UNSW Handbook Course - Computers, Brains and Minds

Computers, Brains and Minds - HPSC2610


	Faculty: Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
	School: School of History and Philosophy of Science
	Contact: Slezak,Peter Paul
	Campus: Kensington Campus
	Career: Undergraduate
	Units of Credit: 6
	EFTSL: 0.125 (more info)
	Contact Hours per Week: 3
	Enrolment Requirements:
	Prerequisite: 36 units of credit; Excluded: GENS5525, HPST2004
	Session Offered: See Class Timetable
	Fee Band: 1 (more info)

Description

Introduction to contemporary discussions of the mind, thought, intelligence and consciousness. Focuses on the issues which arise in connection with the so-called 'cognitive sciences' - the disciplines which include such fields as neuro-science, psychology, linguistics, the philosophy of mind, and 'artificial intelligence'. Can computers think? Is the brain a machine?

Learning Outcomes

Students who successfully complete this course will:

Have gained an understanding, and also an ability to apply and think critically about key concepts and controversies in the philosophy of mind a cognitive science (These include the problem of defining and identifying intelligence in artificial systems; innateness, intentionality and meaning; creativity and heuristics; neural nets, distributed processing and identity; and mental representations).

Assessment

Two in-class tests - 40% (20% each)
Major essay (2000-3000 words) - 30%
Two tutorial presentations and write-ups - 20% (10% each)
Participation - 10%

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