OVERVIEW

The course Language and Mind  provides an introduction to the theoretical and methodological foundations of the language cognitive science.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The aim of the course is the analysis in a multidisciplinary perspective of philosophically relevant aspects of the language cognitive science

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course aims at illustrating the main contemporary theories and the main experimental data on the cognitive processes involved in the processing of verbal language. The specific objectives of the course are:

- to introduce the students to some central issues of  the current debate in the language cognitive sciences;
- to address these problems from both a philosophical and an experimental point of view;
- to deepen some scientific-philosophical notions such as, e.g., the modular theory of the mind, 
- to learn the basis of the experimental methodology in cognitive psychology and neuroscience.
- to learn how to set up an experimental paradigm and to interpret experimental data.

At the end of the course, the student must be able to:
- to understand, explain and philosophically synthesize advanced texts of cognitive sciences, also thanks to an appropriate conceptual and terminological apparatus;
- to apply the analytical and conceptual tools of philosophical reasoning in the discussion of problems related to language cognitive sciences.

PREREQUISITES

It is advisable that students have already attended an introductory course of Philosophy of Science.

TEACHING METHODS

- The first part of the course includes frontal lectures;

- the second part of the course includes classroom presentations given by attending students.

During the course, compatibly with the available resources, external experts could be invited to hold seminars on specific topics.

Students are required to register at Aulaweb, where teaching materials will be uploaded.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The course is divided into two parts.

The first part of the course will introduce the main theories, the main problems, the conceptual tools and the models on the functioning of the mind and on the relationship between mind and language, in the context of cognitive sciences:

- from behaviorism to cognitive sciences

- classical cognitive sciences

- beyond the classical cognitive sciences: connectionism, 4E cognition

- modularism and adaptationist theories of the mind

The second part of the course deals with the experimental methodologies in the context of the cognitive sciences of language. In particular, the course will focus on a classic case study of the language cognitive sciences: metaphor. The following topics will be explored:

- What is an experiment
- How to build an experiment on the functioning of verbal language
- What is a metaphor? The classical theories of metaphorical comprehension
- How do we understand metaphors?
- Metaphor, mind and brain: metaphor in psychology and neuroscience

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Attending students

1) Lecture notes and other teaching material that will be made available on Aulaweb.

2) A paper for classroom presentation chosen among those that will be made available on Aulaweb.

NON-attending students

1) M. Marraffa e A. Paternoster, Persone, menti, cervelli. Mondadori Università, 2012.

2) Two papers to be chosen among those that will be made available on Aulaweb.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

FILIPPO DOMANESCHI (President)

DANIELE PORELLO

MARCELLO FRIXIONE (President Substitute)

LESSONS

LESSONS START

martedì 25 ottobre 222

Class schedule

LANGUAGE AND MIND (LM)

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Attending students: classroom presentation and oral examination. Schedule and modality of the classroom presentations will be planned during the course.

NON-attending students: oral examination.

The registration for the examination is mandatory and must be done at least one week before the exam.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

Attending students

- the classroom presentation (15 points out of 30) assesses the student’s ability to understand, synthesize and expose a philosophical text, and to apply the tools of philosophical reasoning in the discussion of problems related to cognitive science;

- the oral exam (15 points out of 30) assesses the student’s ability to understand, retain, explain and apply philosophical concepts and arguments concerning cognitive science.

NON-attending students

- the oral exam assesses the student’s ability to understand, retain, explain and apply philosophical concepts and arguments concerning cognitive science.

In both cases, the correct use of the philosophical lexicon, the quality of the exposition, as well as the capacity for critical and argumentative reasoning will be taken into account.

Exam schedule

FURTHER INFORMATION

Students that do not attend classes are required to get in touch with the professor.