Course Content and Outcomes Guides (CCOG)

CCOG for PHL 212 Winter 2025


Course Number:
PHL 212
Course Title:
Introduction to Philosophy of Mind
Credit Hours:
4
Lecture Hours:
40
Lecture/Lab Hours:
0
Lab Hours:
0

Course Description

Introduces historical and contemporary thought in the philosophy of mind, considering traditional philosophical questions about the nature of the human person in the light of recent research in the cognitive sciences. Prerequisites: WR 115, RD 115 and MTH 20 or equivalent placement test scores. Audit available.

Intended Outcomes for the course

Upon completion of the course students should be able to:

  • Articulate key philosophical arguments in the field of philosophy of mind.
  • Identify the influence of culturally based perspectives, values and beliefs to examine how diverse philosophical perspectives affect human experience.
  • Construct arguments on issues dealing with the philosophy of mind using critical reasoning to identify and investigate philosophical theses and evaluate information and its sources.
  • Respond to arguments on issues dealing with the philosophy of the mind using critical reasoning to identify and investigate philosophical theses and evaluate information and its sources.

Integrative Learning

Students completing an associate degree at Portland Community College will be able to reflect on one’s work or competencies to make connections between course content and lived experience.

General education philosophy statement

Philosophy courses ask students to use critical thinking and reasoning skills in multiple ways: to identify the content, structure, and influence of beliefs, to examine how diverse philosophical perspectives affect human experience, and to construct and respond to arguments on a variety of philosophical issues. They encourage students to both create and understand their and others’ frameworks of meaning, and to use this new understanding in their own lived experience.

Course Activities and Design

Reading, writing and discussion based on key texts in philosophy of mind. Instructor lectures. Viewing and discussion of pertinent film and video materials. Individual and team student projects. Consideration of behavioral and thought experiments of the kind used in philosophy of mind. Possible field trips to lectures, films, museums, other events or institutions. Formal written papers.

Outcome Assessment Strategies

For all outcomes listed in “Learning Outcomes” above, assessment will include, as appropriate:--Evaluation of attendance and participation in class activities--Evaluation of written discussion materials--Written testing on key ideas--Evaluation of individual and team student class projects--Evaluation of formal written papers

Course Content (Themes, Concepts, Issues and Skills)

Themes: the nature of the person, the relationship of body to mind. Concepts: person, mind, body, consciousness, sentience, thought. Issues: whether the mind and body are two separate things or are rather the one reducible to the other, whether neuro-biology—especially brain science—can explain mental phenomena. Skills: recognizing and understanding key texts, ideas and authors in the philosophy of mind,thinking critically about key issues in the philosophy of mind