Cognitive Science
- LIN 201/CGS 205: Introduction to Language and LinguisticsAn introduction to the scientific analysis of the structure and uses of language. Core areas covered include phonetics and phonology, morphology, the lexicon, syntax, semantics and pragmatics, with data from a wide range of languages. Additional topics include language acquisition, bilingualism, neurolinguistics, historical linguistics and computational linguistics.
- PHI 315/CHV 315/CGS 315: Philosophy of MindThis course focuses on classical and contemporary problems in the philosophy of mind including the mind-body problem, the problem of consciousness, the problem of introspection and the problem of other minds.
- PSY 254/CGS 254: Developmental PsychologyBabies, who look like helpless blobs, are capable of impressive feats of learning. 3-year-olds, who can't cross the street alone, know an astounding amount of information about their environments. We will focus on landmark studies that elucidate how children's biology, cognition, language, and social experiences interact to set the stage for what we do and who we are. Is the baby's world a 'blooming, buzzing confusion', or do babies enter the world prepared to make sense of their environments? How can we understand the collaboration between nature and nurture during development?
- PSY 255/CGS 255: Cognitive PsychologyThe human mind is remarkable. Human minds are responsible for our most profound scientific discoveries, triumphs of engineering, and transcendent works of art. Human minds are also responsible for everyday feats we typically take for granted: recognizing objects, engaging in conversation, and telling jokes with a level of mastery that far exceeds our best artificial intelligence. Unfortunately, human minds can also lead us astray: we're prone to illusions and cognitive error, to inefficiency and forgetfulness. In this course we'll take a look at the foundations of human cognition: our capacities for perception, memory, reasoning, and beyond.