PY4618 Animals, Minds and Language

Academic year

2025 to 2026 Semester 2

Further information on which modules are specific to your programme.

Key module information

SCOTCAT credits

30

The Scottish Credit Accumulation and Transfer (SCOTCAT) system allows credits gained in Scotland to be transferred between institutions. The number of credits associated with a module gives an indication of the amount of learning effort required by the learner. European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) credits are half the value of SCOTCAT credits.

SCQF level

SCQF level 10

The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) provides an indication of the complexity of award qualifications and associated learning and operates on an ascending numeric scale from Levels 1-12 with SCQF Level 10 equating to a Scottish undergraduate Honours degree.

Availability restrictions

Not automatically available to General Degree students

Planned timetable

To be confirmed.

This information is given as indicative. Timetable may change at short notice depending on room availability.

Module Staff

Dr D Ball

This information is given as indicative. Staff involved in a module may change at short notice depending on availability and circumstances.

Module description

This module will focus on philosophical issues related to the attribution of mental states to non-human animals. Do animals have minds? How can we know about them? In what ways are the mental abilities of animals similar to or different from our own? Topics to be discussed may include: are animals rational? To what extent can beliefs and other mental states be attributed to simple creatures such as insects? Can animals feel pain? Can simple creatures feel pain? How can we know whether they do? Do animals have emotions? Do animals have language and culture, or are these distinctively human capacities?

Assessment pattern

Coursework = 70%, Scheduled Written Examination = 30%

Re-assessment

Coursework = 100%

Learning and teaching methods and delivery

Weekly contact

1 x 2-hour lecture and 1 x 1-hour seminar.

Scheduled learning hours

33

The number of compulsory student:staff contact hours over the period of the module.

Guided independent study hours

267

The number of hours that students are expected to invest in independent study over the period of the module.