2009 Fall BIOLOGY 93FCS-03
Bulletin Course Description Open only to students in the Focus Program; for first-year students with consent of instructor. Instructor: Staff
(Instructor named in bulletin description above may not be current. For current instructor, see listing below.)
Title EMOTION, EVOLUTION, AND ETHICS Department BIOLOGY Course Number 2009 Fall 93FCS Section Number 03 Primary Instructor McShea,Daniel W Prerequisites
Synopsis of course content
Fear, love, anger, pride, regret, envy – the emotions seem to play a big role in our lives, as well as in the lives of certain other animal species. But what are the emotions? Are they guides to behavior? Are they judgments, or perhaps biases of judgment? Or maybe they are epiphenomenal – mere side effects of other mental processes, essentially irrelevant to proper mental function. The course explores what the emotions are, what they are for, and how they evolved. We begin with readings of some classic treatments of behavior and emotion in certain animal species, including gulls and chimpanzees. We then consider emotions in humans, reading selections from important works in psychology, neurobiology, literature, politics, and ethics. A central issue throughout will be the role of the emotions in behavior and judgment, especially moral judgment.
Textbooks
Required Books
1. Darwin, C. 1859. On the Origin of Species. A facsimile of the first edition. Harvard University Press (1964).
2. De Waal, F. 1989. Peacemaking among Primates. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA.
3. LeDoux, J. 1998. The Emotional Brain. Simon & Schuster, New York.
4. Solomon, R. 2007. True to Our Feelings. Oxford University Press, New York.
5. Austen, J. Sense and Sensibility. Oxford World Classics (1980), Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Other Readings
Other readings (mainly short journal articles and excerpts from books) will appear on Blackboard, either under “Course Documents” or under “E-Reserves.”
Exams
None.
Grade to be based on
Three 4-5 page papers
Biweekly short writing exercises
Class participation
