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Phil 3883 (Silcox) - Syllabus Page
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PHIL 3883 – Philosophy of Mind – 14287 (Fall 2010)
Class Meets TR 12:30-1:45 PM in Room 239, Liberal Arts Building
Instructor: Dr. Mark Silcox
Department of Humanities and Philosophy
Office Phone Number:
Office – 974-5625
e-mail address:
[email protected]
(N.B. – E-mail is an official medium of communication for this class. All students should check their
UCO e-mail accounts for class information at least once a week.)
Office Location: Liberal Arts 205J
Office hours:
Mondays 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Tuesdays 2:00 PM –3:00 PM
Wednesdays 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM & 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Thursdays 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
(or by appointment)
Course Description: (from the UCO course catalog) This course is a study of representative classic and
contemporary topics in Philosophy of Mind, such as the mind-body problem, varieties of dualism and
materialism, epiphenomenalism, behaviorism and other forms of reductionism, as well as lasting puzzles
about the mind pertaining to intentionality, artificial intelligence, qualia and subjectivity.
Prerequisite: 6 hours of philosophy.
Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, students should have acquired a basic understanding
of what some major western philosophers have said about the nature of the mind. They should also have
mastered some of some of the most widely accepted arguments both for and against materialism in the
philosophy of psychology. Finally, they should have a basic comprehension of the so-called “problem of
consciousness” and of some arguments for the possibility of artificial intelligence.
Course requirements and evaluation
20%: Midterm Exam on Historical Material (Text identifications: short written answers)
[Held during normal class time on September 23rd]
20%: Mid-term 1,500 Word Essay on the Mind/Body Problem
[Due in class on November 2nd]
30%: Final 2,500 Word Essay on Consciousness, AI or The Extended Mind
[Due in my office on Friday, December 10th by 5PM]
30% Final Exam (Text identifications: short written answers)
[Held on Tuesday, December 14th, from 1:00 PM to 2:50 PM]
Phil 3883 (Silcox) - Syllabus Page
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Point System:
Each piece of work is graded on an eleven-point system, where A=11, A-=10, B+=9…F=0. Your scores
on the four pieces of work are multiplied by the percentage of the final grade that each is worth, then
added together to produce a final grade. I will exercise some discretion in borderline cases, based upon
how much I believe that the student has improved over the course of the term.
NB: All students must obtain a passing grade on at least one of the two exams. Anyone who fails both
exams will receive an automatic F in the course.
Texts and other source material:
MATTER AND CONSCIOUSNESS: A CONTEMPORARY INTRODUCTION TO THE
PHILOSOPHY OF MIND
(Revised Edition)
Author: Paul Churchland
Publisher: The MIT Press
THE MYSTERIOUS FLAME: CONSCIOUS MINDS IN A MATERIAL WORLD
Author: Colin McGinn
Publisher: Basic Books
+ A packet of photocopied readings, available at Advanced Printing and Marketing, across 2nd from
Nigh University Center (phone: 348.6090)
Course Outline: Readings in Order of Coverage
WEEKS 1-5: Historical Background
Anaxagoras, Selections
Selections from Plato, Phaedo
Selections from Aristotle, On The Soul
Selections from René Descartes, Meditations on First Philosophy
Selections from John Locke, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding
WEEKS 6-10: The Mind/Body Problem
Paul M. Churchland, Matter and Consciousness, Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8
WEEKS 11-13: The Problem of Consciousness
Colin McGinn, Selections from The Mysterious Flame, Chapters 1, 2, 3, 5, 7
WEEKS 14-15: The Deep End
Alan Turing, “Computing Machinery and Intelligence”
Andy Clark and David Chalmers, “The Extended Mind”
Phil 3883 (Silcox) - Syllabus Page
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Classroom Demeanor: Students should try to arrive on time for class. Use of any electronic device
without the express written consent of the instructor is prohibited. Text messaging while in class is
strictly forbidden.
Attendance Policy: Missed lectures and lack of participation will not directly affect your grade, only the
quality of your education. Important information about readings and class assignments may, however, be
distributed during lecture periods. It is your responsibility to make yourself aware of this information.
Late and Make-Up Work Policy: Late written work will not be accepted under any circumstances unless
it is accompanied by a fully documented, university sanctioned excuse (e.g. a death in the family, a
serious illness). If an exam is missed because of a fully documented, university sanctioned excuse, the
student will write a make-up exam no more than two school days after the period covered by the excuse.
Academic Integrity Statement: Academic dishonesty includes, but is not confined to: plagiarizing;
cheating on tests or examinations; stealing tests or other academic material; knowingly falsifying
academic records or documents of the institution; accessing a student’s confidential academic records
without authorization; disclosing confidential academic information without authorization; and, turning
in the same work to more than one class without informing the instructors involved. Each student is
expected to engage in all academic pursuits in a manner that is above reproach. Students are expected to
maintain complete honesty and integrity in the academic both in and out of the classroom. Any student
found guilty of academic dishonesty will be subject to disciplinary action. To help ensure academic
integrity, faculty may employ a variety of tools, including, but not limited to, university-sanctioned
Turnitin.com. More information concerning this policy can be found on page three of the UCO Student
Code of Conduct located at http://broncho2.uco.edu/conduct/code.html
ADA Statement: The University of Central Oklahoma complies with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation
Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Students with disabilities who need
special accommodations must contact the assistant director of Disability Support Services, Kim Fields,
in room 309 of the Nigh university Center, (405) 974-2549. It is the student’s responsibility to contact
the instructor as soon as possible after the DSS has verified the need for accommodations to ensure that
such accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion.
For the following information:
UConnect Statement
Incomplete Grade
Withdrawing from all classes
Emergency Individual Class Drop or Complete Withdrawal
Important Dates
Fall Semester Holidays
Fall Library Hours
Weather Related Information
Emergencies During Finals Statement
Final Exam Daily Limits
How to Contact a Faculty Member
Expectation of Work
Helpful Telephone Numbers
Course Evaluations
visit the URL provided below.
http://broncho2.uco.edu/academicaffairs/StudentInfoSheet.pdf