COURSE SYLLABI
Roadmaps and readings
MYTHS & MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT THE MIND [PDF]
Where do mistaken psychological claims come from, why are they so commonly believed, and how can we combat them? Who spreads these ideas, what makes them so sticky, and whose interests do they serve?
Image credit: Persona (1966)
NEUROETHICS [PDF]
What uses of brain science, technology, and medicine are morally acceptable and what uses are unacceptable? And for that matter, how do our brains come up with and respond to these kinds of questions about good and bad?
Image credit: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
KNOWLEDGE, REALITY, AND VALUES
What's real, what's known, and what's the difference? What are the foundations of a good and meaningful life?
Image credit: Rashomon (1950)
MINDS, MACHINES, AND MORALS [PDF]
How does the human nervous system produce moral judgment, action, inhibition, and regulation? Can—and should—we program computers, robots, and cars to do a better job at it than we do, or at least not do way worse?
Image credit: 2001: A Space Odyssey (1950)
INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE [PDF]
What are the assumptions, frameworks, and social and professional conventions and structures on which contemporary psychology is founded? But also, what are all the coolest experiments and findings from its last 75 years or so?
Image credit: Gaslight (1944)
THE RHETORIC OF SCIENCE [PDF]
How do scientists, corporations, and the media use language and argument to persuade people that a certain claims are ‘scientific,’ and what exactly does that mean? How can we become more critical recipients and more effective communicators of scientific knowledge?
Image credit: Sorry to Bother You (2018)