SAKAI Site for PSYC4026 Mind, Brain and Behaviour 2013

A SAKAI site has now been set up for the PSYC4026 course, at:

https://cle.wits.ac.za/portal/site/PSYC4026_2013_Mind%20Brain%20and%20Behaviour%20module%20of%20the%20Honours%20in%20Psychology/page/68ccf52e-64ce-4d1e-b995-26ac333b9c65

First Prescribed Textbook

The first prescribed textbook for the course is:

Buller, D.J. (2005). Adapting Minds: Evolutionary Psychology and the Persistent Quest for Human Nature. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

The easiest (and instant, if you have access to a credit card) way to get the book is in Kindle edition from Amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/Adapting-Minds-Evolutionary-Psychology-ebook/dp/B002QXMFLG/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1371109466&sr=1-1&keywords=adapting+minds

At a current price of $17.33 (and exchange rate around R10.10/$), that works out less than R200 for a 500+ page book.

You don't need a Kindle to buy or read Kindle editions - there are free Kindle apps available for just about every electronic interface - tablets, smartphones, Blackberrys, PCs, Macs. (You might not be able to use a rival e-book reader, however. I haven't bumped into an e-pub/PDF edition, but there may be one out there.)

Tree-book editions are available. The best price I can find at the moment is Takealot.com @ R259 (with free delivery). But just note that it might take up to 20 days to arrive:
http://www.takealot.com/books/society-politics-philosophy-5539/adapting-minds,9780262524605

You will need access to this text by the first week of term at the latest (i.e. 15 July).

Let me know if you have any queries or difficulties.

Regards
Michael P.

Welcome & Overview

Welcome to the Mind, Brain & Behaviour 2013 website.

This module explores a range of contemporary theories and debates at the intersection between psychology,  neuroscience, evolutionary theory, and philosophy, within the broader context of exploring and debating the nature of mind-brain-society relationships, and the future of a more neuroscientific psychology. Topics of interest have typically included various contemporary perspectives on consciousness, reasoning, emotion, embodiment, language, and evolution.

This module sets out to integrate a more theoretical and philosophical interest in the mind and brain with a grounding in contemporary interdisciplinary neuroscience. Theorists from a range of disciplines and backgrounds are increasingly putting forward 'grand theories' to account for the nature and evolution of consciousness, emotion, language, and other human features and capacities. Such theories and their underlying claims about the nature of the mind, the mind-brain complex, human evolution, and human psychosocial development, all make for fascinating and challenging targets of exploration and critique. This module is important and highly relevant in a context where psychology is becoming increasingly interdisciplinary and integrated with other brain sciences.

The module is especially recommended for those with an interest in cognition, consciousness, language, neuropsychology, neuroscience, evolution and evolutionary psychology, and theoretical and philosophical issues in psychology.

The course will be taught in Term 2 of 2013.

Further details about the content of the course in 2013 will be forthcoming in later posts. Please feel free to follow the blog by email, in order that you will be notified as soon as any new posts are made.

Please feel free to email Michael Pitman if you have any further questions about the course (subject to leave and availability over the December vacation period).