Philosophy, History, & Systems of Psychology

Catalog description

The course will provide students with a broad perspective on the discipline of psychology through the study of relevant work in philosophy, examination of the history of the field, and consideration of some of the major systems for explaining human behavior. Consideration of philosophy will include issues directly related to work in psychology (e.g., mind-body relations), and discussion of implicit philosophical commitments reflected by efforts in the field. While a good number of broad philosophical and historical issues will be examined, two main themes will be addressed throughout the course: (1) issues about the place of meaning and interpretation in psychology, and (2) the role played by culture (given that investigators and the people they study are members of a culture).