Anita Kasabova

1.Memory and Imagination

 

Aims:

• Memory and imagination are cognitive capacities which support our understanding of the world we live in. How do we think of something that is not present to the senses? Is memory only oriented to the past or does it help us to plan for the future? Do animals have episodic memory? This course is designed to familiarise students with philosophical thought, its history and its development across various disciplines. Students will gain an understanding of the role of two key notions in different historical and cultural contexts.
• This course aims to show how philosophical thoughts and debates about memory and imagination in the European and Western tradition have come to bear on scientific and popular views today. Students will review classic theories and look at recent work on these topics.
• We will examine why memory is important for our sense of self and whether our experience of time and temporal passage is related to memory. We will explore why recent psychological research focuses on children’s imagination. We will also study what happens when our memory and imagination go wrong and discuss some explanations of delusion and confabulation.

 

Course requirements:

• Although the course is lecture-based, sufficient time will be made for discussion, which is an important part of the learning process. Students are required to write either 2 short papers (3-5 pages) on topics related to memory and the imagination or one longer paper (7-10 pages) related to either topic. Students are required to read at least 3 articles related to their chosen written and oral topics and a selection of assigned readings accompanying the lectures. The exam consists of an oral presentation (10 mins) and an essay. Grades will be

calculated on the base of participation in class, as well as on students’ written work and the exam.

 

Learning outcomes:

• 1) students know: the principal theories and concepts of memory and the imagination. They are familiar with the main debates and different views on memory and the imagination in the history of ideas, philosophy, cognitive science and social science.
• 2) students can: think critically on various theories concerning memory and the imagination. They can analyse and evaluate the arguments and counter-arguments of the main theories of memory and the imagination. They can apply their knowledge of memory and the imagination in their individual research and will have developed a capacity for philosophical argument about memory and the imagination. They can reassess their own viewpoints and look at issues from perspectives they had not previously considered.

 

Course plan:

CLASS

1	Why study memory and the imagination? Course overview	lecture	2
2	Memory: the notion and its history. From classical Greek thinkers to recent memory research	lecture	2
3	Memory theaters: why ancient rhetoric is the art of memory	lecture	2
4	Memory systems in cognitive science Memory and the imagination in humans and animals	lecture	2
5	Personal memory, episodic memory and eyewitness testimony	lecture	2
6	Memory distortions; from false memories to cognitive dissonance	lecture	2
7	Mental time travel: Michaelian’s (2016) theory of memory knowledge	lecture	2
8	Memory and time perception: how do we hear a melody? Do we experience temporal passage? Deadline for papers on topics relating to memory	lecture	2
9	Feedback and review of corrected papers Students’ feedback on first part of course. Discussion	seminar	2
10	Imagination: the notion and its history Classical Greek thinkers on phantasia	lecture	2
11	Mental imagery: from Descartes ‘mental imagination’ to debates in cognitive science	lecture	2
12	Divagations of the imagination: illusion, hallucination and delusion	lecture	2
13	Imagination in young children: from monsters and imaginary friends to future thinking	lecture	2
14	Mental time travel revisited: remembering and / or imagining the future Deadline for papers on topics relating to the imagination	seminar	2
15	Feedback and review of corrected papers. General discussion. Students’ feedback on course.	seminar	2

 

Bibliography (relevant articles will be available on Moodle for each lecture, except free online resources)

• Aristotle. On the Soul, trans. J.A. Smith, book 3.iii on phantasia

http://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/soul.3.iii.html

• Aristotle. On Memory and Recollection, trans. D. Bloch (2007). Brill: Leiden (online translation: http://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/memory.html)
• Atance, C. et al. (2012) The role of episodic and semantic memory in episodic foresight.
• Bortolotti, L. (2009, 2013) “Delusion”, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/delusion/
• Campbell, J. (1997) “The structure of time in autobiographical memory”, European Journal of Philosophy, Volume 5, Issue 2, August 1997, 105–118
• Caston, V. (1996) “Why Aristotle needs the imagination” Phronesis, Vol. 41, No. 1, 20-55
• Clayton N.S. et al (2009) “Are animals stuck in time or are they chronesthetic creatures?”, Topics in Cognitive Science 1 (2009) 59–71.
• Foster, J. (2009) Memory. A very short introduction, Oxford University Press: Oxford
• Gendler, T. (2011) “Imagination”, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/imagination/
• Harris, P. et al (1991) “Monsters, ghosts and witches: Testing the limits of the fantasy-reality distinction in young children”, British Journal of Developmental Psychology (1991), 9, 105-123
• Hui Li, Lillard, A. et al. (2015). “Can that really happen? Children’s knowledge about the reality status of fantastical events in television”, Journal of Experimental Child Psychology 139, 99-114.
• Kasabova, A. (2009) On autobiographical memory. Cambridge Scholars Publishing: Newcastle
• Kasabova, A. 2012 [2008], Memory, Memorials and Commemoration [in History and Theory, vol. 47, No.3, Wiley–Blackwell, October: 331–50] in The New Metaphysics of Time, History and Theory, http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1468-2303
• Kind, A. (2005) “Imagery and Imagination”, Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, http://www.iep.utm.edu/imagery/
• McDermott, K. et al (2017) “Visual perspective in remembering and episodic future thought” in K. Szpunar, ed.; Imagining the future, Routledge: London, 35 45.
• Michaelian, K. (2016) Mental time travel and our knowledge of the personal past. MIT Press: Cambridge, MA.
• Michaelian, K. et al. (eds.) (2018) New directions in the philosophy of memory. Routledge: London.
• Nikulin, D. (2015) Memory: a history. Oxford University Press: Oxford
• Phillips, J. and Morley, J. (eds.) (2003) Imagination and its pathologies. MIT Press: Cambridge, MA
• Polansky, R. (2007) Aristotle’s De anima. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge.
• Schacter, Daniel (2003) „The seven sins of memory. Implications for Self”

http://www.wjh.harvard.edu/~scanlab/papers/2003_Schacter_SevenSinsSelf.pdf

• Schacter, D. and Madore K. (2016) “Remembering the past and imagining the future”, Memory Studies, 2016, Vol. 9(3) 245–255
• Schacter, D, Szpunar, K. et al (2017) “Shifting visual perspective during retrieval shapes autobiographical memory”, Neuro Image, 2017, vol. 148, 103-114 https://scholar.harvard.edu/files/schacterlab/files/1-s2.0-s1053811916307509-main.pdf
• Shaw, Julia (2017) The memory illusion: remembering, forgetting and the science of false memory, Random House Books: London
• Skow, B., 2011 ‘Experience and the Passage of Time’, Philosophical Perspectives, 25 (1): 359–87.
• Thomas, N.J. (2014) “Mental Imagery”, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/mental-imagery/
• Sutton, J. (2017) “Memory”, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/memory/
• Taylor, M. Kottweiler, C. (2008) “Imaginary companions”. American Journal of Play (pdf)
• Wang, S. (2009) “The Power of Magical Thinking. Research Shows the Importance of Imagination in Children's Cognitive Development” http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703344704574610002061841322.html
• Tulving, E. (2001). Episodic memory and common sense: how far apart? Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond.

B., 356, 1505-1515.

• Tulving, E. (2002). Chronesthesia: awareness of subjective time. In D. T. Stuss & R. C. Knight (Eds.), Principles of frontal lobe functions (pp. 311-325). New York, NY: Oxford University Press
• Tulving, E. (2002). Episodic memory: From mind to brain. Annu. Rev. Psychol, 53, 1-25.
• Tulving, E. (2005). Episodic memory and autonoesis: Uniquely human? In H. S. Terrace, & J. Metcalfe (Eds.), The Missing Link in Cognition (pp. 4-56). NewYork, NY: Oxford University Press.
• Woolley, J. et al. (2013) “Beliefs in Magical Beings and Cultural Myths” The Oxford Handbook of the Development of Imagination, M. Taylor, ed., Oxford University Press: Oxford, 61-74.
• Woolley, J. (2013) “Revisiting the Fantasy–Reality Distinction: Children as Naïve Skeptics” Child Development, September/October 2013, Volume 84, Number 5,1496–1510.
• Yates, Frances (1984). The art of memory. Chicago University Press: Chicago

 

2.Moral Emotions

Aims:

• Moral emotions influence “the link between moral standards and moral behaviour.” (Tangney et al, 2007). Moral emotions, such as shame, guilt, embarrassment, pride and regret involve self-evaluation: how we see ourselves as being seen. We will discuss the role of moral emotions and their social dimensions across different cultures. Does guilt motivate us to “do the right thing”? Is regret an effect of incorrect decision-making?
• This course is designed to familiarise students with philosophical thought and empirical research on moral emotions in an interdisciplinary setting. We will examine emotions such as shame and guilt from philosophical, linguistic and psychological perspectives. The course promotes students’ understanding of moral emotions in different socio-cultural contexts by analysing these emotions in selected narratives and scenarios. We will use a method of analysis adapted from structural semiotics.
• Students will explore specific moral emotions, such as shame, guilt, pride or gratitude in their native linguistic and cultural background and will maintain blogs for their reflections. We will compare the results to the findings about these emotions in the English language and in European and Western cultures. To this end, the course includes 4 workshops in which students discuss their research in small groups to facilitate a cross-cultural investigation of moral emotions.

 

Course requirements:

• Although the course is lecture-based, sufficient time will be made for discussion, which is an important part of the learning process. Students are required to write 1 short paper (3-5 pages) and maintain a blog with their reflections on moral emotions, to be discussed in a workshop. Students are required to read at least 3 articles related to their chosen topics and a selection of assigned readings accompanying the lectures. The exam consists of an oral presentation (10 mins) and a presentation of their blog. Grades will be calculated on the base of participation in class and in the workshops, as well as on students’ written work and the exam.

 

Learning outcomes:

• 1. Students know: the principal theories of moral emotions and are familiar with scientific research in the domain of moral emotions. They have mastered the different views and main debates on moral emotions in philosophy, psychology, linguistics and social science.
• 2. Students can: think critically on various theories and scientific research concerning moral emotions. They can analyse and evaluate the arguments and counter-arguments of the main theories on moral emotions. They can apply their knowledge of moral emotions in their individual research and will have developed a capacity for philosophical argument about moral emotions, having acquired a cross-cultural competency in this domain. They can reassess their own viewpoints and look at issues from perspectives they had not previously considered.

 

Course plan:

CLASS

1	What are moral emotions? How are emotions related to morality? Course overview	lecture	2
2	‘Shame’ in Ancient Greece and Rome	lecture	2
3	Shame and guilt: philosophical theories	lecture	2
4	Shame and guilt: sociological perspectives	lecture	2
5	Shame & guilt as affects and emotions: views from psychoanalytic & clinical psychology	lecture	2
6	Shame & guilt as self-conscious emotions: recent views from social & clinical psychology	lecture	2
7	Moral emotions in children and adolescents: developmental perspectives	lecture	2
8	Shame and guilt in cross-cultural & anthropological studies	lecture	2
9	Moral emotions in cross-cultural & linguistic studies: Chinese conceptualizations of shame Deadline for papers on shame and/or guilt	lecture	2
10	Shame and shaming: social dimensions of moral emotion	lecture	2
11	Analysing shame narratives in different cultures	workshop	2
12	Moral emotions in social media: how have expressions of emotions changed due to technology?	workshop	2
13	‘Positive’ moral emotions: respect, gratitude and well-being	lecture	2
14	Discussion of students’ blogs on moral emotion	workshop	2
15	Feedback and review of corrected papers. General discussion. Students’ feedback on course.	seminar	2

 

Bibliography (relevant articles will be available on Moodle for each lecture, except free online resources.)

• Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, book 2. Trans. W. Ross. http://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/nicomachaen.2.ii.html
• Aristotle, Art of Rhetoric, book 2. Trans. W. Rhys Roberts. http://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/rhetoric.2.ii.html
• Brown, B. (2012) “Listening to shame”, TED Talk. https://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_listening_to_shame/transcript
• Brown, B. (2007) “Shame Resilience Theory.” Contemporary Human Behavior Theory: A Critical Perspective for Social Work. Eds. S. P. Robbins, et al. Boston: Allyn and Baco.
• Crouch, A. (2015) “The Return of Shame.”

<http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2015/march/andy-crouch-gospel-in-age-of-public shame.html?paging=off%22%20onClick=%22return%20trackclick_temp(event,’265810’,%20’T he+Return+of+Shame’);&start=3 >

• Cairns, D. (2011) Honour and shame: modern controversies and ancient values. Critical Quarterly, 53: 23–41. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8705.2011.01974.x
• Deonna, J. and Teroni, F. (2011) “Is shame a social emotion?” In Konzelmann Ziv et al. (eds),

Self-Evaluation: Affective and Social Grounds of Intentionality. Springer: Dordrecht, 193-212

• Dubreuil, B. (2015) “Anger and Morality”, Topoi (2015) 34:475–482
• Fessler, D. (2004) “Shame in Two Cultures: Implications for Evolutionary Approaches”, Journal of Cognition and Culture, Volume 4, Issue 2, 207 – 262 .
• Fessler, D. (2007) “From appeasement to conformity: cultural perspectives on shame, competition and cooperation” in In Tracy, Robins & Tangney (Eds.) The self-conscious emotions (ch.10,174-193). http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/anthro/faculty/fessler/pubs/FesslerShameChapterSCE2007.pdf
• Gausel, N. and Leach, G. (2011) “Concern for self-image and social image in the management of moral failure: Rethinking shame”, European Journal of Social Psychology, 41, 468– 478.
• Haidt, J. (2003). “The moral emotions” In R. J. Davidson, K. R. Scherer, & H. H. Goldsmith (Eds.), Handbook of affective sciences. Oxford: Oxford University Press. (852-870).
• Jesse, A., Brown R. et al. (2014). “Two Faces of Group-Based Shame: Moral Shame and Image Shame Differentially Predict Positive and Negative Orientations to In-Group Wrongdoing.” Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. Vol: 40/10, 1270-1284.

<http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0146167214540724>

• Kasabova, A. (2017) “From Shame to Shaming: towards an analysis of shame narratives”, Open Cultural Studies, 1: 99–112. https://www.degruyter.com/downloadpdf/j/culture.2017.1.issue-1/culture-2017-0010/culture-2017-0010.pdf
• Kaster, R. (2007). Emotion, Restraint, and Community in Ancient Rome. Oxford: OUP
• Konstan, D. (2015). “Emotions and Morality: the view from classical antiquity”, Topoi 34 (2):401-407.
• Lansky, M.D. (1999) “Shame and the idea of a central affect”, Psychoanalytic Inquiry, 19:3, 347-361, DOI: 10.1080/07351699909534255
• Latzko, B. Malti T. (eds.) (2010) Children's Moral Emotions and Moral Cognition: Developmental and Educational Perspectives, New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, Special Issue: Volume 2010, Issue 129, 1–94.
• Lewinsky, M. “The Price of Shame.” (March 2015). Web. 21 March 2017

<https://www.ted.com/talks/monica_lewinsky_the_price_of_shame/transcript?language=en>

• Lewis, H.B. (1987) “Shame and the Narcissistic Personality.” The Many Faces of Shame. D. Nathanson Ed. New York: Guilford Press, 93-132.
• Lewis, M. (2016) “Self-Conscious Emotions: Embarrassment, Pride, Shame, Guilt and Hubris.” Handbook of the Emotions. New York: The Guildford Press (2016), 792-814.
• Li, Wang & Fisher. (2004) “The Organisation of Chinese Shame Concepts.” Cognition and Emotion, 18 (6): 767-797

https://www.gse.harvard.edu/~ddl/articlesCopy/LiWangFischerOrganiztnShame.CogEmotn2004.      P

• Ogarkova, A. et al (2012). “Naming feeling: exploring the equivalence of emotion terms in five languages”, P. Wilson (ed.) Dynamicity in emotion concepts. P. Lang: Frankfurt, (253-284)
• Origgi, G. (2018) Reputation. Princeton University Press: Princeton
• Pogue, D. (2016) “The Bright Side of Internet Shaming.” (1 October 2016).

<https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-bright-side-of-internet-shaming/      >

• Ronson, J. (2015) So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed. London: Picador.
• Ronson, J. Monica Lewinsky. “Shame Sticks Like Tar.” (16 April 2016).

<https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/apr/16/monica-lewinsky-shame-sticks-like-tar- jon-ronson>

• Sanderson, Ch. (2015) Counselling skills for working with shame London: J. Kingsley.
• Scheff, T. J. (2000). “Shame and the Social Bond: A Sociological Theory.” Sociological Theory. Vol. 18, Issue 1 (2000): 84-99.
• Scheff, T. J. (2003), “Shame in Self and Society”. Symbolic Interaction, 26: 239–262.
• Scheff, T.J. (2011) “Shame as the Master Emotion: Examples from Pop Songs”, New English Review, http://www.newenglishreview.org/Thomas_J._Scheff/Shame_as_the_Master_Emotion:_Example s_from_Pop_Songs/
• Scheler, M. (1913) Ueber Scham und Schamgefühl. Schriften aus dem Nachlass, vol.1, Bonn: Bouvier Verlag, 65-154.
• Seneca. On Anger http://www.sophia-project.org/uploads/1/3/9/5/13955288/seneca_anger.pdf
• Stets, J. (2015). “Understanding the Moral Person: Identity, Behavior, and Emotion”, Topoi 34 (2): 441–452.
• Tangney, Stuewig & Mashek. (2007) “Moral Emotions and Moral Behaviour.” Annual Review of Psychology, <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3083636/>
• Tangney, J. & Tracy, J. (2012) “Self-conscious emotions” in Handbook of Self and Identity, Leary & Tangney, eds. New York: Guildford Press, 446-480.
• Thomason, K. (2015). “Shame, Violence, and Morality.” Philosophy and Phenomenological Research. Vol. XCI No. 1. doi: 10.1111/phpr.12110.
• Wurmser, L. (1987) “Shame. The veiled companion of narcissism” The Many Faces of Shame D. Nathanson Ed. New York: Guilford Press, 64-92.
• Wong, Y., & Tsai, J. (2007). “Cultural models of shame and guilt” In Tracy, Robins & Tangney (Eds.), The self-conscious emotions (209-223). New York: Guilford Press
• Wood, A. et al. (2010). “Gratitude and well-being”, Clinical Psychological Review, 30(7):890- 905. doi: 10.1016/j.cpr.2010.03.005
• Zahavi, D. (2014). Self and Other. Oxford: Oxford University Press (ch.14. “Shame”)