PP2MM1-Meaning and the Mind 1

Module Provider: Philosophy
Number of credits: 20 [10 ECTS credits]
Level:5
Terms in which taught: Autumn term module
Pre-requisites:
Non-modular pre-requisites:
Co-requisites:
Modules excluded:
Current from: 2021/2

Module Convenor: Dr Jumbly Grindrod
Email: j.grindrod@reading.ac.uk

Type of module:

Summary module description:

This module introduces students to core philosophical issues about meaning and the mind, and to central connections between these issues. How could there be minds in a physical world? Are states of consciousness physical states? How do our thoughts and words come to represent the world around us? These questions are intimately related. The capacity to represent the world is a central, problematic feature of the mind. Moreover, to assess what minds are, we must pay careful attention to what our words for mental states mean, and to how they come to mean what they do. We will investigate these questions by reading and discussing recent work in the philosophy of mind and language, by authors such as David Chalmers, Hilary Putnam and John Searle, as well as classic texts by authors such as Gottlob Frege and Princess Elizabeth of Bohemia.

Aims:

Students in this module learn to engage knowledgeably and critically, both in writing and in oral presentation, with core problems, arguments and theories in the philosophy of mind, philosophy of language and theory of meaning. Students learn how to bring the tools of philosophy to bear on perennial human questions, unsolved by science, about the place of mind and meaning in the natural world. Students also learn how different core areas of philosophy bear on one another. For example, they achieve an appreciation of how theories in philosophy of mind can turn on theories in philosophy of language. The programme of study in philosophy is specifically designed to introduce you to progressive intellectual challenges and to consolidate your previous experience at each new level.

Assessable learning outcomes:

Students acquire knowledge of core areas of philosophy which ramify throughout the subject. For example, they learn to articulate and criticise arguments and theories about the meanings of our words, identity and reduction which are appealed to in various more specific philosophical projects, as studied at Part 3. Students develop skills of written and oral presentation, through tasks that equip them progressively to work more independently.  Students learn to engage knowledgeably and cr itically with journal articles in philosophy, through a reading list which combines introductory material with key texts from the journals, and through lectures which walk them strategically through key technicalities and connections. They also learn to situate recent work within the history of ideas about the mind and meaning.

Additional outcomes:

Students in this module learn how to treat philosophy as a systematic discipline, appreciating how one’s answers to apparently disparate questions have consequences for one another.

Outline content:

Topics covered in the module include central questions in the philosophy of mind, for example: How could there be mental states---experiences, beliefs and so on—in a physical universe? How could mental states have physical causes and effects? Is your mind your brain? How do you know about other people’s mental states? Topics covered also include central questions in the theory of meaning and philosophy of language, for example: How must thoughts and words be connected to things in order to refer to them? Are names descriptions? What is the relationship between meaning and verification?

Brief description of teaching and learning methods:

The module is taught by lectures and seminars. Students are expected to attend 20 hours of lectures and 10 hours of seminars. All students are required to write two essays from a list of questions supplied by the module convenor and to give one seminar presentation. In addition, in weeks in which a student is not giving a presentation, they will be required to write a short précis of the topic for discussion at a given seminar class. Students are encouraged to be active in all classes, asking questions and trying to answer the questions posed by others. A reading list and sample questions will be given out at the start of the module.

Contact hours:

	Autumn	Spring	Summer
Lectures	20
Seminars	10
Guided independent study:	170
Total hours by term	200
Total hours for module	200

Summative Assessment Methods:

Method	Percentage
Written assignment including essay	90
Oral assessment and presentation	10

Summative assessment- Examinations:

Summative assessment- Coursework and in-class tests:

1 x 10% oral presentation, First written assignment: 30%; Second written assignment: 60%

Formative assessment methods:

Students will write a short précis of the topic for discussion for every seminar class in which they are not doing a presentation. Some lectures may involve quizzes.

Penalties for late submission:

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of five working days;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than five working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: http://www.reading.ac.uk/web/FILES/qualitysupport/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf
You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Assessment requirements for a pass:

A mark of 40% overall

Reassessment arrangements:

Written assignment, to be completed in Summer term

Additional Costs (specified where applicable):

Last updated: 8 April 2021