Minds, Brains, and Machines: Contemporary Philosophy of Mind
UndergraduateLTU-PHI3MBM2024
Course information for 2024 intake View information for 2025 course intake
Enrolments for this course are closed, but you may have other options to start studying now. Book a consultation to learn more.
- Study method
- 100% online
- Assessments
- 100% online
- Entry requirements
- Prior study needed
- Duration
- 12 weeks
- Loan available
- HECS-HELP and FEE-HELP available
Minds, Brains, and Machines: Contemporary Philosophy of Mind
About this subject
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Identify the underlying issues in a complex problem or controversial debate, analyse their structure and employ appropriate reasoning strategies designed to resolve the problem.
- Identify, formulate, analyse and judge the success of standard form and text-based arguments, using appropriate methods of analysis and critical reasoning.
- Work collaboratively to assess the merits of philosophical arguments taking into account the different views and starting points of group members.
- Write a carefully constructed essay in support of a philosophical claim.
- Consciousness
- Artificial Intelligence
- Intentionality
- Theories of the Mind in the 20th Century
- Animal Minds
What is the mind and what is it made of? Can we say that mind and brain are the same thing? Are mental states, like thoughts and feelings, nothing more than brain states? Can machines be conscious? Do they have a mind? Do they think? Is language necessary for thinking? These and other questions will be the focus of this subject, which introduces you to contemporary philosophy of mind and to the philosophical underpinnings of contemporary cognitive science, psychology and linguistics.
This is a level 3 subject. Please consider the subject pre-requisites before enrolling. This subject includes live sessions with the expectation of student attendance and participation.
- Essay, 1800 words. (40%)
- Final Exam, 2,000 words (take home exam, consisting of two 1,000 word essays answering two chosen questions from a set of questions given out two weeks before the due date) (50%)
- Online forum contributions 600 words (in total). (10%)
For textbook details check your university's handbook, website or learning management system (LMS).
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- QS Ranking 2024:
- 17
- Times Higher Education Ranking 2024:
- 18
Entry requirements
Others
Prerequisites: Students must have completed 60 credit points of Level one subjects.
Past La Trobe University students who have previously completed PHI2MBM (Minds, Brains, and Machines: Contemporary Philosophy of Mind) are ineligible to enrol in this subject.
Additional requirements
No additional requirements
Study load
- 0.125 EFTSL
- This is in the range of 10 to 12 hours of study each week.
Equivalent full time study load (EFTSL) is one way to calculate your study load. One (1.0) EFTSL is equivalent to a full-time study load for one year.
Find out more information on Commonwealth Loans to understand what this means to your eligibility for financial support.
What to study next?
Once you’ve completed this subject it can be credited towards one of the following courses
UndergraduateLAT-BUS-DEG
UndergraduateLAT-ART-DEG
Bachelor of Information Technology
UndergraduateLAT-TEC-DEG
Bachelor of Psychological Science
UndergraduateLAT-PYS-DEG
UndergraduateLAT-HSC-DEG
UndergraduateLAT-CYS-DEG
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