M
4:15-6:50pm
Classroom:
Hobart Hall 145
Office:
Atrium 275; Phone: 720-2173
Office
Hours: M,F 12:30-1:30
Email:
mandikp@wpunj.edu
Dept. Web
Site:
http://www.wpunj.edu/cohss/philosophy
Introduction: The
central question addressed is: What is the relation between your mind and your
brain? Related questions include: Is your mind the sort of thing that can
survive the destruction of your body? Do you have an immortal soul? Suppose
that your mind just is your brain: Does this mean that you don’t have free
will? Could you build an artificial brain? Would an artificial brain have a
real mind, with real consciousness? We will explore these topics by reading and
discussing short articles and even some science- fiction. We will also use some
computer simulations of artificial minds and artificial organisms to explore
the topics of how we use our minds and brains to be conscious of ourselves,
each other and our world.
Required
Text: Class discussions will be
based on readings from The Mind's I by
Douglas Hofstadter and Daniel Dennett.
Students are required to read the text in its entirety. Portions of the text will be discussed in
the order indicated in the course outline. The book is available at the WPU
Bookstore, large retail bookstores, and at internet bookstores.
Course
Expectations, Grading and Assessment: You
are required to attend class, to do the readings, to participate in discussions
and in-class work, to take the exams, and to complete all course
assignments. Readings, assignments and
exams are listed on the outline above.
The percentages of your grade for this course are calculated as follows.
Homework: 30%. There will be 6 take-home written assignments
worth 5% each. Each assignment is due BEFORE class starts on the day it is
due. Written assignments will be
required to be turned in electronically using email. Assignments will also frequently involve accessing the internet
web-page for this course. All students
of this university have access to the required electronic resources and
assistance in using those resources.
Your failure to understand how to use them will not be an acceptable
excuse for missed work. I reserve the right to give you zero credit for work
turned in late.
Exams: 40%. There will be 3 in-class exams. Exam 1 is worth
5%, exam 2 is worth 15%, and the final exam is worth 20% of your grade. Exams
are cumulative, multiple-choice exams.
They are closed-book, closed-note exams. If you miss an exam without
notice, I reserve the right not to let you take it or to let you take it for
partial credit. If you wait more than 1
week for a missed exam or if I've already handed it back to the class and you
haven't taken it, you cannot take it.
Reading Quizzes: 20%. Every class there will be a short (1-3 question)
reading quiz to help you make sure that you are keeping up with the readings.
The quizzes will be very simple and easy: they will not be long essay
questions. If you did the reading, you will know the answer for the quiz
questions. If you are absent and miss a quiz, you cannot take the quiz at
another date.
Class Participation: 10%. Also required is your participation in class. To participate well you must ask questions,
volunteer answers, not screw around in class, not sleep in class, etc. Either
you participate well or you don’t. If you participate well, you will
receive full credit. If you do not participate well, you will receive a zero
credit. There is no partial credit for class participation. I will make note of
who does and who does not participate in in-class discussions and activities.
Get involved! Do not be afraid to ask
questions and volunteer answers—your grade depends on it. Shyness is not an
acceptable excuse for failure to participate.
Borderline cases. If your semester grade is a borderline case (for
example, a 72% borderline C-) I reserve the right to raise or lower your grade
depending on whether you showed a sincere effort to learn philosophy or
demonstrated a marked improvement over the semester. Signs of insincerity
include absences, lateness, sleeping in class, leaving class early, and
demonstrated apathy toward hard work and careful thought in class and homework.
OTHER
POLICIES. You are permitted to
make up work only with medical or legal documentation. Don't call me or email
me to tell me that you will be missing a class. Do call me if you have any serious problems. If you have any
problems with attending, or any emergencies, or any disabilities or other
difficulties you think may become issues with your involvement in the course,
please talk to me. Please don't wait
until the end. We can usually work
something out before there are problems — I'm always happy to try to reschedule
something for you if you tell me beforehand. It's up to you to try to maximize
your grade — tell me what you want to do!
COURSE
OUTLINE
Lecture/Chapters
|
Homework/Exams |
|
1. Introduction to philosophy of mind |
|
|
2. / Intro &
Chs 1-3 |
|
|
3. / Ch 4 |
Hmwk 1 due Feb 5 |
|
4. / Chs 5 and 6 |
Exam 1 Feb 12 |
|
5./ Feb 20 (Tuesday)
Chs 7-10 |
Hmwk 2 due Feb 20 |
|
6./ Ch 11 |
|
|
7./ Chs 12- 14 |
Hmwk 3 Due & Exam 2 Mar 5 |
|
8./ Chs 15-17 |
|
|
9./ Chs 18, 19 |
|
|
10./ Chs 20, 21 |
Hmwk 4 Due Apr 2 |
|
11./ Chs 22, 23 |
|
|
12./ Ch 24 |
Hmwk 5 Due Apr 16 |
|
13./ Ch 25 |
|
|
14./ Chs 26, 27 |
Assignment 6
Due Apr 30
|
Final Exam
|
May 7 5-7:30p |
|
A |
100 - 93 |
|
A- |
92 - 90 |
|
B+ |
89 - 86 |
|
B |
85 - 83 |
|
B- |
82 - 80 |
|
C+ |
79 - 76 |
|
C |
75 - 73 |
|
C- |
72- 70 |
|
D+ |
69 -66 |
|
D |
65 - 60 |
| F | 59 - 0 |