Cognitive Science
College of Letters and Science
Program Office: Undergraduate and Interdisciplinary Studies, 243 Evans Hall, (510) 642-2628
Program Director: Terry Regier, PhD
Program Website: Cognitive Science
Major
Cognitive science is the cross-disciplinary study of the structure and processes of human cognition and their computational simulation or modeling. This interdisciplinary program is designed to give students an understanding of questions dealing with human cognition, such as concept formation, visual perception, the acquisition and processing of natural language, and human reasoning and problem solving.
The program draws on relevant courses found within the fields of anthropology, biology, computer science, education, linguistics, philosophy, and psychology, as well as specially designed lower and upper division courses in cognitive science. The structure of the major follows.
Lower division requirements
Prerequisites for declaring major:
- Cognitive Science 1 or N1 (Introduction to cognitive science)
- Math 1A (Calculus) or Math 16A (Analytical geometry and calculus)
- Computer Science 61A (Structure and interpretation of computer programs) or Engineering 7 (Introduction to computer programming for scientists and engineers)
Note: An average GPA of 2.0 or higher in these prerequisites is required for admission to the major.
Other lower-division requirements:
- Molecular and Cell Biology 61 (Brain, mind, and behavior) or 64 (Exploring the brain: Introduction to neuroscience)
- Math 55 (Discrete mathematics) or CS 70 (Discrete mathematics and probability theory)
Upper division requirements
All students must complete a minimum of 30 upper division units. These must include 9 cognitive science courses, as follows: 6 courses fulfilling distribution requirements and 3 elective courses.
Distribution requirements:
1 course from each of the following 6 areas:
Cognitive neuroscience:
Psychology 117 (Human neuropsychology)
Cognitive Science/Psychology C127 (Cognitive neuroscience)
Psychology 133 (Psychology of sleep)
Cognitive psychology:
*Cognitive Science C100 / Psychology C120 (Basic issues in cognition)
Cognitive Science C102/Psychology C129 (Scientific approaches to consciousness)
Cognitive Science/Psychology C124 (Psycholinguistics)
Cognitive Science/Psychology C126 (Perception
Psychology 122 (Human learning and memory)
Psych 143 (Language acquisition)
Psych 164 (Social cognition)
Computational modeling:
Cognitive Science 131 (Computational models of cognition)
Computer Science 188 (Introduction to artificial intelligence)
Linguistics:
*Linguistics 100 (Introduction to linguistic science)
*Cognitive Science C101 / Linguistics C105 (The mind and language)
Cognitive Science/Linguistics C142 (Language and thought)
Cognitive Science/Linguistics C147 (Language disorders)
Philosophy:
Philosophy 122 (Theory of knowledge)
Philosophy 132 Philosophy of mind)
Philosophy 133 (Philosophy of language)
Philosophy 135 (Theory of meaning)
Philosophy 136 (Philosophy of perception)
Society, culture, and cognition:
Cognitive Science C103 / History C192 / Media Studies C104C /Information C103 (History of information)
Cognitive Science/Linguistics C104 (The mind, language, and politics)
Anthropology 166 (Language, culture, and society)
Economics 119 (Psychology and economics)
Education 140AC (Literacy: Individual and societal development)
Linguistics 150 (Sociolinguistics)
Psychology 107 (Buddhist psychology)
Psychology 160 (Social psychology)
Psychology 164 (Social cognition)
Psychology 166AC (Cultural psychology)
Sociology 150 (Social psychology)
Sociology 150A (Social psychology: Self and society)
Note: Courses that are listed within more than one area of concentration can be counted for only one requirement.
Cognitive science students who have completed the major requirements may wish to add an optional concentration. Courses taken toward the required 30 upper division units may be applied toward a concentration if they fall into the appropriate categories. A concentration consists of three listed courses, all within one of the six cognitive science categories. Note: Both the cognitive psychology and linguistics concentrations must include a gateway course (designated with a *).
Cognitive neuroscience:
Molecular and Cell Biology/Neuroscience C160 (Introduction to neurobiology)
Molecular and Cell Biology 160L (Neurobiology lab)
Molecular and Cell Biology 163 (Mammalian neuroanatomy)
Molecular and Cell Biology 164 (Sensory and integrative neurobiology)
Molecular and Cell Biology 165 (Molecular neurobiology)
Molecular and Cell Biology 166 (Biophysical neurobiology)
Psychology 110 (Biological psychology)
Psychology 111 (Sensory processes: Vision)
Psychology 114 (Biology of learning and neural plasticity)
Cognitive Science C110 / Computer Science C182 / Linguistics C109 (Neural basis of thought and language)
Integrative Biology 245/245L (Functional neuroanatomy and lab)
Cognitive psychology:
Cognitive Science/Psychology C127 (Cognitive neuroscience)
Psychology 107 (Buddhist psychology)
Psychology 111 (Sensory processes: Vision)
Psychology 121 (Animal cognition)
Psychology 133 (Psychology of sleep)
Music 108 or 108M (Music perception and cognition)
Education 224A (Mathematical thinking and problem solving)
Education 229A (Problem solving and understanding)
Computational modeling:
Cognitive Science C110 / Linguistics C109 / Computer Science C182 (Neural basis of thought and language)
Computer Science 160 (User interface design and development)
Computer Science 170 (Efficient algorithms and intractable problems)
Computer Science 186 (Introduction to database systems)
Computer Science / Vision Science C280 (Computer vision)
Computer Science 287 (Advanced robotics)
Computer Science 288 (Artificial intelligence approach to natural language processing)
Vision science 265 (Neural computation)
Linguistics:
Linguistics 110 (Introduction to phonetics and phonology)
Linguistics 120 (Introduction to syntax and semantics)
Linguistics 106 (Metaphor)
Cognitive Science / Linguistics C108 (The challenge of cognitive science to Western philosophy)
Cognitive Science C110 / Linguistics C109 / Computer Science C182 (Neural basis of thought and language)
Linguistics 115 (Phonology and morphology)
Linguistics 121 (Logical semantics)
Linguistics 123 (Pragmatics)
Linguistics 158 (Computational methods)
Cognitive Science C140 / Linguistics C160 (Quantitative methods in linguistics)
Linguistics 181 (Lexical semantics)
Cognitive Science/Psychology C124 (Psycholinguistics)
Psychology 143 (Language acquisition)
Philosophy:
Philosophy 128 (Philosophy of science)
Philosophy 130 (Philosophy of social science)
Philosophy 138 (Philosophy of society)
Philosophy 140A,B (Intermediate logic)
Philosophy 174 (Locke)
Philosophy 176 (Hume)
Philosophy 178 (Kant)
Philosophy 185 (Heidegger)
Philosophy 186 (Wittgenstein)
Philosophy 188 (Phenomenology)
Cognitive Science/Linguistics C108 (The challenge of cognitive science to Western philosophy)
Society, culture, and cognition:
Anthropology 149 (Psychological anthropology)
Anthropology 160AC (Forms of folklore)
Anthropology 161 (Narrative folklore)
Information 146 (Foundations of new media)
Linguistics 130 (Comparative and historical linguistics)
Linguistics C139 / Slavic C139 (Language spread)
Linguistics 151 (Language and gender)
Linguistics 170 (History, structure and sociolinguistics of a particular language)
Native American Studies 151 (Native American philosophy)
Philosophy 153 (Chinese philosophy)
Political Science 161 (Public opinion, voting and participation)
Political Science 164A (Political psychology and involvement)
Psychology 167AC (Stigma and prejudice)
Rhetoric 103A (Approaches and paradigms in the history of rhetorical theory)
Rhetoric 105 (Rhetorical theory and practice in historical eras)
Rhetoric 110 (Advanced argumentative writing)
Rhetoric 170 (Rhetoric of social science)
Rhetoric 174 (Rhetoric of scientific discourse)
Rhetoric 175 (Rhetoric of philosophical discourse)
Rhetoric 177 (Language, truth, and dialogue)
Honors Program
Cognitive science majors who wish to graduate with honors must have an overall GPA of 3.30 or higher in all work completed at the university and a 3.30 GPA or higher in the major program at the time of their graduation. In addition, they must complete a thesis of high quality, based upon independent study with a member of the cognitive science faculty and marked by satisfactory completion of at least three units of course H195A-H195B or 199.
Students interested in the major should consult with the student academic advisor in 243 Evans Hall, (510) 642-2628.
COG SCI 1 Introduction to Cognitive Science 4 Units
Department: Cognitive Science
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture and 2 hours of Laboratory per week for 15 weeks.
This course introduces the interdisciplinary field of cognitive science. Lectures and readings will survey research from artificial intelligence, pyschology, linguistics, philosophy, and neuroscience, and will cover topics such as the nature of knowledge, thinking, remembering, vision, imagery, language, and consciousness. Sections will demonstrate some of the major methodologies.
Students will receive no credit for Cognitive Science 1 after taking Cognitive Science C1/Education C1.
COG SCI N1 Introduction to Cognitive Science 3 Units
Department: Cognitive Science
Course level: Undergraduate
Term course may be offered: Summer
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture and 2 hours of Laboratory per week for 15 weeks. 7.5 hours of Lecture per week for 6 weeks.
This course introduces the interdisciplinary field of cognitive science. Lectures and readings will survey research in such fields as artificial intelligence, psychology, linguistics, philosophy, and neuroscience, and will cover topics such as the nature of knowledge, thinking, remembering, vision, imagery, language, and consciousness. Sections will demonstrate some of the major methodologies.
Students will receive no credit for N1 after taking Education C1. Formerly known as C1.
COG SCI 98 Directed Group Study 1 - 4 Units
Department: Cognitive Science
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Offered for pass/not pass grade only.
Hours and format: 1 to 4 hour of Directed group study per week for 15 weeks.
Seminar for the group study of selected topics. Topics may be initiated by students subject to the approval of the major advisor.
Course may be repeated for credit. Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes. Enrollment is restricted; see the Introduction to Courses and Curricula section of this catalog.
COG SCI 99 Supervised Independent Study and Research 1 - 4 Units
Department: Cognitive Science
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Offered for pass/not pass grade only.
Hours and format: Zero hours of Independent study per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: Restricted to freshmen and sophomores; consent of instructor.
Independent study and research by arrangement with faculty.
Course may be repeated for credit. Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
COG SCI 100 Basic Issues in Cognitive Science 4 Units
Department: Cognitive Science
Course level: Undergraduate
Term course may be offered: Summer
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture and 1 hour of Discussion per week for 15 weeks. 5.5 hours of Lecture and 1.5 hours of Discussion per week for 8 weeks.
Theoretical foundations and current controversies in cognitive science will be discussed. Basic issues in cognition--including perception, imagery, memory, categorization, thinking, judgment, and development will be considered from the perspectives of philosophy, psychology, computer science, and physiology. Particular emphasis will be placed on the nature, implications, and limitations of the computational model of mind.
Students will receive no credit for Cog Sci C100 after taking Psychology 120A.
COG SCI C100/PSYCH C120 Basic Issues in Cognition 3 Units
Department: Cognitive Science; Psychology
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and summer
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 2 hours of Lecture and 1 hour of Discussion per week for 15 weeks. 3.5 hours of Lecture and 2 hours of Discussion per week for 8 weeks. 5 hours of Lecture and 2.5 hours of Discussion per week for 6 weeks.
Theoretical foundations and current controversies in cognitive science will be discussed. Basic issues in cognition--including perception, imagery, memory, categorization, thinking, judgment, and development--will be considered from the perspectives of philosophy, psychology, computer science, and physiology. Particular emphasis will be placed on the nature, implications, and limitations of the computational model of mind.
Students will receive no credit for C120 after taking 120A.
COG SCI C101/LINGUIS C105 The Mind and Language 4 Units
Department: Cognitive Science; Linguistics
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Spring and summer
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture and 1 hour of Discussion per week for 15 weeks. 6 hours of Lecture and 1.5 hours of Discussion per week for 8 weeks.
Conceptual systems and language from the perspective of cognitive science. How language gives insight into conceptual structure, reasoning, category-formation, metaphorical understanding, and the framing of experience. Cognitive versus formal linguistics. Implications from and for philosophy, anthropology, literature, artificial intelligence, and politics.
Formerly known as 105. Instructors: G. Lakoff, E. Sweetser
COG SCI C102/PSYCH C129 Scientific Approaches to Consciousness 3 Units
Department: Cognitive Science; Psychology
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 2 hours of Lecture and 1 hour of Discussion per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: 1 or Cognitive Science C1; or 120A or C120B or Cognitive Science C100.
This course will examine the nature of human consciousness from the interdisciplinary perspective of cognitive science. It will cover topics from the philosophy of mind, cognitive linguistics, neuroscience, psychology, and computational models.
COG SCI C103/HISTORY C192/INFO C103/MEDIAST C104C History of Information 3 Units
Department: Cognitive Science; History; Information; Media Studies
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall, spring and summer
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture per week for 15 weeks. 7.5 hours of Lecture per week for 6 weeks.
Prerequisites: Upper level undergraduates.
This course explores the history of information and associated technologies, uncovering why we think of ours as "the information age." We will select moments in the evolution of production, recording, and storage from the earliest writing systems to the world of Short Message Service (SMS) and blogs. In every instance, we'll be concerned with both what and when and how and why, and we will keep returning to the question of technological determinism: how do technological developments affect society and vice versa?
Formerly known as Information Systems and Management C103. Instructors: Duguid, Nunberg
COG SCI C104/LINGUIS C104 The Mind, Language, and Politics 4 Units
Department: Cognitive Science; Linguistics
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture and 1 hour of Discussion per week for 15 weeks.
An analysis of contemporary liberal and conservative thought and language, in terms of the basic mechanisms of mind: frames, prototypes, radial categories, contested concepts, conceptual metaphor, metonymy, and blends. The framing of political discourse. The logic of political thought. The purpose of the course is to provide students interested in political and social issues with the tools to analyze the framing of, and logic behind, contemporary political discourse.
Instructor: G. Lakoff
COG SCI C124/PSYCH C124 Psycholinguistics 3 Units
Department: Cognitive Science; Psychology
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 2 hours of Lecture and 1 hour of Discussion per week for 15 weeks.
Introduction to psycholinguistics, emphasizing effects of psychological variables on the learning and use of language, influence of language behavior on psychological processes; special attention to psychological applicability of modern linguistic theory and to social psychological aspects of language behavior.
COG SCI C126/PSYCH C126 Perception 3 Units
Department: Cognitive Science; Psychology
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 2 hours of Lecture and 1 hour of Discussion per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: Consent of instructor. 101 recommended.
An introduction to principal theoretical constructs and experimental procedures in visual and auditory perception. Topics will include psychophysics; perception of color, space, shape, and motion; pattern recognition and perceptual attention.
COG SCI C127/PSYCH C127 Cognitive Neuroscience 3 Units
Department: Cognitive Science; Psychology
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 2 hours of Lecture and 1 hour of Discussion per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: 110 or 120A or C120B, or Cog Sci C100.
This course will examine research investigating the neurological basis of cognition. Material covered will include the study of brain-injured patients, neurophysiological research in animals, and the study of normal cognitive processes in humans with non-invasive behavioral and physiological techniques such as functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), electroencephalography (EEG), and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Topics to be covered include perception, attention, memory, language, motor control, executive control, and emotion.
COG SCI 131 Computational Models of Cognition 4 Units
Department: Cognitive Science
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week.
Prerequisites: Calculus, discrete mathematics, C1, Computer Science 61A, or equivalents.
This course will provide advanced students in cognitive science and computer science with the skills to develop computational models of human cognition, giving insight into how people solve challenging computational problems, as well as how to bring computers closer to human performance. The course will explore three ways in which researchers have attempted to formalize cognition -- symbolic approaches, neural networks, and probability and statistics -- considering the strengths and weaknesses of each.
Student will receive no credit for Cognitive Science 131 after taking Cognitive Science C131/Psychology C123. A deficient grade in Cognitive C131/Psychology C123 may be removed by taking Cognitive Science 131.<BR/>
COG SCI C131/PSYCH C123 Computational Models of Cognition 4 Units
Department: Cognitive Science; Psychology
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture and 1 hour of Discussion per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: Calculus, discrete mathematics, C1, Computer Science 61A, or equivalents.
This course will provide advanced students in cognitive science and computer science with the skills to develop computational models of human cognition, giving insight into how people solve challenging computational problems, as well as how to bring computers closer to human performance. The course will explore three ways in which researchers have attempted to formalize cognition -- symbolic approaches, neural networks, and probability and statistics -- considering the strengths and weaknesses of each.
COG SCI C140/LINGUIS C160 Quantitative Methods in Linguistics 4 Units
Department: Cognitive Science; Linguistics
Course level: Undergraduate
Term course may be offered: Spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Lecture and 1 hour of Discussion per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: 100 or graduate student standing.
An introduction to research using quantitative analysis in linguistics and cognitive science. Students will learn how to use the R programming environment for statistical analysis and data visualization.
Instructor: Gahl
COG SCI C142/LINGUIS C142 Language and Thought 3 Units
Department: Cognitive Science; Linguistics
Course level: Undergraduate
Term course may be offered: Spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of Seminar per week for 15 weeks.
This seminar explores the relation of language and thought. Is language uniquely human, and if so, what does this reveal about the human mind? Does the particular language you speak affect the way you think, or do human languages reflect a universal conceptual repertoire? The goal of this class is to familiarize you with a set of classic arguments on these themes, together with current research that evaluates these arguments, through weekly reading and discussion.
Instructor: Regier
COG SCI C147/LINGUIS C147 Language Disorders 3 Units
Department: Cognitive Science; Linguistics
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 3 hours of lecture/discussion per week.
An introduction to experimental and theoretical research on language disorders, particularly acquired aphasia in adults. Major course themes include the relationship between normal and pathological language, and the usefulness of linguistic analysis for empirical research. Topics include phonetic, phonological, morphological, semantic, syntactic, and pragmatic aspects of language disorders in mono- and multilingual speakers of typologically diverse languages.
Instructor: Gahl
COG SCI 190 Special Topics in Cognitive Science 3 Units
Department: Cognitive Science
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 2 hours of Seminar per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: Consent of instructor.
Selected topics in the study of Cognitive Science.
Course may be repeated for credit as topic varies. Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
COG SCI H195A Special Study for Honors Candidates 1 - 3 Units
Department: Cognitive Science
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: Individual conferences.
Prerequisites: Open only to senior cognitive science majors in the honors program.
Independent study and preparation of an honors thesis under the supervision of a faculty member.
Course may be repeated for a maximum of 6 units.Course may be repeated for a maximum of 6 units.
COG SCI H195B Special Study for Honors Candidates 1 - 3 Units
Department: Cognitive Science
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: Individual conferences.
Prerequisites: Open only to senior cognitive science majors in the honors program.
Independent study and preparation of an honors thesis under the supervision of a faculty member.
Course may be repeated for a maximum of 6 units.Course may be repeated for a maximum of 6 units.
COG SCI 198 Directed Group Study 1 - 4 Units
Department: Cognitive Science
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Offered for pass/not pass grade only.
Hours and format: 1 to 4 hour of Directed group study per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: Upper division standing and consent of instructor.
Seminar for the group study of selected topics. Topics may be initated by students subject to the approval of the major advisor.
Course may be repeated for credit. Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
COG SCI 199 Supervised Independent Study 1 - 4 Units
Department: Cognitive Science
Course level: Undergraduate
Terms course may be offered: Fall, spring and summer
Grading: Offered for pass/not pass grade only.
Hours and format: 1 to 4 hour of Independent study per week for 15 weeks. 1.5 to 7.5 hours of Independent study per week for 8 weeks.
Prerequisites: Restricted to juniors and seniors.
Independent study and research by arrangement with faculty.
Course may be repeated for credit. Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
COG SCI 201 Graduate Seminar on the Mind and Language 4 Units
Department: Cognitive Science
Course level: Graduate
Term course may be offered: Spring
Grading: Letter grade.
Hours and format: 4 hours of Seminar per week for 15 weeks.
Prerequisites: Graduate standing or consent of instructor.
Thought appears to be grounded in the sensorimotor system, and to grow out of the nature of the physical brain and body; human reason also makes extensive and fundamental use of imaginative mechanisms such as metaphor and metonymy. The readings in this course review that evidence, much of which comes from the study of how people categorize and reason using categories. The course will include both discussions and research projects appropriate to students in each of the disciplines.
COG SCI 300 Teaching Cognitive Science 1 - 2 Units
Department: Cognitive Science
Course level: Professional course for teachers or prospective teachers
Terms course may be offered: Fall and spring
Grading: Offered for satisfactory/unsatisfactory grade only.
Hours and format: Seminar format.
This course will provide training in a variety of teaching techniques, will review relevant pedagogical issues, and will assist undergraduate students in mastering their initial teaching experiences.
Course may be repeated for credit. Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
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