Course Syllabus

Draft Syllabus Disclaimer for Summer 2024 Please note that this course will be a Summer Session 3 course as of summer 2024. This means the course will not include a study tour.

Semester & Location:	Summer 2024 Session 3 - DIS Copenhagen
Type & Credits:	Summer Course - 3 credits
Major Disciplines:	Neuroscience; Psychology
Prerequisite(s):	One course in neuroscience, physiological psychology, biological psychology, or cognitive psychology at university level.
Faculty Members:	TBA current students please use the Canvas Inbox to contact your faculty
Time & Place:	See course schedule below Classroom: TBA

Course Description

This course introduces concepts, theoretical models and empirical methods employed to explain and measure consciousness. Students are offered the opportunity to learn about the neurobiological mechanisms possibly underlying the emergence of consciousness and how disorders of consciousness are understood and rated in clinical settings. The course outlines the multi-faceted nature of consciousness by discussing different aspects of the phenomenon in normal as well as abnormal conditions. Students are encouraged throughout the course to actively participate in discussions and to critically think regarding the current state of knowledge about how the brain relates to the mind.

Learning Objectives

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

• Understand the multi-faceted nature of consciousness
• Identify the conceptual and methodological challenges in studying consciousness
• Trace the neurobiological mechanisms possibly underlying the emergence of consciousness
• Understand some of the key approaches to rating disorders of consciousness
• Recognize the strengths and weaknesses of current methodologies

Themes

We will cover topics such as conceptualizing consciousness, theories on consciousness, disorders of consciousness, objective and subjective assessments of consciousness, and the impact of culture and consciousness applied in clinical populations.

Faculty

TBA

Readings

Journal Articles available in Canvas calendar and under Files.

Additional readings (optional):
Carrara-Augustenborg (2013). Endogenous Feedback Network: Summary and Evaluation, in The development of a comprehensive model of human consciousness, pp. 15.23, Ph.D Thesis, University of Copenhagen, ISBN 978-87-7611-591-3.

Scales for rating disorders of consciousness (available in canvas):
Galveston Orientation and Amnesia Test
JFK Coma Recovery Scale-Revised

Field Studies

Nye Perspektiver/Assistens Kirkegård - “Søren Kierkegaard & Consciousness”.

The Misirlou Show - "Body consciousness and cognitive empathy in burlesque".

Guest Lecturers

Jon Modahl Bjarnhof, MA in Philosophy and Performance Design. Theme: "Exploring historic metaphors for consciousness".

Christian Green, Academic Assistant at DIS, past Neuroscience of Consciousness student. Theme: "Integrated Information Theory". 

Hanne Lie Kjærstad, Postdoctoral researcher, Psychiatric Center of Copenhagen, NEAD Centre. Theme: "Psychiatric Mood Disorders and Consciousness".

Approach to Teaching

Classes will be composed of various teaching methods, e.g. discussions, teamwork, presentations and exercises. Classes will not take form of long lectures but will rather aim to create an interactive space where students can share ideas and thoughts on how the body relates to the mind.  Classes should offer a safe environment in which all students feel welcome. 

Expectations of the Students

Class attendance is mandatory. During this course engaged participation will be expected and is crucial for achieving a positive learning outcome. Students are encouraged to reflect critically on the various topics and the current knowledge in the field of consciousness. Students should be prepared to provide feedback and/or prepare questions for each other after discussions, workshops and presentations. 

The schedule will list reading materials for each class. It is expected that students are prepared by having read and reflected on the material beforehand. Being prepared ensures a better understanding of the topic and creates a possibility for thorough discussions and for a better process and overall outcome. 

Evaluation

Form	How	Percentage
Participation and Engagement	Individual	20 %
Paper	Individual	40 %
Poster	Individual/group	40 %

Participation and Engagement

Preparation, attendance, and engagement in classes, field studies, and guest lectures is important because it shows that you are taking responsibility for your own learning. Your participation and engagement grade will be calculated based on your ability to meet the following criteria:

• You attend the class meeting/field study/guest lecture having done the day’s reading.
• You are engaged throughout our class meeting/field study/guest lecture and demonstrate this by prompting discussion and/or responding to your peers by linking comments, asking questions, and drawing connections between readings and themes.
• You listen attentively and respectfully to others (and you avoid dominating or silencing others).
• You offer more than just personal opinion or anecdote – that is, you root your comments in the text we are discussing (e.g., “this reminds me of p. 76 where the authors indicate X”) and link ideas and comments with content from past reading assignments.
• You work collaboratively with people to achieve learning goals when you are placed in a small group.

 

Paper

Paper description to be updated soon.

The paper should have:

• theories discussed in class, or during the tour
• at least 5 reputable sources

The assignments should abide by the APA guidelines:

• Double-spaced
• 11 or 12-point font (depending on which font you use)
• 1-inch margins
• Front-page/headline and reference list do not count towards word/page minimums
• APA style for layout, in-text citations, and references (see: Purdue OWL or Scribbr)
• Be submitted as a word file (e.g., Google Doc, Microsoft Word, etc)

Papers not adhering to these guidelines will have points deducted accordingly. 

Poster

This project is your opportunity to pick an interesting topic relating to consciousness, plan original research, write a proposal, and design a poster based on that proposal. You can use this pilot proposal in the future to develop a more complete research project (e.g., as part of a senior year research project or a graduate school proposal). First, pick a topic to start researching. Look through the topics we are covering this semester to get some ideas and branch out from there if you want (but you must stay within the topic of consciousness). Second, start doing background research (i.e., literature review). You might want to start by looking up the papers in your required reading, plus references in those papers that seem relevant. You can also draw on literature from other courses you have taken. After the literature review, you’ll develop your research question(s) and hypotheses. Your research question(s) should be based on your literature review. You should try to ask a question that isn’t entirely answered by the studies in your literature review. Your hypotheses should be predictions about your research question based on what you found in your literature review. Make sure to include a null and alternative hypothesis. Finally, you’ll design your study. Make sure your research design matches your research question and hypotheses. See relevant assignment page for more details.

Disability and Resource Statement

Any student who has a need for accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact the Office of Academic Support (email) to coordinate this.  In order to receive accommodations, students should inform the instructor of approved DIS accommodations within the first week of class.

Class room policies

Late papers will not be accepted.
Use of laptops and phones in class is allowed for taking notes and specific tasks. It is, however, expected that students are mentally present and participate in class activities.

Academic Regulations

Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There you will find regulations on:

• Course Enrollment and Grading
• Academic Expectations and Honor Code

 

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