Faculty coordinator:
University Professor Daniel Dennett, Philosophy; Director, Center for Cognitive
Studies
Human mental ability--the capacity to think, perceive, imagine, understand, and believe--forms the most recent frontier in our efforts to understand the limitations and abilities of humans. Cognitive science is an interdisciplinary research program to study mental processes as revealed by work in anthropology, artificial intelligence, linguistics, philosophy, and psychology. The interdisciplinary minor in cognitive science allows students to discover connections within the range of issues underlying this field, which bridges traditional categories of sciences and humanities.
Five credits from the following categories are required (no more than two from any one category). In addition to the five credits, a student is required to complete an appropriate project, such as a thesis, an oral presentation, or a performance, which integrates the knowledge and methodologies of the disciplines involved. (See Interdisciplinary Minor Program for details.)
Category A - Philosophical Underpinnings
Modern Languages 182 Introduction to General Linguistics
Philosophy 3 Language and Mind
Philosophy 116 Philosophy of Science
Philosophy 117 Philosophy of Mind
Philosophy 131 Epistemology
Philosophy 133 Philosophy of Language
Philosophy 134 Philosophy of Social Science
Philosophy 187/188 Seminar (when on a cognitive science topic)
Philosophy 191/192 Seminar (when on a cognitive science topic)
Category B - Formal Bases and Computational Approaches
Computer Science 131 Artificial Intelligence
Computer Science 232 Advanced Knowledge-Based Systems
Philosophy 33 Logic
Philosophy 114 Advanced Topics in Logic
Philosophy 170 Computation Theory
Category C - Language and Communication
Anthropology 160 Linguistic Anthropology
Child Development 155 The Young Child's Development of Language
Child Development 195 Developmental Disorders in Language and Reading
Psychology 149 Psychology of Language
Category D - Cognitive Development
Child Development 51 Intellectual Development in Young Children
Child Development 151 Advanced Intellectual Development of Young Children
Child Development 152 Development of Thought and Language
Child Development 155 The Young Child's Development of Language
Child Development 156 Applied Aspects of Physiological Development
Child Development 158 Psychological Study of Creativity
Category E - Cognition/Perceptual Processing in Adults
Psychology 26 Animal Learning and Cognition
Psychology 27 Perception
Psychology 28 Cognitive Psychology
Psychology 29 Human Neuropsychology
Psychology 41 Perception/Cognition Laboratory
Psychology 46 Animal Learning Laboratory
Psychology 49 Laboratory in Psychophysiology
Psychology 50 Intelligence
Psychology 103 Brain and Behavior
Psychology 129 Cognitive Neuroscience
Psychology 144 Memory and Retention
Psychology 146 Comparative Cognition and Behavior
Psychology 243 Structure and Process in Cognitive Theory
Psychology 244 Cognition/Learning
Psychology 247 Cognition