What is Cognitive Science? 

Cognitive science is the study of cognition from an interdisciplinary perspective. The core component disciplines of cognitive science are philosophy, psychology, neuroscience, linguistics, and computer science. Cognitive scientists may focus on particular cognitive faculties, such as language or memory, on specific cognitive phenomena, such as empathy, or on understanding the fundamentals of cognition quite broadly, for example in information-theoretic terms. What sets cognitive science apart from its core areas is its commitment to cross-disciplinary methodology. Students wishing to pursue work in cognitive science take a defined group of core courses and then design a focus study area comprised of a series of electives selected from courses taught in a variety of departments.

To view Cognitive Science courses, click here.

Why Cognitive Science? - watch Prof Phillips here.

Courses recommended for first-year students:

COGS 1 Introduction to Cognitive Science - 10 hour - Fall
COGS 50.03: Cogntive Linguistics - Apresyan - 11
COSC 01 Introduction to Programming and Computation - 10 and 9L hour - Fall
LING 01 Introductory Linguistics - 10A and 2A - Fall

PHIL 1.05 (11) Reasons, Values, Persons. Thomas

PHIL 1.09 (11) Science, Superstition, and Skepticism. Binkoski

PHIL 1.15 (10A) Selves and Stories. Washington

PHIL 1.16 (10) Morality, Freedom, and the Mind. Thomasson

PHIL 1.23 (12) Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Knowledge. Rosenqvist

PSYC 1 Introductory Psychology - Fall 10
PSYC 6 Introduction to Neuroscience - Fall 2
PSYC 10 Experimental Design, Methodology, and Data Analysis Procedures - Fall 11
PSYC 11 Laboratory in Psychological Science - Fall 12

COGS 01 Introduction to Cognitive Science (F)

Cognitive Science aims to understand how the mind works by using tools and insights from a variety of fields including experimental psychology, computer science, linguistics, vision science, philosophy, anthropology, behavioral economics, and neuroscience. This course will introduce you to many of the major tools and theories from these areas as they relate to the study of the mind. We will tour mental processes such as perception, reasoning, memory, attention, imagery, language, intelligence, decision-making, and morality, and discover many strange and amazing properties of mind. - short video: Is it for me? - All About COGS 01

COGS 02 Cognitive Psychology (Spring term)

This course provides a comprehensive overview of cognitive psychology, the scientific study of mental processes: how people acquire, store, transform, use, and communicate information. Topics may include perception, attention, language, memory, reasoning, problem solving, decision-making, and creativity.

COGS 21 Introduction to Computational Neuroscience (F)

The mind is what the brain does, and the brain is becoming understood computationally. Computational neuroscience has as its twin goals the scientific and engineering tasks of understanding of how brain computes mind, and using that understanding to characterize and reconstruct these computations. Scientific understanding of the brain will confer the ability not only to describe and characterize the mind, but to modify it, enhance it, diagnose and treat its illnesses, and, eventually, to imitate its operation.

COGS 50.03 Introduction into Cognitive Linguistics (F)

This course provides an introduction to cognitive linguistics, a field that investigates the relationship between language and human cognition. Cognitive linguistics emphasizes the role of our bodies and brains in shaping our understanding and use of language. The course explores how our physical experiences and cognitive abilities affect language structure and use. For instance, our attentional biases add nuances to our word choices in spatial and temporal constructions, and our physical experiences influence our expression of mental and emotional concepts. Throughout the course, we will cover major cognitive linguistic concepts, including metaphor, categorization, frame semantics, goal bias, and prototype theory. Additionally, we will examine how these and other cognitive linguistic concepts can be applied to a variety of real-world phenomena, such as online media, humor, second language learning, and even gesticulation. The course format incorporates lectures, reading discussions, practical exercises, creative assignments, and a research project. Students will employ diverse research methods, including behavioral experiments, linguistic corpora analysis, and interviews.

CS 01 Introduction to Programming and Computation (F)

CS 1 will teach you to design, write, and analyze code to solve computational problems from a range of disciplines. You'll also learn to think about problems the way a computer scientist thinks – a skill that is valuable in any field. The course is suitable for students with no previous background in Computer Science, and no knowledge of mathematics beyond high-school algebra.

LING 01 Introductory Linguistics (F)

An introduction to the scientific description of human language. The course teaches methods of analyzing languages' sound systems (phonology), word structure (morphology), sentence patterns (syntax), and systems of meaning (semantics and pragmatics). Some important implications of linguistics for the study of human cognition and cultural behavior will be discussed. Dist: QDS.Interested in Cognitive Science. Please watch the videos below.

PHIL 6 Logic and Language (W)

This course introduces contemporary sentential logic and predicate logic. Both the theory of logic and its application to ordinary language are developed. Topics include symbolization, truth tables, truth trees, interpretations, and derivations. Each week one lecture, three quiz days, and three afternoon individualized discussion sessions are offered (normally MWF 4:45-5:15pm). The individual discussion sessions allow students to pursue their questions and obtain feedback on quizzes on a one-on-one basis. The self-pacing aspect of the course allows students who have difficulty to receive more assistance and those who do not need as much assistance to move ahead more quickly. Open to all classes.

PSYC 6 Introduction to Neuroscience  (F)

This course provides students with an introduction to the fundamental principles of neuroscience. The course will include sections on cellular and molecular neuroscience, neurophysiology, neuroanatomy, and cognitive neuroscience. Neuroscience is a broad field that is intrinsically interdisciplinary. As a consequence, the course draws on a variety of disciplines, including biochemistry, biology, physiology, pharmacology, (neuro)anatomy and psychology. The course will begin with in-depth analysis of basic functions of single nerve cells. We will then consider increasingly more complex neural circuits, which by the end of the course will lead to an analysis of the brain mechanisms that underlie complex goal-oriented behavior.

PSYC 10 Experimental Design, Methodology, and Data Analysis Procedures (F)

This course covers the various ways in which empirical information is obtained and analyzed in psychology and neuroscience. Statistical techniques covered will include ways to describe center and spread, t-tests, linear regression, chi-square, and complex analysis of variance (ANOVA), as well as use of a common statistical program to analyze data. This course is the preferred preparation for PSYC 11, Laboratory in Psychological Science.

PSYC 11 Laboratory in Psychological Science (S)

Progress in psychological science depends upon the analysis and thoughtful interpretation of results from well-designed experiments.  In this course you will learn how to think critically about this research process, first through a series of guided readings and exercises.  In the second part of the course you will design, carry out, and analyze your own original experimental research project as part of a small team and then present your work in a public forum and as a written journal-style manuscript.

Please find COGS major requirements here.