Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Jennfier Radden: Delusions: Philosophical and Psychological Questions

Instructor: Jennifer Radden

Office: W-5-20

Tel: 287 6546

Office hours: Tues/Thurs 3.30-4.30 or by appointment

Course description

The delusions of madmen have long played a part in
philosophical analyses of knowledge and belief, providing a heuristic for
understanding skepticism and a foil against which models of rationality and
sound reasoning can be recognized. More recently, sharpened philosophical and
scientific interest in pathological delusions has directed us toward several
controversial questions about how they are to be defined and understood. Does a
difference in kind distinguish them from more everyday erroneous beliefs and
fixed convictions? Does their status rest on faulty reasoning, on content that
is false, on incomprehensibility, or on being un-shared by others – or on some
combination of these? How do the criteria for assigning delusion status
acknowledge the differing truth conditions among ordinary beliefs (those based
on observation in contrast to those that involve metaphysical claims, for
example). Are delusions always beliefs, or should we acknowledge that
attitudes, values and desires may be delusional?

In this course we look at recent attempts to define and
characterize delusion with a particular focus on how they reflect, and bear on,
claims about knowledge, certainty, and solipsism from Western philosophical
traditions.

Requirements

There will be two essays and a mid-term exam in this course,
each worth one third of the final grade. Attendance is expected and penalties
will result for students absent more than five times throughout the semester
for whatever reason.

Syllabus and Reading Guide

Part 1: Background from psychiatry. (Sept 2, 4)

(Reading: Selected first person accounts of delusion by
Perceval (edited by Bateson), Custance, Kaysen, Schreber, “Renee”[Sechehaye],
Saks, Slater, Lipton ( quoting alleged anthrax culprit David Ivins);
descriptions by Weyer, Kraepelin; Stanton and David 2000.)

Part 2. Kinds of delusions (Sept 9,11)

(Reading for Sept 9: Fulford, Thornton and Graham 2006:
36-46)

(Reading for Sept 11: Jaspers 98-107, 408-413; Davies
et.al. 2002: 135-37)

Part 3. Traditional Criteria. (Sept 16,18,23, 25)

( Readings for Sept 16: Langdon
and Coltheart 2000: 184-198, Fine 2006: 79-97)

(Readings for Sept 18: Spitzer
1990: 389-397)

(Readings for Sept 23: Leudar and
Thomas 2000: 108-112[regular reserve desk])

Discussion class (Sept 25)

First essay due

Part 4. Philosopher’s madmen, skepticism and certainty;
solipsism, holism, hermeneutics and the space of reasons. (Sept 30, Oct 2, 9,
14, 16, 21).

Sept 30: The madness of being certain-or uncertain.

(Reading for Sept 30: Descartes Meditations 1&2;
Wittgenstein, selected passages from On Certainty-)

Oct 2: Schopenhauer on solipsism.

(Reading for Oct 2: Schopenhauer, selected passages and from
the regular reserve desk: Sass 1994: pages 86-112)

Oct 9: Schopenhauer and Sass.

Oct 14: epistemological holism

(reading : passages from Companion to Epistemology and from Dancy’s Introduction to Contemporary Epistemology, sent by email.)

October 16 hermeneutics

(Reading for Oct 15: Phillips 1996 [regular reserve desk])

Oct 21: meaning and the constitutive role of rationality in
Davidson (Reading: Bayne and Pacherie 2004 9”Expeirence, Belief and the
Interpretive Fold” discussion: 83-85)

Midterm exam (Oct 23)

Part 5. Four recent controversies in philosophical,
psychiatric and neuro-scientific literature
: (Oct 28, 30, Nov 4, 6, 13)

Continuum (bias) vs modularity (deficit) analyses. Do
delusions result from fallacious reasoning such as a tendency to jump to
conclusions that is merely a more extreme form of normal illogic? (Reading for
Oct 28: Jones, Delespaul and Os, a debate. 2003)

Is an essentialist definition possible? Or is
delusion some sort of Wittgensteinian family resemblance concept? (Reading for
Oct 30: Oltmanns 1988: pages 3-11[e-reserve])

Doxastic and meta-cognitive approaches. Are all
delusions forms of belief? (Readings for Nov 4-6: Berrios 1990, Fulford
1991, also Bayne and Pacherie 2005)

Top down vs bottom up causal accounts. Are delusional
states prompted by underlying abnormal experiences, rather than resulting from
reasoning bias? ( Readings for Nov 13: Langdon and Coltheart 2000: 207-213,
Hohwy 2004)

November 13: discussion class.

Part 6: dangerous delusions (Nov 18, 20, 25)

November 18: paranoid delusions and attributional bias. (Reading: Bentall 2003 ‘On the Paranoid World View’ [e-reserve])

November 20: Guest speaker: Dr Fayez El Gabalawi

( El Gabalawi, Political Extremism and Psychopathy as Mutually Reinforcing Phenomena [ Word file sent electronically])

November 25: Jim Jones’ delusions (reading: Twemlowe and Hough, ‘The Cult Leader as Agent of a Psychotic Fantasy’ [PDF sent electronically])

Part 7: Religious
Delusions and Religious Belief (Dec 2,4)

December 2: Where to begin?
(Reading: Fulford and Sadler, ‘Mapping the Logical Geography of Delusion and
Spiritual Experience’ [Word file sent electronically])

December 4: Is there anywhere to stand, or is delusion an essentially contested concept? (Reading: Radden, Commentary on Fulford and Sadler, ‘Mapping’ [Word file sent
electronically])

Part 8: Connecting the dots (Dec 9,11)

Dec 9, Guest speaker: Kelso Cratsley, topic and readings to be announced.

Final essay due.


Dec 11. Last class.



Most readings are available on e-reserves. The exceptions
are a handful that I will put on regular reserve (Healy Library 3rd
floor), as well as Descartes’s Meditations, and several materials I’m
sending along as email attachments.



Bibliography

Bayne 2004 Experience, belief, and the interpretive fold. PP&P: pages 83-5.

Bayne and Pacherie 2005 In defense of doxastic conception of
delusions. Mind&Language.

Berrios, G. 1991. Delusion as ‘wrong beliefs’: a conceptual
history. British Journal of Psychiatry 159 (supp vol 14): 6-13.

Davies, M. and Coltheart 2003 Monothematic Delusions:
Towards a two-factor Account. PP&P

Descartes, Meditations 1&2

Fine,C 2006. A Mind of Its Own: How Your Brain Distorts
and Deceives.
New York: WW Norton& Co.

Fulford 1991 Evaluative delusions: their significance for
philosophy and psychiatry. British Journal of Psychiatry Suppl.Nov (14):
108-112.

Fulford, Thornton and Graham 2006 Oxford Textbook of
Philosophy and Psychiatry
London: Oxford University Press.

Garety, P. 1991 Reasoning and Delusions. British Journal
of Psychiatry
159 (supp.14) 14-18.

Gerrans, P. 2003 Cognitive Architecture and the Limits of
Interpretation.

Ghaemi 2004 The Perils of Belief: Delusions Reconsidered. PP&P
Vol 11, No 1 (March) 49-54.

Gipps and Fulford 2004 Understanding the clinical concept
of delusion. International Review of Psychiatry.

Hohwy 2004 Top-down and bottom-up delusion formation. PP&P
Vol 11 (1) March

Jaspers 1963 General Psychopathology. Translated by
Hoenig and Hamilton. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.

Langdon and Coltheart 2000 The cognitive neuropsychology of
delusions. Mind &Language 15 (March):184-

Leeser and O’Donahue 1999 What is a delusion?
Epistemological dimensions. J Abnormal Psychology 108 (4): 687-94

Leudar and Thomas 2000. Voices of Reason, Voices of
Insanity: Studies of Verbal Hallucinations.
New York and London: Routledge.

Oltmans 1988 Approaches to the definition and study of
delusions. In Oltmanns and Maher eds Delusional Beliefs. New York: John
Wiley&Sons.

Peters, E. 2001 Are delusions on a continuum? The case of
religious and delusional beliefs. In Clarke (ed) Psychosis and spirituality:
Exploring the new frontier
: 191-207.

Phillips, J. 1996 Key Concepts: Hermeneutics. PP&P
Vol 3 (1): 61-69.

Sass, L. 1994. The Paradoxes of Delusion: Wittgenstein,
Schreber, and the Schizophrenic Mind.
Ithaca: Cornell University Press.

Spitzer, M, 1990 On defining delusions. Comprehensive
Psychiatry
.31 (5): 377-397.

Stanton and David 2000 First-person accounts of delusions. Psychiatric
Bulletin
24:333-336.

Wittgenstein,L. 1963 On Certainty.

Patti Ross: Narratives and Knowledge

PHIL110-03 Narratives and Knowledge
Spring 2007

Course description

Literature can provide us with insight -- some would even argue knowledge -- about the world. Others deride this idea, claiming that nothing other than rigorous scientific method can produce such insights and knowledge. This course introduces philosophy throught examinations of what it means for something to be knowledge and of the role that science and literature have to play in producing objective claims about the world. We will approach these questions by focusing on a body of literature that can loosely be labeled `memoirs of mental illness'.
Topics to be covered include: knowledge, objectivity, perspectivalism and
qualia.

Patricia Ross

Philosophy Department

Carleton College

Class Blog


Syllabus

The class discussions will be based on the indicated readings. Read them
before the lecture.

Mar 27

Course overview

Intro

Plato's Republic
(you will find the Allegory of the Cave at the beginning of Book VII)

Descartes' Meditations

(Meditations I, II and II will give you the Cogito argument)

Mar 29

Knowledge: Questions of knowing reality, how we know it exists and how we know its nature

Bertrand Russell, The Problems of Philosophy

Chapters 1, 2 and 3

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

The Leibniz entry contains his account of idealism

Apr 3

Knowledge: Idealism, Knowledge by acquaintance vs. description, induction

Bertrand Russell, The Problems of Philosophy

Chapters 4, 5 and 6

Hume, Discourse

The problem of induction in discussed in section 4

Apr 5

Knowledge: What we can know, the problem of metaphysics

A. J. Ayer, Language, Truth and Logic

The Elimination of Metaphysics, Ch. 1

Monet's Haystacks

Apr 10

Knowledge: Induction, authority and Popper's solution to "what can be known"

K. Popper, Induction and Knowledge

The Problem of Induction, Knowledge without Authority

Apr 12

Anorexia

M. Hornbacher, Wasted

Apr 17

Objectivity: Pluralism and Knowledge

K. Popper, Objective Knowledge, Realism and Pluralism

Apr 19

Objectivity: Objective Knowledge: Why Science?

I, Lakatos, Science and Pseudoscience

Apr 24

Objectivity: Intersubjective Objectivity and Perspectivalism

H. Longino, Science as Social Knowledge, Chapter 4, e-reserve

Apr 26

Review of material so far

May 1

May 3

Multiple Personality

C. West, First Person Plural

May 8

Objectivity

I. Hacking, Rewriting the Soul, Chapters 1 and 2, e-reserve

May 10

Subjectivity: The relationship between objectivity and subjectivity reconsidered

J. Searle, Social Ontology:
Some Basic Principles.
(third article from bottom)

May 15

Subjectivity:


W. James, Principles of Psychology, Chapter 9,
and The Standford Encyclopedia entry on Self-knowledge

May 17

Subjectivity: Qualia and first-person experience

F. Jackson, Epiphenomenal Qualia,

T. Nagel, "What is it like to be a bat?"

May 22

Bipolar


K.R. Jamison, An Unquiet Mind

May 24

L. Slater, Lying

Saturday, November 22, 2008

John Sadler: Technology & Mental Health

HIST 4380.001
Technology & Mental Health (honors)
John Z. Sadler, M.D.
Mondays 2:00 - 4:45 p.m.

REVISED 4/15/07

Faculty contact information:

John Z. Sadler, M.D.
Professor of Humanities, UTD
Professor of Psychiatry & Clinical Sciences, UT Southwestern
e-mail: John.Sadler@UTSouthwestern.edu
UT Southwestern office: 214 648 4960
UT Southwestern fax: 214 648 4967
UTD office: Jonsson building room 5.512
UTD office phone: 972 883 2134
Office hours: by appointment only

Course description:
This course discusses the meaning of living within a technology-dominated culture and considers the effects of technoculture on mental health and the “self”. The first half of the course introduces the student to the philosophy of technology. Topics considered in this portion include analysis of technology-related values, the cultural saturation of technology, sustainability and security, and the effects of technology on the self and human relationships. The second portion of the course addresses the effects of technology on the mental health field proper. Students will consider the ethics of psychopharmacological and genetic enhancement, the effects of computer technology on mental health proper, and thinking about the humanistic “reform” of our relationship to technology.

Overall course objectives:

At the end of this course, students should be able to:

1. Describe the psychological effects, and the influence upon thinking, that technological culture provokes.

2. Describe the metaphysical power of technology and give numerous examples of how this power is manifested in everyday life and the “self”.

3. Describe the value structure of technological culture, and critically discuss how humanity should respond to technological culture and its value system.

4. Relate the preceding objectives to particular problems in mental health: use of psychopharmacology, internet overuse and addiction, video gaming overuse, and mental health practice.


Course requirements:

You will be doing group activities during each class - bring pens/pencils/paper to write on.

Attendance, participation, facilitation, taking both exams and completing two short papers.


Reading requirements:

Nye, David E. 2006. Technology Matters: Questions to Live With. Cambridge MA: MIT Press.

Borgmann, Albert. 1984. Technology and the Character of Contemporary Life: A Philosophical Inquiry. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.

Kramer, Peter. 1997. Listening to Prozac, with a new afterword. New York: Penguin.

Elliott, Carl and Chambers, Tod (eds). 2004. Prozac as a Way of Life. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press.

Online PDFs:

Sadler, JZ: 2005. “Technology” from Values and Psychiatric Diagnosis, Oxford University Press.

Anderson CA. 2004. An update on the effects of playing violent video games. Journal of Adolescence 27: 113-122.

Thornburgh D and Lyn H. 2004. Youth, Pornography, and the Internet. Issues in Science and Technology Winter issue.

Aboujaoude E et al 2006. Potential markers for problematic internet use: A telephone survey of 2513 adults. CNS Spectrums 11:10, p. 750-755.


Grading:

Based upon a 100- point system

Midterm short essay examination: 15 points
Final short essay examination: 15 points

Examinations are open-book (bringing texts recommended), short, synthetic essay-oriented.

Short paper 1: 10 points

Short paper 2: 10 points

Short papers are referenced topical essays on topics similar to those discussed in class.

Attendance and participation: 60 points

For each class (excluding exam days) you will be graded up to five points for your attendance and participation according to this schedule:

Absent = 0

Present with little to no participation = 1
Present, prepared, largely dominating discussion = 1
Present, unprepared but with discussion and facilitation = 1

Present, prepared, variable degree of participation & facilitation = 2 to 4

Present, well-prepared, insightful comments, facilitates others’ participation = 5

I am looking for well-prepared students who think about the topic, contribute their own ideas, and facilitate other students’ contributions. When everyone participates, everyone’s scores rise.

If you do the math, you’ll see a potential for up to 10 bonus points for classroom discussion.

End of term Grading scale:

Points Grade Grade-point per semester hour

100 + A+ 4.00

97-99 A 4.00

94-96 A- 3.67

91-93 B+ 3.33

88-90 B 3.00

85-87 B- 2.67

82-84 C+ 2.33

79-81 C 2.00

76-78 C- 1.67

73-75 D+ 1.33

70-72 D 1.00

0 - 69 F 0.00


Unreturned papers and exam absences = 0 points

Late papers = lose 2 points/day up to 3 days, then 0 points

Absences excused by arrangement with faculty, preferably in advance, rationale should be justified.


Schedule and assignments:

January 8

Topics: Introduction, orientation to course

View film: Metropolis (1927) Directed by Fritz Lang

Discussion questions:

Besides being a romantic story, this is a “message” movie. What are the messages?

This film is rich in symbolism. What are some examples of symbols and what do they mean? How do these symbols fit into the “big picture”?

What questions about technology are raised by the film? What questions about mental health? How are they related?


January 15

No class - Martin Luther King day

Do your reading!


January 22

Assignment: David Nye, Technology Matters: Questions to Live With, Introduction and chapters 1- 4.

Topics: defining technology, control and technology, prognosticating about technology

Discussion exercises:

a. What is technology? Is technology made up of artifacts (things) or processes (activities)? Nye uses many examples, some of which are central examples or “exemplars”, others more peripheral. What do you think are the best examples of a “technology”? What are the questionable examples? What are the core features of a technology according to Nye? A “conceptual analysis” means you test your definition of a concept against actual examples of the concept. Because technologies are everywhere in our culture, gaining clarity about what technology is might also be aided by finding examples of what technology isn’t. Do Nye’s core features of technology hold up against your analysis?

b. The “technological imperative” is now a cliche, referring to the idea that once a technology is built, it will be used. Nye provides counterexamples of this in Chapter 2. Can you provide your own examples of technologies that were invented but never used? Why were they not used?
Conversely, can you think domains of human activities (art, engineering, gardening, medicine, eating, etc.) where technologies are always (or never) used? What are the conditions of use of technology? How do societies (historical and contemporary) regulate technology use?

c. Dr. B, a neuroscientist at UT Southwestern, is working on the molecular mechanisms of sleep regulation. He has found a gene that when “knocked out” enables mice to resist sleep, remaining alert, for an additional 36+ hours. The U.S. Department of Defense wants him to find a drug to temporary suspend this gene’s function so that soldiers can function optimally for super-human stretches of time.

Assuming that Dr B makes the discovery of this drug, prognosticate the implications of Dr B's discovery using Nye’s tripartite formulation of prognosticating (p. 34) - prediction, forecasting, projection. Then critique your own work by describing how your prognosticating could break down.


January 29

Assignment: Nye, Chapters 5 - 8.

Topics: differentiation vs. standardization, technology and politics, regulation of technology

Discussion exercises:

a. In chapter 5, Nye discusses whether technology dilutes or enhances social and cultural differences. Have your group consider the effect of the computer and Internet on cultural homo- versus heterogeneity. How has the Internet contributed to globalized culture? How has it contributed to increasing cultural diversity? Are their patterns to your examples in each case? Can you generate rules about how the Internet has affected cultural diversity?

b. Nye and other authors in Chapter 6 imply that there is a link between technology and capitalism. What is this link, and how does it work? Compare the development of technology in capitalist (e.g, USA), socialist (e.g., Sweden), and communist (China, old Soviet Union) countries. What does your analysis suggest about technology and work/leisure discussed in Chapter 7? What does your analysis suggest should be done about protecting the environment and “sustainability” (ability to maintain a given level of production over a long time period)?

c. The year is 2030. Genetic technology has advanced so that people can tweak the genes of an unborn child so that particular traits like intelligence and athletic skill can be added, and genetic risk factors for illness can be removed (a la the movie Gattaca). Assuming the economic market works much like it does today, argue for and against economically regulating this technology. Use ethical arguments about which model insures the most flourishing of humanity, and explain why. If arguing for regulation, explain how you would have the technology regulated.

February 5

Assignment: Nye, Chapters 9-11.

Topics: complexity of technology implementation, consequences of technological use

Discussion exercises:

a. Some “futurists” have claimed that the human race should create a “universal manual,” a guidebook that would allow humanity to recreate and sustain its technologies in the face of a natural or other apocalypse. Imagine an event that destroys most of the world’s population including the many experts in various technologies. This guidebook would aid the survivors in maintaining, building, and utilizing the technologies of the world, in an effort to rebuild the human race and (presumably) ecosystem.

Use Nye’s cautions and arguments from chapters 9-11 to critically evaluate this idea. Three groups will consider each of the three areas below, and then convene to discuss the broader issue. You can consult each other’s group as you develop your ideas.

a1. If such a guidebook was possible, what media form would it take? What would be the benefits and limitations of each idea you develop? What would need to be in place for it to be usable?

a2. In order to use such a guidebook, what would the general population need in terms of an education? How should experts be trained and educated in preparation for use of the guidebook? What would be the minimum conditions for the book’s usability?

a3. The local population of survivors with the guidebook would be 1000 people. Some scientists and engineers would be among the survivors, but not all areas of expertise would be represented (e.g., no neurosurgeons, but three obstetricians and a smattering of other physicians; no guidebook experts but several information technology engineers). Develop a generic plan for implementing use of the guidebook, assuming that there are no residual environmental dangers (like nuclear fallout or a toxic climate change). What would be the immediate priorities, and which technologies we have today would you want to restore and utilize? What would be intermediate and later priorities? How would you roll them out?


February 12

Assignment: Albert Borgmann, Technology and the Character of Contemporary Life, Part One, chapters 1-7.

Topic: relationship of science and technology

Discussion exercises:

1. What is the problem of technology for Borgmann? How is the problem related to “theories” of technology? Consider the following thinker’s accounts of technology – explain/summarize what they mean vis a vis technology. Relate to Nye if you can.

a. Ellul’s notion of “technique”
b. Borgmann’s three views of technology: “substantive”, “instrumental” and “pluralist”
c. Mitcham’s three dimensions of technology: subject/material, functional/structural, and social/historical

2. Consider Borgmann’s three aspects of science (p. 17), science as (1) human/social, (2) law/theory (3) science applications. What do these have to do with technology? Then, consider the deductive-nomological explanation in science – what is it? How does it contribute to technology?
3. In chapters 6 and 7, Borgmann talks about how our understanding is transformed by scientific explanation. How is it transformed? How is scientific progress dependent upon psychology? What does Borgmann mean by deictic and subsumptive explanations? What role does each play in understanding technology? Later, (p. 29) B. discusses Hans Jonas’ view that “technology ceaselessly transforms the world along abstract an artificial lines.” What does this mean?


February 19

Assignment: Borgmann, Part Two, chapters 8 - 19.

Topics: device paradigm, technology and social relations, individual relation to technology

Discussion exercises:

1. What is the device paradigm? What distinguishes a device from a thing? Borgmann discusses the characteristics of the device paradigm that they are asocial, interchangeable, universal, and that they are “commodities”. What do each of these descriptions refer to? Give your own examples.

2. In chapter 11, Borgmann talks about the means/end distinction relative to technology. What is the ordinary sense of the notion of “end” and what is the Arendt’s sense of “end” that Borgmann favors? Examples? What about Winner’s notion of “reverse adaptation” (p. 60) – what does this mean – examples? Later, he talks about the counterexample of aesthetic technological structures like skyscrapers. Do they fit into the “device paradigm”? Are they means? Ends? Describe the relation between design and technology with examples.

3. What are focal things? In chapter 13, how are focal things “disadvantaged” by technology? Describe the Marxist critique of technology and how it relates to “focal things”. Describe the relationship between “freedom, equality, and self-development” and technology (p. 89) and give examples.



Mid-term exam information:

Next week, 2/26, following one-hour discussion of Borgmann part three.

Midterm exam involves two essay questions, one familiar from our discussion exercises, one new. Exams are open book – recommend you bring your books. You have thirty minutes per question, one hour for the whole exam. Blue book format. I’ll specify clearly what I’m expecting, e.g., “Describe X and how it relates to a, b, and c. Give three distinct reasons why you agree/disagree, and give a unique example for each. Conclude by presenting two counterarguments to your viewpoint and how you would answer them.”

Mid-term short paper information:

Length should be 400-600 words, typed, double-spaced, hard copy. Standard reference format. No less than 3 references and no more than 10. Due by class time March 26. You may write on one of the three topics below:

1. Pick one of Peter Kramer’s patient cases. Describe how the patient is disengaged from focal things and practices (in Borgmann’s sense). How did the administration of Prozac affect the patient’s engagement with focal things and practices? How did, or did not, Prozac treatment affect the patient’s “ultimate concerns” (Borgmann’s term). Use evidence from the case history to support your claims. If evidence from the case history is lacking for these questions, describe what sort of information about the patient’s life you might look for, if you were Kramer the clinician. Refer to key terms in Borgmann in developing your case.

2. Consider the International Style of architecture discussed in Borgmann. Relate the design philosophy of the International Style to focal things and practices and the device paradigm. Does the International Style philosophy avoid Borgmann's "problem" with technology? Present three or more arguments in support of your viewpoint, and present two or more counterarguments and your response to them.

3. Choose a particular, unique social institution that you believe embodies Borgmann's sense of promoting engagement with focal things and practices. Describe the institution in terms of means and ends in Borgmann's sense. How does it promote engagement? What commodities or technologies does the institution depend upon? How does the institution deal with the "lures" of the device paradigm? Provide at least two reasons for each question and address two strong counterarguments against your position.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

February 26

Assignment: Borgmann, Part Three, chapters 20 - 26.

Topics: reform of relationships to technology, Midterm Exam (over Nye and Borgmann)

Discussion exercise (first hour only)

What is Borgmann’s general plan for the reform of technology? How is the reform linked to focal things and practices? To ultimate concerns? B. gives three examples of the runner, the “culture of the table”, and the friend getting us out of the front of the TV for a walk. How are these little events important to the reform of technology?


March 12 [JZS Spring Break] – Guest Faculty – Fabrice Jotterand, Ph.D.

Assignment: Peter D. Kramer, Listening to Prozac, Introduction and chapters 1- 5.

Topic: Mental illness and life, watch and discuss the film “The Hours”

Discussion exercises:

Below are a series of questions about The Hours that frame many of the questions we’ll be considering over the next few weeks. In the classroom round chair setup today, discuss as many of these as you can (with suitable depth, and according to your interests!) knowing that we’ll likely return to The Hours again later in the class. Prof. Fabrice Jotterand will be guest faculty for me today – show him what great students you all are!

1. The Hours can be seen as a “depressing” film! Yet there is an element of hope at the end – what is it and can you elaborate? What does the film teach us about “how to live well?”

2. The Hours presents numerous examples of engagement with focal things and practices, as well as examples of disengagement. Identify examples of each. For those characters who are “disengaged” – what gets in their way, or prevents them from engaging?

3. The film presents several individuals who are struggling with serious mood disorders – “major depression” in the current language. Virginia Woolf was known to be bipolar or “manic-depressive”. What relationship do you think there is between her literary creativity and her mood disorder? What is the evidence from the film that supports your view?

4. Late in the film, when asked about the fate of her literary character Mrs. Dalloway, Woolf is asked by her husband “Why does someone have to die?” and Woolf replies something like “To help the rest of us appreciate life – the contrast”. I think there are at least two aspects or meanings to this statement – one positive and enlightening, the other, grim. Identify other potential meanings of this statement, and describe what this tells us about mental illness embedded in a “life lived”.

5. Several times in this film characters scoff at doctors and their prescriptions. Why do they do this? What does this tell us about the reluctance of people to seek care for mental illness?

6. The film presents several characters who follow seemingly parallel processes in their lives. This is a literary device. For what purpose do you think it has been employed? What does this technique emphasize in the story and its meaning?

7. How are Kramer’s patients like and unlike the characters in the film?


March 19

Assignment: Kramer, Chapters 6 - 9 and Afterword. Guest Faculty – Fabrice Jotterand PhD

Topic: Kramer’s cases of individuals and psychopharmacological technology

Discussion exercises:

1. Consider Kramer’s cases as a group. The general question is whether you think treatment with Prozac improved the patients’ “engagement with focal things and practices” or not. Pick two cases that you think support your position the most strongly, and why, and pick two cases that provide the poorest support for your position (and why). How did you evaluate the patients’ engagement?

2. Kramer’s cases raise the issue of the role of doctors – should they “enhance” the lives of people or merely “restore” people to their usual state of health? His cases raise the question of what mental illness is. Which conditions described by Kramer seem like legitimate diseases (or mental illnesses), and which don’t? Why? What qualifies a mental condition as a disorder?

3. The kinds of clinical responses to Prozac say a lot about what the patient’s values are. Pick two or three cases that are “Prozac responders” and try to identify the values (ultimate or otherwise) that the patients identify as reasons to continue on the drug. Do you think these reasons are legitimate ones for doctors to prescribe for? If you were a psychiatrist, which conditions would you feel comfortable prescribing for, and which not? Why?


March 26

Assignment: Carl Elliott and Tod Chambers (eds): Prozac as a Way of Life, Section 1, pp. 1 - 82.

Topic: Is psychological enhancement good? For whom?

Discussion exercises:

1. What is “authenticity” and what does it have to do with Prozac? Compare and contrast the accounts of authenticity presented by Parens/Elliott, De Grazia, and Kramer. Are each of these people’s versions of authenticity the same? Discuss your own views about how important authenticity (your choice of “version”) is in your own life, and what you think Prozac does to authenticity.

2. Connect the discussion of Heidegger and Foucault in the Edwards chapter to Borgmann’s key concepts of device paradigm, focal things and practices, and engagement/disengagement. How are they the same, and how different? If Borgmann weighed in on this discussion, what might he say? What do these have to do with Prozac-related “enhancement”?

3. Describe how Healy links marketing and sales to the Prozac phenomenon we have discussed. What impact did Healy’s essay have on your thinking about psychopharmacological enhancement? How does Healy’s essay fit into our earlier discussion of the philosophy and history of technology?

Short paper 1 DUE – bring to class!!


April 2

Assignment: Elliott and Chambers Section 2, pp. 83 - 142.

Topics: Sex, death, and authenticity

Discussion exercises:

1. In the “Kafka’s Boys” chapter, Slater describes the research and personality of sex researcher Martin Kafka, and his use of medication for paraphilic sex offenders. Kafka suggests that at least some sex offenders are sick or disordered. Do you accept Kafka’s viewpoint? Why/why not? There is also a moral dimension to Kafka’s cases – they are wrongdoers – unfaithful to wives, molesters of neighborhood children. Are there other ways to regard these men? What do you think society should do for and with them? Why?

2. In Laurie Zoloth’s chapter, she presents a meditation about the nature of being human, especially emphasizing the inevitability of suffering, disability, and death. Compared to all the other chapters in this book, hers is the most poetic, spiritual, and metaphorical. What is the purpose of this approach to her “points”, and what is accomplished (or not accomplished) by her approach? How would you link her work to the philosophical cautions about technology we have discussed previously?

3. For Carl Elliott’s chapter, he revisits the notion of authenticity. How has it changed from his/our original discussion? On page 136, he paraphrases ethicist Stanley Hauerwas in saying “Every society gets the doctors it deserves, and our doctors are giving us what we demand.” What is it that we are demanding? What does the “enthusiasm” for Prozac (p 138 last paragraph) by society tell us about Prozac, tell us about us, and how we should live?


Final short paper information:

Length should be 400-600 words, typed, double-spaced, hard copy. Standard MLA reference format. No less than 3 references and no more than 10. Due by class time March 26. You may write on ONE of the three topics below:

1. “Computer use and engagement” - Review the ways we have learned computer use promotes Borgmannian disengagement (3 points) and select two or more articles or chapters (from any responsible source) which provide two examples that you believe illustrate powerfully how personal computers can be used to promote engagement in focal things and practices. (3 points) Provide at least two compelling reasons for each example’s relevance. (4 points).

2. “My occupation and technology reform” – Consider an occupation or career field you are seriously considering pursuing as your own, EXCEPT the mental health field. Drawing upon this course’s discussion of the ways technology use can go awry, select two compelling articles or chapters (from any responsible source) that illustrate problems requiring technology reform in that field. (3 points) Provide two or more reasons why reform is needed (4 points). Then, briefly describe a strategy for reform (3 points).

3. Consider the field of “industrial or technology design”. Using your understanding of how values are built-into technological products, present an example of a technological product which, in your view, has design features which promote disengagement with focal things and practices, and give at least two reasons why (3 points). Then present a product which you believe has design elements which promote engagement with focal things and practices, giving two or more reasons why. (3 points) Conclude with a statement of two general principles of design which promote engagement, and show how these principles are reflected in your examples (4 points). Provide a few references which illustrate your discussion.

______________________________________________________________________________

April 9

Assignment: Elliott and Chambers Section 3, pp. 143-206.

Topics: Borgmann, Prozac, and Zen

Discussion exercises:

1. Over the course of these two books, we have seen that Prozac can (in addition to treat depression) allegedly increase assertiveness and goal-directedness, and also that it facilitates Zen equanimity and contemplation. Dr. Sadler says Prozac makes for "good capitalists" and Lauren Slater says it is a Zen drug. Just what does this stuff do, anyway? Do you believe these differing effects are valid, and how? If or if not, how do you account for these diverse reports? What counts as evidence in judging subtle effects of a drug? Are their real commonalities in its effects - and if so, what are they? How do you appraise these reports of "cosmetic psychopharmacology"?

2. These chapters focus on whether Prozac contributes to spiritual practices or shortcuts them. Drawing upon these and our preceding readings, tell us what makes for a profound spiritual practice as opposed to a superficial, commodified one. Check the features of a profound spiritual practice you have formulated against (a) the cultural differences described by Kirmayer and (b) the tribulations of Prozac use by Buddhists in the final three chapters.

3. Chambers raises the issue of the role of Prozac in promoting human diversity vs a cookie-cutter uniformity in us. Do you believe that Prozac promotes a diversity of souls, or rather promotes a particular, and limited, set of values in people - "shiny, happy people" in David Rothman's phrase? Explain. What do you think are appropriate and inappropriate uses of the drug? What guidelines should doctors use in prescribing it?

April 16

Assignment: Anderson, “An Update on the Effects of Violent Video Games”, Robinson et al “Effects of reducing children’s television and video game use on aggressive behavior: a randomized controlled trial Thornburgh and Lin, “Youth, Pornography, and the Internet” (pdf online and http://www.issues.org/20.2/thornburgh.html ), Aboujaoude et al “Potential Markers for Problematic Internet Use: A Telephone Survey of 2,513 Adults” ( all pdfs online)

Topics: mental health and video technology

Discussion exercises:

1. Present a brief summary of the each article's approach, content, methods, and significance. Critically evaluate each paper in terms of it strengths and limitations.

2. Relate each of the papers and the papers as a group to the themes of this course and what we have learned to date. What light have these papers shed on the course themes? Have these papers introduced problems we haven't yet considered? If so describe and discuss.

3. Consider these papers as a set and discuss their implications for public policy. Use the vantage point of these stakeholders in public policy: the U.S. congressman, the headmaster/principal of a school, a leader in a parents' group, a police chief in a large urban environment.


April 23

Assignment: Sadler, Values and Psychiatric Diagnosis, Chapter 9 “Technology”, McHugh, “What’s the Story” (from The Mind Has Mountains) (pdfs Web CT online)

Topic: values and practices

Discussion exercises:

1. For the McHugh paper, consider his points about the role of narrative understanding and scientific-technical understanding. Pick some occupations, or professional practices OTHER than medicine and describe how McHugh’s points about narrative and science can be applied to problems in those practices, common pitfalls in those practices, as well as enjoyment or personal reward in those practices.

2. What I consider one of the valuable contributions of my own Technology chapter is the link between particular kinds of values (efficiency, economy, etc.) and technological design. Pick some examples of your favorite technologies and describe some value-terms (or words) that are “built-in” to the design, and describe how. Then pick some examples of technologies that you think are flawed and describe what values or characteristics are missing that would have made the technologies “better.” Finally, consider how awareness of design-values for technological artifacts can bring us closer to our ultimate concerns – use examples.

3. You have now thought about engagement and the “technological mode of being” in multiple ways, including reading my own “take” on the issues. Discuss how you might promote the notion of engagement and the “poietic mode of being” in your own lives, with others, and as a public citizen. How would you “teach” it? How would you explain it to children, and at what age? How would you/do you explain it to peers? How would you cultivate your own awareness of disengagement/technological mode vs. engagement/poietic mode?

Short paper 2 DUE

April 30 Final Exam



Student Conduct & Discipline

The University of Texas System and The University of Texas at Dallas have rules and regulations for the orderly and efficient conduct of their business. It is the responsibility of each student and each student organization to be knowledgeable about the rules and regulations which govern student conduct and activities. General information on student conduct and discipline is contained in the UTD publication, A to Z Guide, which is provided to all registered students each academic year.

The University of Texas at Dallas administers student discipline within the procedures of recognized and established due process. Procedures are defined and described in the Rules and Regulations, Board of Regents, The University of Texas System, Part 1, Chapter VI, Section 3, and in Title V, Rules on Student Services and Activities of the university’s Handbook of Operating Procedures. Copies of these rules and regulations are available to students in the Office of the Dean of Students, where staff members are available to assist students in interpreting the rules and regulations (SU 1.602, 972/883-6391).

A student at the university neither loses the rights nor escapes the responsibilities of citizenship. He or she is expected to obey federal, state, and local laws as well as the Regents’ Rules, university regulations, and administrative rules. Students are subject to discipline for violating the standards of conduct whether such conduct takes place on or off campus, or whether civil or criminal penalties are also imposed for such conduct.

Academic Integrity

The faculty expects from its students a high level of responsibility and academic honesty. Because the value of an academic degree depends upon the absolute integrity of the work done by the student for that degree, it is imperative that a student demonstrate a high standard of individual honor in his or her scholastic work.

Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, statements, acts or omissions related to applications for enrollment or the award of a degree, and/or the submission as one’s own work or material that is not one’s own. As a general rule, scholastic dishonesty involves one of the following acts: cheating, plagiarism, collusion and/or falsifying academic records. Students suspected of academic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary proceedings.

Plagiarism, especially from the web, from portions of papers for other classes, and from any other source is unacceptable and will be dealt with under the university’s policy on plagiarism (see general catalog for details). This course will use the resources of turnitin.com, which searches the web for possible plagiarism and is over 90% effective.

Email Use
The University of Texas at Dallas recognizes the value and efficiency of communication between faculty/staff and students through electronic mail. At the same time, email raises some issues concerning security and the identity of each individual in an email exchange. The university encourages all official student email correspondence be sent only to a student’s U.T. Dallas email address and that faculty and staff consider email from students official only if it originates from a UTD student account. This allows the university to maintain a high degree of confidence in the identity of all individual corresponding and the security of the transmitted information. UTD furnishes each student with a free email account that is to be used in all communication with university personnel. The Department of Information Resources at U.T. Dallas provides a method for students to have their U.T. Dallas mail forwarded to other accounts.
Withdrawal from Class

The administration of this institution has set deadlines for withdrawal of any college-level courses. These dates and times are published in that semester's course catalog. Administration procedures must be followed. It is the student's responsibility to handle withdrawal requirements from any class. In other words, I cannot drop or withdraw any student. You must do the proper paperwork to ensure that you will not receive a final grade of "F" in a course if you choose not to attend the class once you are enrolled.

Student Grievance Procedures

Procedures for student grievances are found in Title V, Rules on Student Services and Activities, of the university’s Handbook of Operating Procedures.

In attempting to resolve any student grievance regarding grades, evaluations, or other fulfillments of academic responsibility, it is the obligation of the student first to make a serious effort to resolve the matter with the instructor, supervisor, administrator, or committee with whom the grievance originates (hereafter called “the respondent”). Individual faculty members retain primary responsibility for assigning grades and evaluations. If the matter cannot be resolved at that level, the grievance must be submitted in writing to the respondent with a copy of the respondent’s School Dean. If the matter is not resolved by the written response provided by the respondent, the student may submit a written appeal to the School Dean. If the grievance is not resolved by the School Dean’s decision, the student may make a written appeal to the Dean of Graduate or Undergraduate Education, and the deal will appoint and convene an Academic Appeals Panel. The decision of the Academic Appeals Panel is final. The results of the academic appeals process will be distributed to all involved parties.

Copies of these rules and regulations are available to students in the Office of the Dean of Students, where staff members are available to assist students in interpreting the rules and regulations.

Incomplete Grade Policy

As per university policy, incomplete grades will be granted only for work unavoidably missed at the semester’s end and only if 70% of the course work has been completed. An incomplete grade must be resolved within eight (8) weeks from the first day of the subsequent long semester. If the required work to complete the course and to remove the incomplete grade is not submitted by the specified deadline, the incomplete grade is changed automatically to a grade of F.

Disability Services

The goal of Disability Services is to provide students with disabilities educational opportunities equal to those of their non-disabled peers. Disability Services is located in room 1.610 in the Student Union. Office hours are Monday and Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Tuesday and Wednesday, 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; and Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The contact information for the Office of Disability Services is:
The University of Texas at Dallas, SU 22
PO Box 830688
Richardson, Texas 75083-0688
(972) 883-2098 (voice or TTY)

Essentially, the law requires that colleges and universities make those reasonable adjustments necessary to eliminate discrimination on the basis of disability. For example, it may be necessary to remove classroom prohibitions against tape recorders or animals (in the case of dog guides) for students who are blind. Occasionally an assignment requirement may be substituted (for example, a research paper versus an oral presentation for a student who is hearing impaired). Classes enrolled students with mobility impairments may have to be rescheduled in accessible facilities. The college or university may need to provide special services such as registration, note-taking, or mobility assistance.

It is the student’s responsibility to notify his or her professors of the need for such an accommodation. Disability Services provides students with letters to present to faculty members to verify that the student has a disability and needs accommodations. Individuals requiring special accommodation should contact the professor after class or during office hours.

Religious Holy Days
The University of Texas at Dallas will excuse a student from class or other required activities for the travel to and observance of a religious holy day for a religion whose places of worship are exempt from property tax under Section 11.20, Tax Code, Texas Code Annotated.
The student is encouraged to notify the instructor or activity sponsor as soon as possible regarding the absence, preferably in advance of the assignment. The student, so excused, will be allowed to take the exam or complete the assignment within a reasonable time after the absence: a period equal to the length of the absence, up to a maximum of one week. A student who notifies the instructor and completes any missed exam or assignment may not be penalized for the absence. A student who fails to complete the exam or assignment within the prescribed period may receive a failing grade for that exam or assignment.
If a student or an instructor disagrees about the nature of the absence [i.e., for the purpose of observing a religious holy day] or if there is similar disagreement about whether the student has been given a reasonable time to complete any missed assignments or examinations, either the student or the instructor may request a ruling from the chief executive officer of the institution, or his or her designee. The chief executive officer or designee must take into account the legislative intent of TEC 51.911(b), and the student and instructor will abide by the decision of the chief executive officer or designee.
Off-Campus Instruction and Course Activities
Off-campus, out-of-state, and foreign instruction and activities are subject to state law and University policies and procedures regarding travel and risk-related activities. Information regarding these rules and regulations may be found at the website address given below. Additional information is available from the office of the school dean. (http://www.utdallas.edu/Business Affairs/Travel_Risk_Activities.htm)

These descriptions and timelines are subject to change at the discretion of the Professor.

Nancy Potter: Philosophy and Mental Illness

Phil 398/Honors 331/341
Philosophy and Mental Illness
Hon 204
Tues, Thurs 11-12.15
Required Texts
· Girl Interrupted, Susan Kaysen
· Welcome to My Country, Lauren Slater
· Bias in Psychiatric Diagnosis, ed. Paula Caplan and Lisa Cosgrove
· Course Packet, e-Reserve (you must print articles and bring to class)

Course Description
What is a "mental illness" as compared to a "physical illness"? How can the mind be sick? Who makes decisions about what counts as normal and healthy functioning, and on what basis are such judgments make? What sorts of mental suffering or odd behavior are too great to count as part of the normal stress of life? When people suffer distress or disconnection from others, what exactly is wrong with them? How should the mentally ill be cared for? Or, is the framework of mental illness a form of social control? If so, why, and what should be done about it? These are the sorts of questions we will examine together in this course. Our readings consist of biological, constructivist, and antipsychiatric writings on the science, classification, and diagnosis of mental illness. We will also read numerous case studies and consider problems in universalizing diagnoses across cultures. Assignments in this course are designed to introduce students to the deep difficulties both in living well and in considering people to be living dysfunctionally; to engage students in critical thinking; and to allow you to develop a position on various aspects of a pathology or issue in mental illness that you are most interested in.

Course Requirements:
1. Class attendance and participation. Preparation for, and participation in, classroom discussions are an integral part of acquiring knowledge and understanding about the course materials. Students are expected to have read the assigned readings and to be prepared to discuss them. Classes will be largely discussion-oriented, and I will be keeping track of active participants, questions and comments that engage the material, and other indications of philosophical skill development that student participation offers.

2. Protocols. Each Tuesday (or Thursday, if we don't meet that Tuesday), two or three class members will present a brief (one page) summary of the main points of the previous week’s discussion. A Protocol should include the writers’ reactions, insights, and/or further reflections on points raised during class. For example, if you went home thinking an important question was unexplored, if a term was unclear, or if your views on something have changed as a result of the previous week’s class, you could include that in your Protocol. Protocols are written collaboratively and then they are typed and photocopied for the class and presented orally at the beginning of the week. The duty of writing the Protocol rotates among the members of the class, and a sign-up sheet will be passed around the first week of class.

3. Students will be required to write eight critical reading exercises. Due dates, explanation, and a sample evaluation checklist accompany the syllabus. CRs turned in late will automatically have five points taken off the total score. Late = after the class period the assignment is due.

4. Each student will write one short essay (2-3 typed double-spaced pages) in response to a question or set of questions I pose in class. Details will be handed out one week in advance of the due date.

5. Each student will write a final paper over some significant aspect of the course material (for example, the pathology of your choice, or an analysis of a problem in mental illness, such as the pathologizing and medicalizing of inner city youth.) The term paper will be written in two stages. A first version (a complete version, with an introduction and a conclusion--NOT A DRAFT--) will be handed in and commented on, and this will serve as the foundation for the final paper for the term. The first version should be 5-7 typed double-spaced pages in length, and the final paper should be 8-10 pages. The revised paper is expected to take into account the comments received and additional coursework since the first version was written. Students who elect not to turn in a draft on time forfeit the possibility of receiving an "A" on their final paper. Each of you must meet with me in person about your paper topic by no later than November 9.

Grades will be determined as follows:
Protocols: 20 %
Critical readings: 40 %
Short essay: 10 %
Final paper: 30 %
In the event of a borderline grade, I take into consideration the direction of your quality of work (i.e., whether your work has improved or declined over the term).
Be warned!

The class period. Class begins at the beginning of the class period and runs through the entire scheduled period. I expect students to make every effort to get to class on time and remain until class is over unless an exceptional circumstance prevents it. Consistent tardiness or early departures puts you at a disadvantage, is disrespectful to other class members, and suggests a cavalier attitude towards your own education. If you cannot meet the schedule as it is printed and outlined here, you should not take this course.

Late work. I do not routinely accept late work. Any papers, projects, or exams turned in later than the due date will be graded down. Once I have returned graded work, I will no longer accept any late work on that subject.

Missed classes. Class attendance is very important for the quality of work you do in the class. If you are prevented from attending a class session, please make prior arrangements with another student to borrow that classmate's notes from the missed class and to obtain any handouts or changes in the schedule. You have the responsibility of making clear to yourself what is expected of you in the course and when.

Incompletes. The grade of I (Incomplete) will be assigned only when the following three conditions have been met: when circumstances beyond your control prevent you from completing the required work, when the majority of the coursework has been completed, and when requested in writing before the due date of the final paper. Furthermore, in order for me to consider giving you an I, you must make specific arrangements with me before grades are due as to exactly how and when you plan to complete the course.

Academic honesty: Students are expected to adhere to our university's academic standards for honesty and integrity. These standards are stated at the beginning of the Undergraduate Catalog under "Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities. It makes clear that “academic dishonesty is prohibited at the University of Louisville. It is a serious offense because it diminishes the quality of scholarship, makes accurate evaluation of student progress impossible, and defrauds those in society who must ultimately depend upon the knowledge and integrity of the institution and its students and faculty.” You should pay special attention to Sections Five and Six where it defines terms and explains just what sorts of things count as academic dishonesty. It is your responsibility to know this code and comply with its requirements. Penalties for academic dishonesty include suspension and expulsion from the University. You can be sure that if I suspect any violations of this Code, I will take serious action. If you have any questions about what constitutes academic dishonesty, you are expected to ask me before any assignments, tests, or other course work are due.

Schedule of Meetings and Readings
Be aware that this schedule is subject to change, and you are responsible for finding out about any changes in sufficient time to prepare for class.

Week 1. Case Study: Bipolar Disorder
Aug 22, 24
Assigned readings:
· Kay Jamison, M.D., An Unquiet Mind, excerpt
· Francis Mondimore, M.D., Bipolar Disorder, excerpt
· Students should familiarize yourselves with the DSM-IV-TR before the next class period


Week 2. What is a Mental Disorder, Anyway?
Aug 29, 31
Assigned readings:
· Samuel Guze, Why Psychiatry is a Branch of Medicine, Chs. 1 & 4 (e-R)
· Jerome Wakefield, “On the Concept of Mental Disorder: On the Boundary between
Biological Facts and Social Values” (e-R)

Aug 31: Critical Reading Trial Run

Week 3. Case Study: Schizophrenia
Sept 5, 7
Assigned readings:
· Lauren Slater, Welcome to My Country, Chs. 1 & 3
· Grant Gillett, “Brain Pain: Psychotic Cognition, Hallucinations, and Delusions” (e-R)
· Jeffrey Poland, “Bias and Schizophrenia”, Ch. 18 (BD)

Due Sept. 5: 1st Protocol (and weekly hereafter)

Due Sept 5: Critical Reading #1

Week 4: Classification of Mental Disorders: Is This a Science or What?
Sept 12, 14
Assigned readings:
· John Sadler, Values and Psychiatric Diagnosis, Ch. 3 (e-R)
· Allan Horwitz, “The Extension of Mental Illnesses into the Community”, (e-R)
· Meadow Linder, “Creating Post-traumatic Stress Disorder: A Case Study of the
History, Sociology, and Politics of Psychiatric Classification”, Ch. 3 (BD)

Due Sept. 12: CR #2

Weeks 5 and 6. Criticisms of Diagnosis and Classification
Sept 19, 22; Sept 26, 28
Assigned readings:
· Thomas Szasz, "The Myth of Mental Illness" (e-R)
· Paula Caplan, They Say You're Crazy: How the World's Most Powerful Psychiatrists Decide Who's Normal, Ch. 2 (e-R)
· Bias in Psychiatric Diagnosis, Chs. 1, 2, 8, 9, & 12
· Foucault, Madness and Civilization, excerpt (e-R)

Due Sept 19: CR #3

Due Sept 26: Short paper
Weeks 7 and 8. Case Study: Depression
Oct 3, 5; [Oct. 10, no class]; Oct 12
Assigned readings:
· Andrew Solomon The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression, , Chs. 1 & 2 (e-R)
· Slater, Welcome, Ch. 4
· Sarah Sweeney, “Depression in Women” (BD)

Due Oct 3: CR #5
Last day to withdraw: Oct. 12

Week 9: Pharmaceutical Companies
Oct 17, 19
Assigned readings:
· David Healy, Let Them Eat Prozac, excerpt (e-R)
· Breggin and Breggin, The War against Children, excerpt (e-R)
· Lauren Slater, Prozac, excerpt (e-R)
In-class video: Selling Sickness

Due Oct 17: CR #5

Week 10. Substance Abuse and Addiction
Oct 24, 26

· The AA Big Book, excerpt (e-R)
· TBA
· Herbert Fingarette, Heavy Drinking: The Myth of Alcoholism as a Disease, excerpt (e-R)

Due Oct 24: CR #6

Weeks 11 and 12. Case Study: Personality Disorders
Oct 31, Nov 2; Nov 7, 9
Assigned readings:
· Slater, Welcome, Ch. 2
· Susan Kaysen, Girl, Interrupted

Due Oct 31: CR #7

Nov. 9: Deadline for meeting with me to discuss your final paper

Week 13. Women as Patients Tell Their Stories
Nov 14, 16
Assigned readings:
· Slater, Welcome, last chapter

In-class documentary: Dialogues with Madwomen

Weeks 14 & 15 Medical Anthropology and Cultural Differences
Nov 21 [Thanksgiving break]; Nov 28, 30
Assigned reading:
· TBA

Due Nov. 21: Final paper, first version

Due Nov. 28: CR # 8

Due Monday Dec. 11 by noon [in my mailbox]: Final Paper,
including first version and comments


The Critical Reading Exercise:
The critical reading exercises constitute 40% of your course grade. For each time a critical reading is assigned, complete the steps below. In all three steps, make specific references to the text in order to anchor your readings in the material at hand. You may select any one text from that week's assigned readings (although I sometimes eliminate one because it doesn't work as a CR as well), but be sure to identify which one you are critiquing.

Step One: Read the text at a comfortable pace to get an overall meaning from the text. After reading, reflect on your initial reactions to the text (pay attention to gut-level reactions, intuitions, and emotions.) Cite the particular part of the text (e.g. paragraph and page number) where you have the strongest gut-level response and describe your reaction specifically. Also cite and describe a passage in the text where you have little response.

In completing Step One, allow the writer to "get to you"; allow yourself to have a knee-jerk reaction to the text. Your feelings at this point need not be supported; however, be sure to explain what you mean and to write clearly so that your reactions are understandable. If you have trouble pinpointing your response, freewrite to discover your feelings with regard to the text. You may include any personal associations with the text at this point in your reading process.

Step Two: Read the text at a slow pace, paying special attention to the questions that pop into your mind. Often, we ignore our questions and differences when we read, but in this case, you want to become keenly aware of your own point of view. Be skeptical of persuasion--or be inquisitive about a writer's ideas and claims; mark passages in the margin which raise questions in your mind. After reading, go back and write out your most important questions with regard to the text, aiming for a list of five fully developed and clearly articulated questions. As you develop each question, be sure to cite the page where your questions come up and explain the author's specific idea at this point as well as your own.

Make sure to fully write out the implications of your questions, in order to uncover tangential questions which bear on the issue or idea at hand. Fully articulated questions often take up several lines. The focus in this step should be to engage with the text and to think critically and keenly about the writer's ideas in the context of other course materials, lectures, discussions and personal experience.

Step Three: Go through the text a third time, this time considering your responses in Steps One and Two. Judge the text as you go along on its strengths and weaknesses. Identify the greatest strength of the piece, and also the greatest weakness. Convey your reasoning for each of those judgments, being careful to give a balanced critique. Suggest steps which the author could take to address the text's greatest weakness. Make sure to summarize your judgment and provide examples so that a reader unfamiliar with the text can understand your basic perspective and have enough information to decide whether or not to read the original piece.

Nancy Potter: Applied Philosophy: Race, Gender, and Mental Illness

Applied Philosophy: Race, Gender, and Mental Illness
Phil 523/623
PAS 510/615
WGST 593/692
Tuesdays 7-9.45 p.m.
Hum 106

Required Texts:
Sander Gilman, Difference and Pathology: Stereotypes of Sexuality, Race, and Madness
Paula Caplan and Lisa Cosgrove, ed., Bias in Psychiatric Diagnosis
Readings on e-Reserve: You are expected to print them out, read them, and bring
them to class.

Course Description:
Western science is typically claimed to be objective, basing its theories and practices on empirical findings. But the identification and treatment of the mentally ill raises important questions about the current state of the disciplines of psychiatry and psychology. Just as one example, African-Americans are less likely to seek treatment for mental distress and, when they do, are often misdiagnosed as psychotic or schizophrenic rather than as experiencing anxiety due to stressors such as poverty and racism. There are reasons to believe that some populations are particularly vulnerable to certain forms of mental distress (women getting depressed, African-Americans developing anxiety disorders,) and we will take seriously the existence of mental illness per se. But if these claims are right, are people getting the help they need? How do one’s race, ethnicity, and gender affect one’s vulnerability to mental distress—or to being perceived as being mentally disordered? For example, among the personality disorders, the typical patient diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder is a white woman, while the typical patient diagnosed with Antisocial Personality Disorder is a male in a low socioeconomic status. Are these differences based on objective criteria? How are these differences being explained? How do psychiatrists and psychologists respond to socially marked differences in their patients? How do race, ethnicity, and gender influence pharmacological treatment? This course aims to situate mental illness in the broader context of historical, cultural, and sociological factors in order to examine the vulnerabilities of minority groups when it comes to mental health and illness. Readings will be interdisciplinary but we will take a philosophical approach to analyzing the intersection of medical science with social issues. For instance, we will need to analyze the central concepts in play, such as race, ethnicity, gender, mental illness, culture, and difference. This is an exploratory course, and students should expect to be full participants in examining and probing these questions.

Course Requirements:

1. Attendance. Each class meeting is equivalent to one week of the course. Furthermore, we will not meet one Tuesday during the semester because of Fall Break. Therefore, you need to make every effort to be in class every Tuesday that we meet. I will take attendance both at the beginning of class and after the breaks. Anyone who misses more than one night will be exempt from receiving an “A” in the course.
2. Class participation. You are expected to have read the assigned readings and to be prepared to discuss them. This class will be conducted as a seminar, so preparation prior to class meetings is necessary for you and others to get the most out of the course.
3. Protocols. Each Tuesday, two or three class members will present a brief (one to two page) summary and critique of the main points of the previous week’s discussion. A Protocol should include the writers’ reactions, insights, and/or further reflections on points raised during class. Note that you should not merely give an outline of the previous class. For example, if you went home thinking an important question was unexplored, if a term was unclear, or if your views on something have changed as a result of the previous week’s class, you could include that in your Protocol. Protocols are written collaboratively and then they are typed and photocopied for the class and presented orally at the beginning of the class meeting. Note that you are not collaborating when you and your classmates divide up the work and each writes up one section. The duty of writing the Protocol rotates among the members of the class, and a sign-up sheet will be passed around the first night of class.
4. Three papers. For each of these papers, you will be asked to respond to a set of questions relating to the material covered in the course to date. I will hand out paper topics one week before each paper is due (two weeks for the 3rd paper.) For the last paper, you are strongly encouraged to write on a topic of your own choosing, but you must meet with me in person—and with a written outline of your ideas in hand—no later than November 22.
5. Leading class discussion. Students who registered for this course at the 6xx-level will be required to lead one classroom discussion for one hour. You can choose your topic from the syllabus and sign up in advance. I expect you to prepare and hand out a written agenda with discussion questions selected from the readings, to go over central arguments in the readings, and to facilitate class discussion. I am happy to meet with you prior to your teaching time if you wish.

Students registered for undergraduate 5xx:
Paper lengths between 5-7 pages
One protocol
Grading:
Protocols = 5 points
1st paper = 25 %
2nd paper = 30 %
3rd paper = 40 %

Students registered for graduate 5xx:
Paper lengths between 7-8 pages
Two protocols
Grading:
Protocols = 10 points (5 pts each)
1st paper = 25 %
2nd paper = 30 %
3rd paper = 35 %

Students registered for 6xx:
Paper lengths between 8-10 pages and last one 10-12 pages
Two protocols
Lead one one-hour class discussion
Grading:
Protocols = 10 points (5 pts each)
1st paper = 25 %
2nd paper = 30 %
3rd paper = 35 %
Leading discussion = pass/fail

Notes:

Late assignments. I do not routinely accept late work. Assignments are due at the beginning of the class period. This means that any papers or essays turned in later than the due date will be graded down.

Attendance. Class begins at the beginning of the class and runs through the entire scheduled period. I expect students to make every effort to get to class on time and remain until class is over unless an exceptional circumstance prevents it. Consistent tardiness or early departure puts you at a disadvantage and is disrespectful to other class members.

Incompletes. I follow University policy regarding incompletes. The grade of I (Incomplete) will be assigned only when the following three conditions have been met: when circumstances beyond your control prevent you from completing the required work, when the majority of the coursework has been completed, and when requested in writing before the due date of the final paper. Furthermore, in order for me to consider giving you an “I”, you must make specific arrangements with me before grades are due as to exactly how and when you plan to complete the course.

Academic honesty: Students are expected to adhere to our university's academic standards for honesty and integrity. These standards are stated at the beginning of the Undergraduate Catalog under "Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities. It makes clear that “academic dishonesty is prohibited at the University of Louisville. It is a serious offense because it diminishes the quality of scholarship, makes accurate evaluation of student progress impossible, and defrauds those in society who must ultimately depend upon the knowledge and integrity of the institution and its students and faculty.” You should pay special attention to Sections Five and Six where it defines terms and explains just what sorts of things count as academic dishonesty. It is your responsibility to know this code and comply with its requirements. Penalties for academic dishonesty include suspension and expulsion from the University. You can be sure that if I suspect any violations of this Code, I will take serious action. If you have any questions about what constitutes academic dishonesty, you are expected to ask me before any assignments, tests, or other course work are due.


Schedule of Readings
Note: this schedule is subject to change and it is your responsibility to remain informed of any changes in the syllabus. Check Blackboard regularly.

DP = Difference and Pathology, Gilman
BD = Bias in Psychiatric Diagnosis, ed. Caplan and Cosgrove
e = e-Reserve

Week One: Introduction: Facts, Science, and the Production of Mental Illness
August 23

Week Two: Psychiatry and Differences
August 30
Assigned readings:
· Sander Gilman, “Introduction: What are stereotypes and why use texts to study them?” (DP)
· Marilyn Nissim-Sabat, “Race and Culture” (e)
· John Sadler, “Sex and Gender” (e)
· “Poverty and women’s mental health” (e)
· “Racism and mental health” (e)

Recommended:
· Daniel Blackburn, “Why Race is Not a Biological Concept” (e)

Week Three: Bias in Psychiatric Diagnosis and Treatment
Sept 6
Assigned readings:
· Jeffrey Poland and Paula Caplan, “The Deep Structure of Bias in Psychiatric Diagnosis” (BD)
· Gilman, “On the Nexus of Blackness and Madness” (DP)
· Gilman, “The Madness of the Jews” (DP)

Week Four: Intersections and Bias
Sept 13
Assigned readings:
· Alisha Ali, “The Intersection of Racism and Sexism in Psychiatric Diagnosis” (BD)
· Nayyar Javed, “Clinical cases and the Intersection of Sexism and Racism” (BD)
· Wesley A. Profit, “Should Racism Be Classified as a Mental Illness?” (BD)

Week Five: Patient Populations
Sept 20
Assigned readings:
· Phyllis Chesler, “The Female Career as a Psychiatric Patient” (e)
· Chesler, “Psychiatrically Institutionalized Women” (e)
· Heather E. Bullock, “Diagnosis of Low-Income Women” (BD)
· Nikki Gerrard, “Mislabeling Anxiety and Depression in Rural Women” (BD)

Due in class: Paper #1

Week Six: Psychopathologies and the Female Life Cycle
Sept 27
Assigned readings:
· Joan Christler and Ingrid Johnston-Robledo, “Raging Hormones? Feminist Perspectives on Premenstrual Syndrome and Postpartum Depression” (e)
· Nancy Theriot, “Diagnosing Unnatural Motherhood: Nineteenth-century Physicians and ‘Puerperal Insanity’” (e)
· Lisa Cosgrove and Paula Caplan, “Medicalizing Menstrual Distress” (BD)

Week Seven: Eating Disorders and Body Image Problems
Oct 4
Assigned readings:
· Shaun Gallagher and Mette Vaever, “Body: Disorders of Embodiment” (e)
· Judith Rabinor, “The ‘Eating-Disordered’ Patient”
· Emily Cohen, “The Fine Line between Clinical and Subclinical Anorexia”
· Vander Wal and Thomas, “Predictors of body image dissatisfaction and disturbed eating attitudes and behaviors in African American and Hispanic girls” (e)

In-class film
Week Eight: Personality Disorders
Oct 18
Assigned readings:
· Nancy Potter, “Why BPD Patients Evoke Negative Reactions and What’s At Stake” (e)
· Skeem, Edens, Camp, and Colwell, “Are there differences in levels of psychopathy? A meta-analysis” (e)
· Blair, et. al., “Deafness to fear among boys with psychopathic tendencies” (e)

In-class film

Week Nine: Sexuality Part 1
Oct 25
Assigned readings:

· Jean Walton, “Masquerade and Reparation: (White) Womanliness in Riviere and Klein” (e)
· Gilman, “The Hottentot and the Prostitute: Toward an Iconography of Female Sexuality” (DP)
· Gilman, “Black Sexuality and Modern Consciousness” (DP)

Week Ten: Sexuality Part II
Nov 1
Assigned readings:
· Gilman, “Sexology, Psychoanalysis, and Degeneration” (DP)
· Alan Soble, “Desire: Paraphilia and Distress in DSM-IV (e)
· William Metcalfe and Paula Caplan, “Seeking ‘Normal’ Sexuality on a Complex Matrix” (BD)
· The Working Group, “A New View of Women’s Sexual Problems” (BD)
· “Serial Sexual Killers: Your Life for Their Orgasm" (e)


Week Eleven: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Nov 8
Assigned readings:
·
· Meadow Linder, “Creating Post-traumatic Stress Disorder: A Case study of the History, Sociology, and Politics of Psychiatric Classification” (BD)
· Dana Becker, “Post-traumatic Stress Disorder” (BD)
· Vincent Fish, “Some Gender Biases in Diagnosing Traumatized Women” (BD)

Due in class: Paper #2

Week Twelve: Depression
Nov 15
Assigned readings:
· Sarah McSweeney, “Depression in Women” (BD)
· Jennifer Hansen, “Affectivity: Depression and Mania” (e)

Week Thirteen: Schizophrenia
Nov 22
Assigned readings:
· Elizabeth Sparks, “Depression and Schizophrenia in Women: The Intersection of Gender, Race/Ethnicity, and Class”
· Jeffrey Poland, “Bias and Schizophrenia”
· Bae, Brekke, and Bola, “Ethnicity and treatment outcome variation in schizophrenia: a longitudinal study of community-based psychosocial rehabilitation interventions” (e)

Week Fourteen: Cross-Cultural Differences
Nov 29
Assigned readings:
· Lewis-Fernandez and Kleinman, “Cultural Psychiatry: Theoretical, clinical, and research issues” (e)
· Yen and Wilbraham, “Discourses of culture and illness in South African mental health and indigenous healing, Parts I and II (e)

Due in my box no later than noon Dec. 9: Paper #3

Jennifer Radden: Sanity and Madness


PHILOSOPHY 265 SANITY AND MADNESS
SPRING 2007
INSTRUCTOR: Jennifer Radden
OFFICE: W/5/18 TEL: 287-6546
OFFICE HOURS: Weds. 11-1.


COURSE DESCRIPTION
In this course we look at a number of questions about mental disorder or ‘madness’ - what sort of affliction or condition it is supposed to be; what it is like as an experience; how it should be described and regarded; how it has been portrayed pictorially in Western history; therapeutic and curative responses to it; and what special treatment - if any - its sufferers deserve. Not all the answers its possible to give to such questions are philosophical, theoretical, or ethical ones. But many are, and these philosophical matters are our focus throughout the course.
For example, mental disorder, madness, and also mental health and sanity, are – at least in part - cultural products. As such they invite ‘deconstruction’ to reveal their normative character and presuppositions, and that deconstruction will be the task of some of our discussions.
Systematic observation of mental disorder is undertaken here through the study of autobiographical narratives, images from art and film, case records and documents from the history of medicine, as well as medical and scientific writing, and this observation is interpreted through theories and theoretical models. Students are introduced to the institutions, practices and principles that frame our understanding of mental disorder. Particular attention will be paid to the claims of the anti-psychiatry movement of the 1960s and 1970s, to feminist analysis of the relation between madness and gender, to the influential writing of Michel Foucault and to recent cultural constructionist analyses of mental disorder.


COURSE REQUIREMENTS
There will be a short written assignment of 3-4 pages (25% of the grade), a longer essay of 5-6 pages [suitable for inclusion in a Writing Proficiency Requirement portfolio] (25%), and a final exam in the regularly scheduled exam period (50%). Ungraded written assignments from group discussion exercises will also be required, and will form the basis of some of the final exam. Attendance is required, and those missing five or more classes for whatever reason will be penalized.


Communicating with Students: I will do this via an email list using your UMB accounts. So if you actually have another eddress, make sure you arrange to get messages from the UMB account forwarded to the one you look at regularly.
TEXTS
A customized reading packet is available at the UMB Bookstore. In addition, you will need: Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper (widely available on the internet); Out of Her Mind edited by Shannonhouse; Laing’s The Divided Self (this is also in the library’s electronic holdings); Foucault’s Madness and Civilization (also in the library’s electronic holdings); Greenhaven Press Mental Illness, Healy’s Anti-depressant Era and Jamison’s Night Falls Fast. Copies of several of these will be available at the library Reserve Desk for those preferring to xerox the relevant sections.


DETAILED SYLLABUS AND READING GUIDE
(Readings should be completed by the dates indicated. Material in the reading packet is marked with an asterisk (*).)


SECTION ONE: THE PHENOMENOLOGY OF MENTAL DISTURBANCE
Jan 30: Introductory
Feb 1: Gilman’s madness [READING The Yellow Wallpaper]
Feb 6: group discussion
Feb 8: more first hand accounts [READING: Letters of Zelda Fitzgerald; excerpts from Faces in the Water; excerpts from Diary of a Schizophrenic Girl; excerpts from The Bell Jar; excerpts from Girl Interrupted. All these are in Shannonhouse (editor) Out Of Her Mind]
Feb 13: first person accounts on film
Feb 15: group discussion
Feb 20: the phenomenological approach [READING: Jaspers from General Psychopathology*] First assignment due
Feb 22: overview of this section


SECTION TWO: IMAGES OF MADNESS
Feb 27: life imitating art [READING: Gilman Seeing the Insane Preface and Part 1 (Icons of Madness).*]
Mar 1: the root metaphors of madness [READING: Gilman Seeing the Insane Part 2 (Images of Madness)*]
Mar 6: overview of this section
Mar 8: group discussion


SECTION THREE: ANTI-PSYCHIATRY
Mar 13: anti-psychiatry as a social movement [READING Torrey and Burnim in Mental Illness]
Mar 15: anti-psychiatry as new approaches to treatment
[ READING: Laing, The Divided Self, chapters 1-3,8,11]


S P R I N G B R E A K


Mar 27: anti-psychiatry as philosophical thesis [READING:
Clinton&Hyman, Bobgan&Bobgan, and Caplan in Mental Illness; Szasz ‘The Myth of Mental Illness’* ]
Mar 29: Foucault [READING: Foucault, Madness and Civilization Preface, chaps 2-3]
April 3: Foucault continued [READING: Foucault, chapters 8,9 and Conclusion]
April 5: group discussion
April 10: alternative causes [READING: Showalter, Hystories*]
April 12: alternative causes [READING: Horwitz, Creating Mental Illness *]
April 17: group discussion
April 19: overview of Section Three


SECTION FOUR: SUICIDE AS MENTAL DISORDER
April 24,26: questions about suicide [READING: Jamison Night Falls Fast]
May 1: group discussion


SECTION FIVE: THE ANTI-DEPRESSANT ERA
May 3,8 : mental health treatments [ READING: Introduction, Chaps 1,4 Mental Illness]
May 10: psychopharmacology [ READING: Healy, The Antidepressant Era ] Second essay due
May 15: Exam review