Dr. Alex Manafu
alexman@yorku.ca

An introduction to metaphysical theories about the relationship between the mind and the body. We examine Descartes' mind-body dualism as well as 20th century theories including behaviourism, identity theory, functionalism, etc.

Time: Mondays, 2:30pm-4:30pm

The lecture and tutorials 03, 04, 05 & 06 will be delivered remotely. The other tutorials will be delivered in person, according to the timetable, at the location specified in the schedule on the York courses website.

Office hours: Students will be able to book Zoom meetings with the course director, as needed. More information about office hours will be made available on EClass.

Pete Mandik, This is Philosophy of Mind, Wiley & Sons 2013

10% Ten critical reflection pieces, 1% each

Before every lecture you will have the opportunity to submit a critical reflection piece (250-500 words) based on the current reading (that week’s chapter). In your reflection piece, you may raise an objection to the position expressed in the reading; explore some implications of the position, make connections/comparisons with other positions, etc, etc. Even though the reflection pieces are short, you are expected to devote a significant amount of time thinking about them and writing them. Good or great submissions = 1%. Mediocre = 0.5%. Superficial = 0%.

20% Tutorial participation

70% Two essays, 35% each. (Late penalty 10%/day).

NOTE: The grading scheme above will be respected strictly. For ethical reasons, I do not revise the grades of students, nor do I allow students to do extra work to boost their marks. The main reason for this is my commitment to treat all students equally, and the fact that I like to stick to the grading scheme above.

Late/missed assignments policy:

As a general rule, I do not accept late submissions, nor do I provide extensions to the deadlines. For late essay submissions, a 10% penalty/day will be applied. A critical reflection for a given week must be submitted that same week, by the deadline. Retroactive submissions of the critical reflection pieces will not be accepted. In case of a health crisis/medical emergency, a doctor’s note must be submitted before the deadline. No retroactive doctor’s notes will be accepted.

Details about the assignments will be announced in class in due time, and it will be posted on Moodle. Check Moodle frequently for updates.

All assignments will be submitted on Moodle and Turnitin, where they will be subjected to a plagiarism check.

ANY ASSIGNMENT WITH A TURNITIN SCORE ABOVE 15% WILL BE INVESTIGATED.

Depending on the case, the assignment will incur a penalty and/or the Course Director together with the Undergraduate Program Director will open a formal AH (academic honesty) case.

Following the investigation of your assignment, any point above a 15% Turnitin score will be translated into a 1 point of penalty. For example, an assignment worth 20% which gets a Turnitin plagiarism score of 17% will incur a penalty of 2 points (out of 20% allotted to the assignment), so that the new maximum grade for that assignment will be 18%.

As a result of the AH case that will be opened you risk EXPULSION FROM THE UNIVERSITY. If your assignment has a Turnitin score of 15% or more you can revise your assignment and resubmit it, as long as the deadline has not yet passed.

For information on what counts as plagiarism please see the Senate Policy on Academic Honesty, as well as talk to me or your TA. Also, approach me or your TA for tips on how to avoid a high Turnitin score. One good tip is to avoid long quotes, and to uses paraphrases.

Lectures (Virtual/Online)

By the end of this course, students will:

• Be able to summarize, analyze, compare and engage critically with the various theories and concepts in the philosophy of mind;
• Parse and evaluate complex arguments;
• Be able to formulate your own views about the nature of the mind and defend them with cogent arguments.