Students
PHIL707 – Research Topics in Philosophy and Cognitive Science
2014 – S1 Day
General Information
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| Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Unit Convenor
Colin Klein
Contact via colin.klein@mq.edu.au
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| Credit points |
Credit points
4
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| Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
Admission to MRes
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| Corequisites |
Corequisites
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| Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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| Unit description |
Unit description
This unit explores some of the cutting edge research questions at the forefront of cognitive science and the philosophy of cognition. The unit explores philosophical problems that arise from the core disciplines of cognitive psychology, cognitive neuropsychology, linguistics, neuroscience and AI and robotics. Topics to be covered may include: embodied and distributed cognition; disorders of the mind; folk psychology and theory of mind; the use of FMRI to understand brain function; is the brain massively modular; can cognitive science explain consciousness, or the self?
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Important Academic Dates
Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Acquire a coherent and advanced knowledge of the methodology, concepts and arguments of cognitive science and philosophy.
- Synthesise and analyse information from a variety of sources concerning foundational concepts and arguments in cognitive science and philosophy
- Articulate clearly and coherently philosophical arguments in written and oral form to a variety of audiences
- Analyse and critically evaluate philosophical arguments.
- Apply acquired knowledge and skills in the context of philosophical and cognitive science scholarship
- Work in cooperation with others and reflect on individual and group performance to identify opportunities for improvement.
Assessment Tasks
| Name | Weighting | Due |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly Participation | 20% | 13/6/14 |
| Presentations | 20% | 4/6/14 |
| Summaries of Reading | 15% | 13/6/14 |
| Research Essay | 45% | 3/7/14 |
Weekly Participation
Due: 13/6/14
Weighting: 20%
Student preparation for discussion of readings and engagement in seminar discussions.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Acquire a coherent and advanced knowledge of the methodology, concepts and arguments of cognitive science and philosophy.
- Synthesise and analyse information from a variety of sources concerning foundational concepts and arguments in cognitive science and philosophy
- Articulate clearly and coherently philosophical arguments in written and oral form to a variety of audiences
- Analyse and critically evaluate philosophical arguments.
- Work in cooperation with others and reflect on individual and group performance to identify opportunities for improvement.
Presentations
Due: 4/6/14
Weighting: 20%
At the end of the course each student will give a 20-30 minute presentation on their essay indicating: This assessment task requires each student to write a full thesis proposal that:
1.identifies the philosophical problem that the essay will address 2.locates that problem in an area of philosophy
3.Outlines the structure of the argument, indicating the key concepts or arguments that require attention in addressing the problem.
Second, each student will be asked to present their proposal and outline and to be prepared to respond to questions on the proposal.
Finally, each student will be expected to participate in the presentations, to ask questions of other students and to offer constructive commentary aimed at clarification or refinement of each proposal.
Criteria for assessment: clarity of the thesis problem, contextualisation in philosophical debate, articulation of the argument structure and rationale. Clarity of verbal presentation, value of the contribution to discussion.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Acquire a coherent and advanced knowledge of the methodology, concepts and arguments of cognitive science and philosophy.
- Synthesise and analyse information from a variety of sources concerning foundational concepts and arguments in cognitive science and philosophy
- Articulate clearly and coherently philosophical arguments in written and oral form to a variety of audiences
- Analyse and critically evaluate philosophical arguments.
- Apply acquired knowledge and skills in the context of philosophical and cognitive science scholarship
- Work in cooperation with others and reflect on individual and group performance to identify opportunities for improvement.
Summaries of Reading
Due: 13/6/14
Weighting: 15%
Summaries must be made of each reading for the week. At least 10 must be submitted for assessment.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Acquire a coherent and advanced knowledge of the methodology, concepts and arguments of cognitive science and philosophy.
- Synthesise and analyse information from a variety of sources concerning foundational concepts and arguments in cognitive science and philosophy
- Articulate clearly and coherently philosophical arguments in written and oral form to a variety of audiences
Research Essay
Due: 3/7/14
Weighting: 45%
4000-5000 word essay drawing upon research related to course content, building from presentation.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Acquire a coherent and advanced knowledge of the methodology, concepts and arguments of cognitive science and philosophy.
- Synthesise and analyse information from a variety of sources concerning foundational concepts and arguments in cognitive science and philosophy
- Articulate clearly and coherently philosophical arguments in written and oral form to a variety of audiences
- Analyse and critically evaluate philosophical arguments.
- Apply acquired knowledge and skills in the context of philosophical and cognitive science scholarship
Delivery and Resources
Seminars will be held Wednesday from 10-12 in the philosophy department seminar room.
The unit website is available through iLearn (http://ilearn.mq.edu.au). It contains essential resources for the unit, and you are expected to log in on a regular basis.
Unit Schedule
Week 1: Introduction and planning
Week 2: What is cognitive science?
Week 3: Cognitivism and Explanation
Week 4: The idea of a Computational Architecture
Week 5: Classic Modularity
Week 6: Connectionism
Week 7: Neuropsychology
Week 8: Neuropsychology in non-modular systems
Week 9: Massive Modularity
Week 10: Neural Re-use
Week 11: Predictive Coding
Weeks 12 & 13: Presentations
Policies and Procedures
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html
Assessment Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy.html
Grading Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grading/policy.html
Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html
Grievance Management Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grievance_management/policy.html
Disruption to Studies Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html The Disruption to Studies Policy is effective from March 3 2014 and replaces the Special Consideration Policy.
In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.
Student Code of Conduct
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/
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Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.
Student Services and Support
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
Student Enquiries
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IT Help
For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://informatics.mq.edu.au/help/.
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