PNP 390: PNP Reading Course

Instructor: Dr. Ron Mallon -mallon(o)artsci. wustl. eduOffice

Hours:

204 Wilson

Wednesday Afternoons by appt.Texts: Marcus, Gary. 2004. The Birth of theGenes Creates the Complexities of Human Thought.

New York. Basic Books.

Supplemental readings as rec r presentations.

Course Description:

In this course, we'll read Marcus's The Birth of the Mind, and consider a lot of ideasconnecting genes, brains, and psychology.No laptops, cell phones, smart phones, pdas, etc. on during class, please.

Course Assessment and Policies:

30% Presentation (fractional for group work) & Participation

Each week, we'll have presentations on, and discussions of, supplementalmaterials.

70% Papers: 2 4-6 page papers, Due October 31st & December 14th

Plagiarism will result in a failing grade.

I am happy to make accommodations in accordance with the WUSTL's policies on accommodation.Please see me if you need some sort of accommodation.

Topics by Week

Week 1. Wednesday, August 31st: Introduction

Week 2. Wednesday, September 7th:

Marcus Chp. 1, "Neither is Better"

Supplements:1. Paul Ehrlich's "Gene Shortage" Argument

Paul Erlich [2000] Human_natures: genes, cultures, and the humanprospect pp. 124-127

2. David Buller's "Gene Shortage" Argument

David Bulier. Adapting Minds Chp.4:pp. 130-131

3. Gene x Environment Interactions

Caspi et al, (2002) "Role of Genotype in the Cycle of Violence in MaltreatedChildren" Science. VoL.297, August 2nd, 2002,

Week 3. Wednesday, September 14th

Marcus, Chp. 2, "Born to Learn"

Burlap and Downes, "Innateness and Human Diversity" on Telesis & Ares

Supplements:

4. "Poverty of the Stimulus" Arguments

Laurence and Margolis (2001) pp. 217-233 (Sections 1-3)

http:// w w w ,p h ij os Q p h y ■ Q ep t.. s n e t, a c, u k/pap ers/rUS.pdt

5. Between and within group heritability: the two fields argument

Section 5 of Burlap and Downes (in assigned reading, on Ares)

6. Innate Social Apprehension

Hamlin,. VVynn, Bloom (2007), "Social evaluation by preverbal infants,"Nature

Week 4. Wednesday, September 21st:

Paul Griffiths (2002) What is innateness? The Monist. 85(1): 70-85.

Ariew, A. f'1996"). "Innateness and Canalization". Philosophy of Scier

Supplements:

7. Wimsatt, William. (1999]"(Innateness: Philosophy, Evolutionary Biology, and. Conceptual Foundations ofScience" in Ed. Valerie Gray Hardcastle Where Biology Meets Psychology, pp. 139-

8. Beyond the Gene: Developmental SystemsGriffiths, P.. E. and R. D, Gray/1994). Developmental Systems and EvolutionaryExplanation Journal of Pllilosp^y_XCIX6J.L277__3''

9. Griffiths, P., Madi__xJB.,, LinquistS.JTorthcominInnateness. Mind & Language.

Week 5. Wednesday, September 28th:

Marcus, Chp. 3, "Brain Storms"

Supplements:10. Plasticity's Extremes: Hemispherectomy

Keneaily (2006) "The Deepest Cut" The New Yorker.11. Face Recognition and Initial Biases

Elman, et al. 1996. "The Child's Sensitivity to Faces" in Rethinking Innateness,Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. 115-118 (on Ares)

12. Is your Brain really necessary?

m LomeDecember 1980,

our Brain Really Necessary?" Science, vol.

Week 6. Wednesday, October 5th:

Marcus, Chp. 4, "Aristotle's Impetus"

Supplements:

13. Moss on Gene-P and Gene-D

Lenny Moss, 2008, "The Meanings of the Gene and the Future of thePbenotype," Genomics, Society and Policy, Vol.4. No.l. pp.38-57

14. Keil on Folk biology

Keil (1994) "The birth and nurturance of concepts by domains" in eds.Hirschfeld and Gelman, Mapping the Mind. New York: Cambridge University

15. Stephen Downes, (2004) "Alternate Splicing, the Gene Concept, and Evolution"(on Ares)

Week 7. Wednesday, October 12th:

Marcus, Chp. 5., "Copernicus's Revenge"

Supplements:

16. Allen Brain Atlas:

http://www.brai D.org/

17. Genes and Epigenetic Inheritance (2)GeneE. Robinson, Russ"1Behavior", Science 7 Nov-:

18. Idiosyncratic GeneticsBlog Post: Mitchell, Kevin, "Welcome to Your Genome" on Wiring the Brain

Week 8. Wednesday, October 19th:

Gazzaniga, Michael (1970) "The Bisected Brain"

Michael Gazanniga and cerebral lateralization: h_tp_/7xf_itu.be/ZMLzPlVCANo

19. Thomas Nagel and Brain Bisection

Nagel nQ711 "firgfojjfortfonanfl fne tmityofConsciousness"Svnthese 396-

Week 9. Wednesday, October 27th:

1st Paper is due in Philosophy Department Office Wilson 2nd Fl at 5PM.

Marcus, Chp. 6., "Wiring the Mind"

Supplement!20. Grandmother cells and "Halley Berry" cells

___!___ AnnsL 2005,.. Why your brain has a 'Jennifer Aniston cell'

21. Concepts and Brain Organization (2)

/dfpjiso Caramazza and Bradford Z. Mahon (2006) "r _ty_______iUiliiaJIBIiMliCTinniMaEMKnagliitgTtT

directions," COGNITIVE NEUROPSYCHOLOGY. 2006. 23 f 11.13-38

Week 10. Wednesday, November 2nd:

Marcus, Chp. 7., "The Evolution of Mental Genes"

Supplements:

22. Chimpanzees and Humans are genetically 98.5% identical

3.2.PP.252-254]

23. What does it mean to compare genomes?

Monika Piotrowska (2009). What Does It Mean to Be 75% Pumpkin? TheUnits of Comparative Genomics. Philosophy of Science 76 (5) or on Ares.

Week 11: Wednesday, November 9th:

Language and Thought: Revisiting the Whorf Hypothesis

Maria Francisca Reines & [esse PrinLinguistic Relativity. Philosophy Compass 4 fu.

IM3 ________]

Week 12: Wednesday, November 16th:

Henri.ch, Joseph and Richard McElreath (2003). "The Evolution of Cultural■Evolution." Evolutionary Anthropology 12:123-135.

Supplements:

24. Culture and evolution in human populations.Cochran, Gregory, Jason Hardy, et al. f 200'"intelligence." Journal of Biosocial Science 38: 659-693

_BWII_l__Ha__M»jl___j______

25. Is evolution accelerating?Hawks, John, Eric T. Wang, jadaptive evolution." PNAS 104 (52): 207L.

Wednesday, November 23rd: No Classes. Thanksgiving Break.

Week 13. Wednesday, November 30th:

Marcus, Chp. 8., "Paradox Lost"

H. Clark Barrett, "Dispelling Rumors of a Gene Shortar'

Week 14. Wednesday, December 7th:

Marcus, Chp. 9, "Final Frontiers"

Bostrum. Nick. (20071 "Why I W

Kurzvveil. Rav. 2005. "How Technology Will Transform Us." TED talk.

Supplements:

26. Merkle, R. 1994, "The Molecular Repair of the Brain."

Friday, December 9th: Last Day of Classes. 2nd paper is due in PhilosophyDepartment Office Wilson 2nd floor by closing.

Thursday, December 15th-Thursday, December 21st: Final Exams