Why do crows go sledding? Do rats remember specific events? Do
monkeys understand the meanings of their calls? Do pigeons have
concepts? Do fish feel pain? Do mice show empathy? Are octopuses
conscious? Is it dangerously anthropomorphic to ask these questions,
or can they be investigated in a scientifically rigorous fashion? Just
what do we know about
animal cognition and
consciousness, or, for that matter, about our own? And what does it
imply for our ethical responsibilities
towards
animals? These are some of questions
that are being hotly debated in the
field
animal cognition — a highly
interdisciplinary subject to which psychologists, behavioral
biologists, neuroscientists, anthropologists, linguists, and
philosophers have all made contributions. The goal of
this
course is to examine current research
in
animalcognition with a view to
understanding how philosophical and scientific questions
about
animal minds
interact. Using Kristin Andrews'
book
The
Animal Mind: An Introduction to the
Philosophy of Animal
Cognition (Routledge 2014) as our guide, we will read a
mixture of scientific reports and philosophy articles arguing the case
for and against Darwin’s thesis of strong continuity between the
mental powers of humans and
other
animals.
Assessment
Course assessment is project/portfolio based. You will be led
through a series of weekly assignments to develop a multimedia
portfolio expanding on the course content. Class time will be
allocated to working on these portfolios. Written feedback will be
provided at the end of each week to each student. The course will
culminate in a final portfolio presentation to the class during the
scheduled final time. The course grade will be based 70% on the weekly
work (10% each week/module) and 30% on the final portfolio and
presentation. Up to a 5% adjustment will be made for outstanding
classroom participation.