AP/PHIL2160 3.0 M: Minds, Brains and Machines
Offered by: PHIL
(Cross-listed to: AP/COGS2160 3.0M )
Session
Winter 2022
Term
W
Format
LECT
Instructor
Calendar Description / Prerequisite / Co-Requisite
An introduction to the study of human cognition and the interdisciplinary field of cognitive science. Questions covered include: What is artificial intelligence? Is it possible that we will someday build computers that think? Does language affect thought? Do we think in language or pictures? How is conscious experience related to the brain?
Course Start Up
Course Websites hosted on York's "eClass" are accessible to students during the first week of the term. It takes two business days from the time of your enrolment to access your course website. Course materials begin to be released on the course website during the first week. To log in to your eClass course visit the York U eClass Portal and login with your Student Passport York Account. If you are creating and participating in Zoom meetings you may also go directly to the York U Zoom Portal.
For further course Start Up details, review the Getting Started webpage.
For IT support, students may contact University Information Technology Client Services via askit@yorku.ca or (416) 736-5800. Please also visit Students Getting Started UIT or the Getting Help - UIT webpages.
Professor J. Beck
jbeck@yorku.ca
We have sciences of the physical world (physics), chemical world (chemistry), and biological world (biology). But can we have a science of the mind? Cognitive science answers affirmatively, and seeks to understand the mind by integrating findings from such variegated disciplines as philosophy, psychology, neuroscience, linguistics, anthropology, evolutionary biology, and artificial intelligence. One core idea of cognitive science is that the mind is too complex to be understood from the perspective of any one discipline, and thus that this interdisciplinary approach is necessary. Another core idea is that the mind is like a computer. We will critically examine these and other core ideas of cognitive science and study their application to a wide range of phenomena, including perception, language, mental imagery, reasoning, morality, mathematics, and consciousness. We will also consider objections from skeptics who doubt that cognitive science can provide a comprehensive science of the mind.
The textbook for the course is Cognitive Science: An Introduction to the Science of the Mind, 3rd Edition, by José Luis Bermúdez.
The textbook will be supplemented by a variety of readings, made available through eClass.
Papers 30%
Midterm Exam 30%
Final Exam 30%
Section Participation 10%
Biweekly lectures and weekly tutorial sections.
- Identify and characterize the principal techniques cognitive scientists use to study the mind.
- Analyze and evaluate the core ideas and paradigms that have guided cognitive science.
- Understand major developments and findings from cognitive science.
This course will be held in person. Attendance is mandatory.
- Academic Honesty
- Student Rights and Responsibilities
- Religious Observance
- Grading Scheme and Feedback
- 20% Rule
No examinations or tests collectively worth more than 20% of the final grade in a course will be given during the final 14 calendar days of classes in a term. The exceptions to the rule are classes which regularly meet Friday evenings or on Saturday and/or Sunday at any time, and courses offered in the compressed summer terms. - Academic Accommodation for Students with Disabilities
