Course syllabi

Roadmaps and readings

Still from the film Persona

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: Persona (1966)

Still from the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

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: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

Still from the film Rashomon

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: Rashomon (1950)

Still from the film 2001: A Space Odyssey

Minds, Machines, and Morals

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: 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

Still from the film Gaslight

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: Gaslight (1944)

Still from the film Sorry to Bother You

The Rhetoric of Science [PDF]

How do scientists, corporations, and the media use language and argument to persuade people that 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: Sorry to Bother You (2018)