B8995 - Philosophy of Mind and Cognitive Sciences (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

The course aims to address the most important epistemological, methodological and conceptual notions related to the developments of cognitive science and the philosophy of mind from an interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary point of view. The course focuses on issues at the intersection of philosophy of science, philosophy of mind, artificial intelligence, psychology and neuroscience in relation to the different approaches to cognition and the study of the mind, their evolution over time, the debate on the foundational aspects and the philosophical implications arising from them.

Course contents

The course will discuss key issues surrounding theoretical and methodological aspects of philosophy of cognitive science, with a specific focus on the debate surrounding social cognition versus social motivation in autism. Although social difficulties have long been recognized as distinctive features of autism, there is still substantial disagreement as to their nature and underlying causes. In this course we will tackle a wide range of questions including: How can we define social cognition and social motivation in the context of autism? What role does theory of mind (TOM) play in these theories? What is camouflaging? How does it call into question some foundational beliefs about autism and social abilities?

The first week of the course will provide an introduction to the philosophy of cognitive science along with some key problems and questions. In Week #2 we will move on to the discussion of a more specific set of questions surrounding autism, starting with a selected history of the diagnostic category and the debates focused on social abilities and difficulties. Weeks #3-5 will be devoted to the exploration of contemporary debates surrounding theory of mind, its discontents, and the phenomenon of camouflaging.

The final syllabus, including the complete list of readings and assignments, will be provided on the first day of class and then uploaded to Virtuale.

Readings/Bibliography

Below you can find some of the core readings we will discuss during the class, and additional recommendations will be provided during the course. All the readings and relevant chapters will be made available on Virtuale.

Readings

• Silberman, S. (2015). Neurotribes. The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity. (selected chapters)
• Evans, B. (2017). The Metamorphosis of Autism: A History of Child Development in Britain. (selected chapters).
• Feinstein, A. (2010). A History of Autism: Conversations with the Pioneers. (selected chapters).
• Baron-Cohen, S., Leslie, A. and Frith, U. (1985). Does the Autistic Child Have a “Theory of Mind?” Cognition.
• Baron-Cohen, Simon (1991). The development of a theory of mind in autism: Deviance and delay? The Psychiatric Clinics of North America.
• Happé, Francesca G. and Uta Frith (2008). The weak coherence account: detail-focused cognitive style in autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.
• Gernsbacher, M. and Yergeau, M. (2019). Empirical Failures of the Claim that Autistic People Lack a Theory of Mind. Archives of Scientific Psychology.
• Jaswal, V. & Akthar, J. (2019). Being versus appearing socially uninterested. Behavioral and Brain Sciences.
• LaCroix, T. (2026). Autism and the Pseudoscience of the Mind. Psychological Inquiry.
• Goffman, E. (1956). The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life.
• Hull, L., Petrides, K. V., Allison, C., Smith, P., Baron-Cohen, S., Lai, M. C., & Mandy, W. (2017). “Putting on my best normal”: Social camouflaging in adults with autism spectrum conditions. Journal of autism and developmental disorders.
• Livingston, L. A., Colvert, E. Bolton, P. & Happé, F. (2019). Good social skills despite poor theory of mind: exploring compensation in autism spectrum disorder. The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.
• Sedgewick, Hull & Ellis (2021). Autism and Masking: How and Why People Do It, and the Impact It Can Have (selected chapters).
• Petrolini, V. Rodriguez, E. & Vicente, A. (2023). Autistic Camouflaging Across the Spectrum. New Ideas in Psychology.
• Pearson. A. & Rose, K. (2023). Autistic Masking. Understanding Identity Management and the Role of Stigma (selected chapters).

Teaching methods

I am committed to making this class an interactive, fruitful, and effective learning experience. This a discussion-based class, where more traditional – but still interactive – lectures will be complemented by debates, exchange of ideas, class presentations, and a wide range of in-class and take-home activities.

Special attention will be devoted to the development of core philosophical skills such as reading, writing, and debating through the discussion of the class topics. More details on class format will be introduced during the first day of class, part of which will be devoted to the illustration of the teaching methodology.

Assessment methods

The final grade will result from various components, including:

a) Participation in the in-class activities (20%): You will be required to complete a variety of weekly activities based on the readings and class discussion. These may include: short writing assignments (max 1 page), the analysis of case studies, the production of original examples, the application of philosophical concepts to everyday life, etc. The main purpose of these assignments will be to keep you engaged with the material throughout the course and allow you to explore philosophical topics in multiple ways. These assignments will be graded individually as pass/fail, but are required and will make up 20% of the final grade.

b) Reading Group presentation (30%). You should get ready to present and comment on one target paper over the course of the class. Each of you will have the chance to express two preferences with respect to the target paper and we will put together a calendar by the end of Week #1 so that everyone will have an assigned text. Presentations will take the form of a handout that should be uploaded to the dedicated folder on Virtuale the night before the target class. The handout should include a brief summary of the main argument, a short discussion of 2-3 points of the text that you find interesting or relevant, and some further questions that will fuel class discussion for that day. We will devote some time to learning how to put together a handout during Week #1. Exact presentation and discussion times will be established based on the class size, but this will not work as a regular presentation: rather, people who have been assigned a target text will be responsible for briefly introducing and then leading the discussion for that day, similarly to what happens in graduate seminars.

c) Final paper project (50%): You will be required to write a 3,500 word paper (about 6 pages) based on one or more topics discussed in class. Throughout the class, you will familiarize yourself with specific exercises on how to approach philosophical texts and how to respond to them. During the last class session (AKA Final Workshop) we will discuss your plans for the final paper, so that we can devote some time to strengthening the outline of your argument.

The assessment method may be subject to change depending on class size; some adjustments should be expected after the start of the course.

This course allows for a limited, declared, and non-substantial use of AI aimed at supporting learning activities (e.g., language editing and proofreading), but it forbids any substantial AI use to complete parts of the exam or take-home activities.

Students who are not participating in the class are encouraged to get in touch with the instructor to talk about alternative ways of assessing preparation.

Excellent grades (28-30, A equivalent) will be assigned to students who demonstrate a thorough knowledge of the material discussed in class, critical thinking and analytical skills, and the ability to express concepts clearly and convincingly. Average to good grades (23-27, B equivalent) will be assigned to students who exhibit good understanding of the material but fall short of conceptual elaboration and/or connections among the topics discussed throughout the course – e.g., they present the material piecemeal but fail to see how it hangs together. Students who exhibit superficial knowledge, gaps in preparation, poor critical and analytical skills will receive average to low grades (18-22, C equivalent). Severe gaps in one or more of the areas listed above can result in a failing grade (below 18, D or F equivalent).

Exam sessions
During the 2026/2027 academic year, exam sessions will be scheduled in the following months: June, July, September, October, January, March.

Students with disabilities

Students with disabilities have the right to special adjustments according to their condition, following an assessment by the University Service for Students with Disabilities. Please do not contact the instructor, but get in touch with the University Service directly to determine the appropriate adjustments. The Service will then determine what adjustments are appropriate, and get in touch with the teacher. For more information, please visit the page: https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students .

Students should contact the University Service in advance: any proposed adjustment must be submitted at least 15 days before the exam to the instructor’s approval, who will evaluate the appropriateness in relation to the learning objectives of the course.

Teaching tools

I will avail myself of a wide range of tools to support teaching and facilitate participation while acknowledging a variety of learning styles. Besides Power point and Prezi, I will use paper handouts as well as software such as Slido, Kahoot, and Wooclap.

Office hours

See the website of Valentina Petrolini