PSYC 343 Neuroscience and LawMEF UniversityDegree Programs PsychologyGeneral Information For StudentsDiploma SupplementErasmus Policy Statement
Psychology
Bachelor Length of the Programme: 4 Number of Credits: 240 TR-NQF-HE: Level 6 QF-EHEA: First Cycle EQF: Level 6

Ders Genel Tanıtım Bilgileri

School/Faculty/Institute Faculty of Economics, Administrative and Social Sciences
Course Code PSYC 343
Course Title in English Neuroscience and Law
Course Title in Turkish Nörobilim ve Hukuk
Language of Instruction EN
Type of Course Seçiniz
Level of Course Seçiniz
Semester
Contact Hours per Week
Lecture: Recitation: Lab: Other:
Estimated Student Workload 147 hours per semester
Number of Credits 6 ECTS
Grading Mode Standard Letter Grade
Pre-requisites None
Expected Prior Knowledge None
Co-requisites None
Registration Restrictions None
Overall Educational Objective Upon successful completion of this course, students are expected to be able to Understand the impact of neuroscientific advances on legal theory and practice Elaborate ideas on theoretical basis of legal responsibility (especially criminal responsibility) Use their knowledge on causes and effects of human behavior in different social contexts Discuss the accuracy of the use of neuroscientific evidence in legal adjudication Use scientific terminology with respect to neuroscience and legal responsibility.
Course Description Neuroscience, as an emerging multidisciplinary field, has already dissolved a good deal of well-established boundaries between natural and social sciences. Its aspiration to reveal neurobiological structures underlying motor activities and cognitive abilities sets new horizons in understanding, inter alia, causes and patterns for social behavior. Hence law, as a tool used by all kind of human societies –primitive, traditional, modern alike- to regulate behavior, falls within the scope of neuroscience. Interaction between law and neuroscience has been a topic of scholarly interest for more than two decades now, already acquiring the status of a sub-discipline labelled as “neurolaw”. Potential impacts of neuroscientific advances on the practice and theory of law are assessed from two different perspectives: On the one hand, scholars try to incorporate flourishing neuroscientific methods and knowledge in the field of law while conserving basics of modern legal systems as they are. More precisely, in this first perspective, scholars try to make use of neuroscientific research as if it merely consists in advanced forensics, i.e. a source which provides practitioners of law with additional material to be used in adjudication. On the other hand, a debate is conducted on whether or not neuroscientific developments constitute a real challenge to fundamental concepts that govern modern legal systems. Scholarly works falling in this second category endeavor to foresee how deep progress in neuroscience would affect current conception of “human nature” by altering or discarding our understanding concerning such concepts as free will, consciousness, mental states, etc. If we acquire through neuroscience a better understanding of brain mechanisms which are plausibly determining human behavior, some argue, modern legal systems will have to renounce all concepts that inherently presuppose a human agency acting under the guidance of mental states (desires, beliefs, intentions, wills, etc.) shaped by consciousness. This course aims to bring the relationship between law and neuroscience under scrutiny from the latter perspective. The idea that human beings are endowed with consciousness and free will is one of the presumptions on which modern legal systems rely to define personality. Person, in the legal sense, has to have the ability to act consciously and/or according to his/her free will to bear the responsibility of his/her acts. Nevertheless, the accuracy of a conscious human agency acting with free will has been challenged by neuroscientific research since 1980s. The debate whether or not this challenge will force legal systems to define a new basis for criminal responsibility is at the focus of the course. In this respect, within the course’s framework students will analyze critically the following questions: how is the ancient antagonism between libertarianism (supporters of the idea of free will) and determinism constructed, what is the rationale for punishment in criminal law systems of modern societies (its relation to determinism and libertarianism), how are the arguments of supporters of determinism formulated in the light of neuroscientific advances, what will be effects of neuroscientific advances on criminal law policies in future societies.
Course Description in Turkish

Course Learning Outcomes and Competences

Upon successful completion of the course, the learner is expected to be able to:
1) understand the impact of neuroscientific advances on legal theory and practice;
2) elaborate ideas on theoretical basis of legal responsibility (especially criminal responsibility);
3) use one’s knowledge on causes and effects of human behavior in different social contexts
4) discuss the accuracy of the use of neuroscientific evidence in legal adjudication
5) use scientific terminology with respect to neuroscience and legal responsibility
Program Learning Outcomes/Course Learning Outcomes 1 2 3 4 5
1) Thorough knowledge of the major concepts, theoretical perspectives, empirical findings, and historical trends in psychology.
2) Understanding of and ability to apply essential research methods in psychology, including research design, data analysis, and data interpretation.
3) Competence to use critical and creative thinking, skeptical inquiry and a scientific approach to solving problems related to behavior and mental processes.
4) Understanding and ability to apply psychological principles, skills and values in personal, social, and organizational contexts.
5) Ability to weigh evidence, to tolerate ambiguity, and to reflect other values that underpin psychology as a discipline.
6) Internalization and dissemination of professional ethical standards.
7) Demonstration of competence in information technologies, and the ability to use computer and other technologies for purposes related to the pursuit of knowledge in psychology and the broader social sciences.
8) Skills to communicate the knowledge of psychological science effectively, in a variety of formats, in both Turkish and in English (in English, at least CEFR B2 level).
9) Recognition, understanding, and respect for the complexity of sociocultural and international diversity.
10) Recognition for the need for, and the skills to pursue, lifelong learning, inquiry, and self-improvement.
11) Ability to formulate critical hypotheses based on psychological theory and literature, and design studies to test those hypotheses.
12) Ability to acquire knowledge independently, and to plan one’s own learning.
13) Demonstration of advanced competence in the clarity and composition of written work and presentations.

Relation to Program Outcomes and Competences

N None S Supportive H Highly Related
     
Program Outcomes and Competences Level Assessed by
1) Thorough knowledge of the major concepts, theoretical perspectives, empirical findings, and historical trends in psychology. S Exam,HW
2) Understanding of and ability to apply essential research methods in psychology, including research design, data analysis, and data interpretation. N
3) Competence to use critical and creative thinking, skeptical inquiry and a scientific approach to solving problems related to behavior and mental processes. H Exam,HW
4) Understanding and ability to apply psychological principles, skills and values in personal, social, and organizational contexts. S Exam,HW
5) Ability to weigh evidence, to tolerate ambiguity, and to reflect other values that underpin psychology as a discipline. N Exam,HW
6) Internalization and dissemination of professional ethical standards. N
7) Demonstration of competence in information technologies, and the ability to use computer and other technologies for purposes related to the pursuit of knowledge in psychology and the broader social sciences. N
8) Skills to communicate the knowledge of psychological science effectively, in a variety of formats, in both Turkish and in English (in English, at least CEFR B2 level). S Exam,HW
9) Recognition, understanding, and respect for the complexity of sociocultural and international diversity. S Exam,HW
10) Recognition for the need for, and the skills to pursue, lifelong learning, inquiry, and self-improvement. S Exam,HW
11) Ability to formulate critical hypotheses based on psychological theory and literature, and design studies to test those hypotheses. H Exam,HW
12) Ability to acquire knowledge independently, and to plan one’s own learning. H Exam,HW
13) Demonstration of advanced competence in the clarity and composition of written work and presentations. H Exam,HW
Prepared by and Date BANU FEMİR GÜRTUNA , December 2023
Course Coordinator BANU FEMİR GÜRTUNA
Semester
Name of Instructor

Course Contents

Week Subject
1) Introduction – presentation of the course content
3) Incompatibilism vs. Compatibilism: Can free will exist in a deterministic universe?
4) Folk psychology: mental states and human behavior
5) Mens rea: mental element of a crime
6) Why do we punish? Logics of penal policies in a democratic society
7) Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience: New answers to old questions
8) Mid-term exam
9) Neuroscience of conscience
10) Neuroscience of free will
11) Neuroscience of aggression and violence
12) The use of neuroscientific evidence in criminal cases 1
13) The use of neuroscientific evidence in criminal cases 2
14) Summing up: Will neuroscience change our understanding of legal responsibility?
15) Final Examination Period
16) Final Examination Period
Required/Recommended ReadingsArticles given each week by the instructor.
Teaching Methods
Homework and ProjectsClass participation is essential. Students should complete assigned readings on time and be prepared to discuss in the class. Video recordings are only a complementary source and would have no decisive effect on the success of students without being properly used together with other sources (i.e. reading material and lectures). The final grade will be determined by the following distribution: 2 assignments (critical paper analysis), 30% Mid-term Exam, 30%. Final assignment (a short academic paper), 40% BONUS Grade: Students who receive an attendance level higher than 75% (that is, min. 11 out of 14) and who participate actively in the discussions during lectures will receive an extra 10 points (on the scale of 100) for the end of semester grade. Students enrolled in this course may earn up to 5 points (on the scale of 100) for the end of semester grade by participating in the MEF University Faculty’s research. For details see the annexed “Research Points System (RPS) Students’ Guide”
Laboratory Work
Computer Use
Other Activities
Assessment Methods
Assessment Tools Count Weight
Quiz(zes) 4 % 20
Project 1 % 50
Midterm(s) 1 % 30
TOTAL % 100
Course Administration erozdeno@mef.edu.tr

ECTS Student Workload Estimation

Activity No/Weeks Hours Calculation
No/Weeks per Semester Preparing for the Activity Spent in the Activity Itself Completing the Activity Requirements
Course Hours 14 3 3 2 112
Project 1 20 20
Midterm(s) 1 12 3 15
Total Workload 147
Total Workload/25 5.9
ECTS 6