Cognitive Science Major
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Cognitive Science
Cindy Bukach, Coordinator (Psychology)
Taylor Arnold, (Data Science and Statistics)
Arthur Charlesworth, (Computer Science)
Geoffrey Goddu, (Philosophy)
Kelly Lambert, (Psychology)
Matthew Lowder,(Psychology)
Arryn Robbins, (Psychology)The major in Cognitive Science is designed to prepare students to ask and answer questions about the nature of the mind from a variety of approaches. To this end, the major is highly interdisciplinary, drawing on perspectives and methodological techniques from computer science, linguistics, neuroscience, philosophy, psychology, and other disciplines. Students successfully completing the major will be able to critically examine theories and empirical findings that address aspects of human cognition at the level of brains, behavior, and computation. Students may optionally elect to undertake a rigorous, scientific investigation of these topics through independent study and other research opportunities.
The cognitive science major is offered as a Bachelor of Arts degree only.
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Courses
CODE
NAME
DESCRIPTION
Cognitive Science
Critical examination of the nature, function, and mechanisms of mental structures that process and represent information, in humans as well as other intelligent agents. Cognitive science integrates methods drawn from psychology, neuroscience, philoso...
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Major
The Cognitive Science Major
Note: The grade point average of the coursework comprising the major must be no less than 2.00 with no course grade below C- (1.70).
12 units, including:
3 units-Core
4 units-Breadth Requirement: One course from each of these four areas
Computer Science
Linguistics
Neuroscience
Philosophy
5 additional units of electives, chosen from the courses below. At least 3 must be at the 300 level or above. Courses taken for breadth requirement do not count toward the requirement to take 3 courses at the 300 level.
ANTH101 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
BIOL342 Neurodevelopment
BIOL343 Neurobiology
BIOL344 Behavioral Ecology
BIOL354 Biological Basis of Neurodegenerative Diseases
CMSC101 Minds and Machines
CMSC105 Elementary Programming
CMSC150 Introduction to Computing
CMSC221 Data Structures
CMSC301 Computer
CMSC327 Machine Learning
CMSC395 Artificial Intelligence
CMSC395 Human-Computer Interaction
CMSC395 Natural Language Processing
DSST289 Introduction to Data Science
DSST389 Advanced Data Science
LING203 Introductory Linguistics
LING250 Introduction to Syntax
PHIL251 Elementary Symbolic Logic
PHIL314 Philosophy of Science
PHIL370 Philosophy of Mind
PHIL373 Epistemology
PHIL381 Philosophy of Language
PSYC331 Behavioral Neuroscience
PSYC337 Human Cognition
PSYC341 Cognitive Neuroscience
PSYC343 Psycholinguistics
PSYC349 Special Topics
PSYC353 Clinical Neuroscience
PSYC359 Data Visualization & Analysis
PSYC359 Electric Brain
PSYC449 Neuroplasticity
PSYC449 Misunderstanding Language
PSYC449 Mapping Animal Minds
Students are expected to fulfill all prerequisites necessary for courses within the major. Prerequisites do not count toward the major unless otherwise noted.
The courses listed below may also count as elective credit toward the major, but all cases must be approved by the Cognitive Science coordinator to ensure the topic of research is relevant to the Cognitive Science curriculum. No more than two units of research-related coursework may be applied to the major. These courses typically do not satisfy the requirement that at least three electives must be at the 300 level or above. However, the Cognitive Science coordinator may in rare circumstances approve up to two of these courses as satisfying this requirement, provided that the scope of the project is sufficiently rigorous.