 p.m., FINAL
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