At the end of this core theme:
- You will be able to identify and summarize current debates in psychology about consciousness. (Learning outcomes 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.3, 5.1, 5.2)
- You will be able to integrate empirical and philosophical perspectives on consciousness. (Learning outcomes 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.3, 5.1, 5.2)
- You will be able to articulate your own reasoned view of consciousness in relation to at least one of the following themes: phenomenological awareness, self-awareness, or the power of the unconscious. (Learning outcomes 5.1, 5.2, 5.4)
- You will be able to self-reflect on how your understanding of consciousness has been changed by your accumulation of philosophical and empirical knowledge on consciousness during the course. (Learning outcomes 5.1, 5,2, 5.4, 5.5).
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The question of which psychological processes are conscious and which are not has fascinated and challenged researchers for centuries. The mystery of consciousness has even been labelled as the “the last frontier of science.” In this core theme, we will discuss various psychological processes, such as free will, subjective experience, states of consciousness, mind or matter, smart or stupid unconscious, and attributing consciousness to others. The course will focus not only on various unconscious processes and the importance of the unconscious, but also on psychological processes that involve consciousness and the modern perspectives on what consciousness really is. These topics will be approached from a psychological, philosophical, and neurological perspective.
Links to the SDGs:
This course does not connect to a specific Sustainable Development Goal, yet, it will provide answers to the question why people often struggle to take action for a more sustainable future. Furthermore, the following key competences for sustainable development will be promoted: Competence for cooperation in heterogeneous groups, competence for critical thinking, competence for handling of complexity.
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Psychology students admitted to year 2.
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To pass the course students need to complete and pass the following course components:
- essay (80% of the final course grade)
- workgroup presentation (20% of the final course grade)
- first brief mandatory assignment (ungraded)
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There will be very likely two parallel workgroups: an English one, and a Dutch OR bilingual (NL/EN) one - depending on the distribution of students from the bilingual and the English track.
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