Philosophy of Psychology

Specialisation of: Philosophy (of a Specific Discipline)
Degree: Master of Arts in Philosophy
Mode of Study: Full-time, Part-time
Duration: 2 years (full-time); 4 years (part-time)
Start date: September, February
Language of instruction: English and Dutch
Location: Leiden
Croho/isat code: 60823
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The Philosophy of Psychology specialisation has yearly courses (seminars, tutorials and supervised reading) on key problems in the foundations of psychology and cognitive science. Discussions typically concentrate on metaphysics (nature of the mind, consciousness, supervenience, constructivism, eliminativism), epistemology (perception and cognition, mental content, embodied cognition), and methodology (reduction, explanation, classical vs. neurocomputational approaches).

Programme

Students follow a part of their master’s programme at the Institute of Psychology. The remaining parts of the programme, the courses in Philosophy and the specialist courses in Philosophy of Psychology, are characterised by a firm integration of historical and systematic approaches in philosophy and an emphasis on studying primary philosophical texts. This gives students familiarity with both historical scholarship and current philosophical debates.

The Leiden Institute for Philosophy offers a combination of continental and analytical philosophy, which is an attractive feature for students searching for a confrontation of different types of philosophical method. The specialist courses in Philosophy of Psychology can in some instances be adapted to the student’s personal interests and may be offered as a series of individual tutorial sessions.

For the most up to date course overview, see the e-Prospectus.

Thesis subjects

Waar gaan de scripties over?

Enkele recente voorbeelden:

  • Zuzanna Rucinska, The Ontogeny of the Narrative Self (2009-2010) (Philosophy of Psychology)
  • Carlos Roos Munoz, The Ghost Behind. On the Proper Question for the Work of Art (2009-2010) (Philosophy of Art History)
  • Josephine Lenssen, Subjectivity: Interaction Theory as an Alternative to Theory of Mind (2008-2009) (Philosophy of Medical Science)
  • Johan Olsthoorn, “All men should agree on this…..”: Thomas Hobbes’ Non-Subjectivist Moral Theory (2008-2009) (Philosophy of Social Sciences)
  • Thomas Fossen, Agonism contra Liberalism (2006-2007) (Philosophy of Social Sciences)