Intentionality
Graduate Seminar - Fall 1997, University of Oregon

Wednesdays 1:30-4:00 p.m.

Instructors:	Dare A. Baldwin	Bertram F. Malle	Louis J. Moses
Office:	Straub 483	Straub 305	Straub 309
Phone:	346-4926	346-0475	346-4918
Email:	baldwin	bfmalle	moses
Office hours:	M 1-2, F 10-11	Th 11-12, F 1-3	M 2:30-3:30, Tu 11-12

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

The concept of intentionality lies at the heart of people's conceptual framework of human action (often called folk psychology or theory of mind). The ability to detect, interpret, and explain intentions and intentional actions is a major achievement of the developing human mind and a central capacity of social agents. This seminar will explore the philosophical, social, and developmental aspects of how people deal with intentionality.

We will assume some basic knowledge of psychological research on this topic but will discuss in detail the following issues:

philosophical and conceptual questions surrounding intentionality and its constituent concepts of belief, desire, and intention

the process of detecting and interpreting intentions and the developmental path to achieve these capacities

the role of intentionality in behavior explanations

the role of intentionality in communication

the implications of intentionality for moral judgment

psychopathological disturbances of dealing with intentionality

comparative and evolutionary aspects of intentionality

COURSE READINGS:

The readings for this course come from a variety of journals and books. There is no textbook. Master-copies of readings are on reserve in the Taylor Room in Straub Hall and can also be obtained from Joanna Molitor (the psychology department graduate secretary in Straub 137).

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

1. Class participation

This course is a seminar, thus class participation is extremely important. All participants are expected to read all required readings prior to each discussion section and be prepared to discuss them. In particular, participants should try to go beyond the information provided in the readings, raising new questions, critiquing methodology, and making connections to other readings. Related readings are suggested but not required and may be added throughout the course, by other seminar members or the instructors.

As part of regular participation we will ask one seminar participant per week to introduce the topic and facilitate discussion. In preparation for this, discussion facilitators should meet with one of us prior to the relevant seminar. Also as part of participation, you will be a minute taker once or twice during the quarter. We will assign two minute takers per seminar who get together afterwards to consolidate their notes and then pass on a summary to the instructors (who will post this summary on the class web page). The minutes need not be extremely detailed, but they should give us a sense of the important points we discussed and provide a running record of the seminar.

2. Research requirement

Each student will contribute a research document that can be (a) a theoretical contribution to relevant research not directly discussed in class, (b) a proposal of empirical research on some aspect of intentionality, (c) a pilot study on a question raised in the seminar. Individual or group projects are acceptable, but group projects require prior discussion with the instructors. Whichever format you pick, an outline of your research document is due in class November 12, 1997. No formal presentations are required, but you will have an opportunity to present your ideas to the seminar group in weeks 7, 8, and 9; we will reserve time at the beginning of each of these sessions so that everybody can get feedback on his or her project. The final document must be written in APA style and is due 12/10.

We all value good writing. So aim for clarity and good style and avoid wordiness in your final papers. Be sure to avoid grammatical and word-choice mistakes. Look for help in a style manual or on the following web pages: The University of Oregon Director of Publications' general guidelines for writing and a list of troublesome terms" as well as Bertram's few tips for writing.

GRADING:

The course may be taken graded or pass/no-pass. In order to pass the course, each separate component (participation and research document) must be at a passing level (non-compensatory model). If you take the course for a grade, your participation will be 60% of your grade (including session facilitation and minute taking), and your research document, 40%.

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES:

If you have a documented disability and anticipate needing accommodations in this course, please make arrangements to meet with one of us soon. Please request that the Counselor for Students with Disabilities send a letter verifying your disability.

COURSE SCHEDULE