Professor Verena Gottschling
vgott@yorku.ca (please note:  this e-mail address gives an error message but the professor will see your message)

This course is an online course. All course lectures, information, activities, and assignments can be found on Moodle/eclass.

What is the mind and how is it related to the brain? And what does either of them have to do with computation, Artificial Intelligence, and Neuroscience? This course is an intermediate course in Philosophy of Mind designed to familiarize you with the central questions, debates, topics, methods, and techniques involved in studying Philosophy of Mind. You will encounter many interesting empirical results as well as a number of open questions and stimulating controversies. This course is a survey of some of the main issues and theories as written by contemporary analytic philosophers of mind. By successfully completing this course, you will improve your ability to read first order original sources, evaluate others’  arguments and to create your own. Your writing and speaking skills should improve. You will also learn about contemporary figures and theories in the philosophy of mind.

You will learn about different positions regarding the ontological status of the mind, the nature of mental causation, and theories of consciousness Other possible questions we might touch on include: What is the role of experience for the mind body relationship? Is language necessary for thought? What does it mean to be a person? What is free will? What is the relationship between emotions and rationality? What is creativity and what is mental imagery?

We will use a mix of textbook material plus other downloadable articles.

John Heil, Philosophy of Mind. A Contemporary Introduction,

ByJohn Heil

Edition 2nd Edition, First Published 2004

eBook Published 19 May 2004

Pub. Location London: Routledge

(available online at the library)

File: PDF, you can also download the book as an e-book at the library

In addition, we might read (sections of) online articles which will be linked or posted on the class page.

Weekly homework (per topic one mini quiz): 10%

Forum, class and group activity in class 20%

Two short analysis assignments 40% (each 20%)

Oral Final Exam 30%

Lecture and class discussion

The course in an online course with both asynchronous, as well as synchronous activities, the synchronous activities are required as well.

We will meet regularly (during the assigned class times. Monday or Wednesday 11:30-2:30) on Zoom. Other activities, like lectures and some assignments will be online on the class page.

To ensure that you receive a high quality and hopefully transformative educational experience, regular participation is a requirement of this class. Typical weeks include required reading, viewing some video content, participating in discussion forums and at Zoom lectures as well as completing an assignment or an exam. In addition there will be in-person discussion classes. To be successful in this class, you will need to log in at least several times per module to access course materials and to participate actively in the class.

After completing this course, students should be able to:

1. Understand in some depth the main topics in contemporary analytic Philosophy of Mind, including: different views of the relationship between the body and the mind.
2. Improve their ability to evaluate others’ arguments and to create their own.
3. Develop the ability to write analyses of arguments
4. Know about several contemporary figures in the Philosophy of Mind.

Additional Information:

Technical requirements for taking the course: In order to fully participate in this course, students will be required to  take part in video conferencing and will also regularly appear on video/audio (e.g., for tutorial/seminar discussion, group work, assignment submission, etc). In addition to stable, higher-speed internet connection, students will need access to a computer with webcam and microphone. Some class activities can be done with a smart device (iPhone is fine) with these features. However, it is not recommended for most of them, since there is an impressive amount of research showing that using small screens gets in the way of student’s learning success.

Course policies

You must complete all requirements in order to pass the course.

A make-up of an assignment will only be given to students with a genuine medical or other emergency that prevents them from taking the assignment, but only if (1) I am notified beforehand by email and (2)  if this is backed up by official written documentation (for example a doctor’s report).

There is absolutely no make-up for certain assignments: missing forum contributions, missing homework and quizzes or missed pre-recorded presentations.

All students are expected to abide strictly by standards of academic honesty. Please familiarize yourselves with the University Senate Policy on Academic Honesty. If you have any questions concerning what constitutes cheating or plagiarism, please consult with me.

https://www.yorku.ca/unit/vpacad/academic-integrity/

Improper Use of Tools and Technology is a form of academic misconduct. Using any generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools is prohibited in this course.

• Using generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools. This includes
• Using tools such as Google Translate or paraphrasing software to disguise and present others’ work as your own translation or summarizing skill,
• Using content generated by AI tools at all, even if you modify some formulations afterwards.
• In particular, in gray areas, failing to disclose the use of GenAI tools, including not providing proper references or acknowledgments.

All course materials are designed for use as part of this course at York University and are the intellectual property of the instructor unless otherwise stated. You may not download, publish, post on an Internet site, sell, or otherwise distribute this work in any way without the instructor’s explicit permission.  Failure to abide by these restrictions may constitute grounds for academic misconduct proceedings and/or legal action against you. In addition, taking any action which can reasonably be interpreted as intending to encourage or enable others to commit an offence of academic honesty (like sharing or uploading course material) is itself is itself a breach of York’s AH policy.