The course will look at theories of perception and perceptual experience that have been developed over the last fifty years, such as sense-datum accounts, doxastic theories, causal theories and disjunctive conceptions, and modern representationalist theories

2 x 1 hour lectures per week for 9 weeks, plus 4 tutorials. The course may not run every year. The options running this session are available on MyCampus.

PHIL4031

The standard assessments for this course are:

■ 2 x Essay (2500 words) - 100%

If required, for instance where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, the following alternatives are available:

■ There is no alternative to the essays, but flexible deadlines can be offered as reasonable adjustments (students should follow the usual process for extensions)

Further reasonable adjustments may be provided where necessary. Students are encouraged to consult with the course convenor.

This course aims to:

■ Introduce students to contemporary analytic philosophy of perception.

■ To familiarize the student with the main argumentative moves prevailing in the Philosophy of Perception.

■ To familiarize the student with the principal doctrines in the Philosophy of Perception, including sense-data theory, representationalism, and naïve realism

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ Discuss critically several of the major theories of perception and perceptual experience that have been developed over the last fifty years

■ Explain different accounts of the nature of the mental states that occur during perceptual processes, and of how perception can lead to knowledge or justified belief;

■ Assess whether these theories provide a suitable account of the epistemology of perception;

■ Critically assess theories about the nature of colour;

■ Evaluate hypotheses concerning the nature of and relation between experiences in different sensory modalities.