Undergraduate Program—Philosophy of Cognitive Science Minor

The Philosophy of Cognitive Science Minor is designed to provide students with a broad understanding of important questions at the intersection of philosophy and the contemporary cognitive sciences, knowledge of the most influential approaches to such issues, and the skill to apply foundational frameworks and critical reasoning to new issues arising within the context of scientific discovery. Students will explore longstanding “big questions” about the mind that have long occupied philosophers, such as: What are minds? What are mental states? How are minds related to bodies? What is consciousness? How does perception differ from cognition? How do we form beliefs in response to evidence? This is done with the tools of the contemporary cognitive sciences, and brand new foundational questions that arise specifically within the context of the sciences, such as: What are representations and what explanatory role do they have? In what sense, if any, is the mind composed of modules? Are some mental capacities innate?

The Philosophy of Cognitive Science Minor builds on the Department of Philosophy’s resources in interdisciplinary philosophy of mind, philosophy of perception, philosophy of language, and philosophy of psychology, and connects with a number of programs across the campus in engineering and the social sciences.

The minor will require seven courses (twenty-eight units) in all: four from a list of core upper-division philosophy of cognitive science courses and three elective courses from affiliated departments outside philosophy. A maximum of two may be lower-division courses. All courses must be taken for a letter grade and passed with a C– or better.

Core Requirements for the Philosophy of Cognitive Science Minor

Core philosophy of cognitive science. Minors must take four upper-division courses from this list:

PHIL 132. Epistemology

PHIL 134. Philosophy of Language

PHIL 136. Philosophy of Mind

PHIL 137. Moral Psychology

PHIL 142. Philosophy of Emotion

PHIL 143. Philosophy of Perception

PHIL 145. Philosophy of Science

PHIL 149. Philosophy of Psychology

PHIL 150. Philosophy of the Cognitive Sciences

PHIL 151. Philosophy of Neuroscience

Electives for the Philosophy of Cognitive Science Minor

Outside elective courses. Minors must take three courses from outside philosophy, drawn from the following list:

Cognitive Science

COGS 1. Introduction to Cognitive Science

COGS 2. Cognitive Neuroeconomics

COGS 11. Minds and Brains

COGS 12. Language, Culture, and Cognition

COGS 17. Neurobiology of Cognition 

COGS 100. Cyborgs Now and in the Future

COGS 101A. Sensation and Perception

COGS 101B. Learning, Memory, and Attention

COGS 101C. Language

COGS 102A. Cognitive Perspectives

COGS 102B. Cognitive Ethnography

COGS 102C. Cognitive Design Studio

COGS 107A. Neuroanatomy and Physiology

COGS 107B. Systems Neuroscience

COGS 107C. Cognitive Neuroscience

COGS 110. The Developing Mind

COGS 115. Neurological Development and Cognitive Change

COGS 118A. Supervised Machine Learning Algorithms

COGS 118B. Introduction to Machine Learning II

COGS 118C. Neural Signal Processing

COGS 123. Social Computing

COGS 126. Human-Computer Interaction

COGS 143. Animal Cognition

COGS 144. Social Cognition: A Developmental and Evolutionary Perspective

COGS 151. Analogy and Conceptual Systems

COGS 152. Cognitive Foundations of Mathematics

COGS 153. Language Comprehension

COGS 154. Communication Disorders in Children and Adults

COGS 155. Gesture and Cognition

COGS 156. Language Development

COGS 157. Music and the Mind

COGS 163. Metabolic Disorders of the Brain 

COGS 164. Neurobiology of Motivation

COGS 169. Genetic Information for Behavior: From Single Cells to Mammals 

COGS 170. Brain Waves Across Scales

COGS 171. Mirror Neuron System

COGS 172. Brain Disorders and Cognition

COGS 174. Drugs: Brain, Mind, and Culture

COGS 175. The Neuropsychological Basis of Alternate States of Consciousness

COGS 176. From Sleep to Attention

COGS 177. Space and Time in the Brain

COGS 178. Genes, Brains, and Behavior

COGS 179. Electrophysiology of Cognition

COGS 180. Decision-Making in the Brain

COGS 181. Neural Networks and Deep Learning

COGS 184. Modeling the Evolution of Cognition

COGS 185. Advanced Machine Learning Methods

COGS 188. Artificial Intelligence Algorithms

COGS 189. Brain Computer Interfaces

Communication

COMM 10. Introduction to Communication

COMM 102D. MMPP: Practicum in Child Development

COMM 108D. POB: Disability

COMM 110G. LLC: Communication in Organizations

COMM 110M. LLC: Communication and Community

COMM 110P. LLC: Language and Human Communication

COMM 110T. LLC: Language, Thought, and Media

COMM 112C. IM: The Idea of Childhood

COMM 112G. IM: Language and Globalization

COMM 168. Bilingual Communication

Computer Science and Engineering

CSE 100. Advanced Data Structures

CSE 101. Design and Analysis of Algorithms 

CSE 103. A Practical Introduction to Probability and Statistics

CSE 105. Theory of Computability

CSE 106. Discrete and Continuous Optimization

CSE 118. Ubiquitous Computing

CSE 145. Embedded System Design Project

CSE 150A. Introduction to Artificial Intelligence: Probabilistic Reasoning and Decision-Making 

CSE 150B. Introduction to Artificial Intelligence: Search and Reasoning

CSE 151A. Introduction to Machine Learning

CSE 151B. Deep Learning

CSE 152. Introduction to Computer Vision

CSE 152A. Introduction to Computer Vision I

CSE 152B. Introduction to Computer Vision II

CSE 156. Statistical Natural Language Processing

CSE 165. 3-D User Interaction

CSE 166. Image Processing

CSE 170. Interaction Design

CSE 180. Biology Meets Computing

CSE 180R. Biology Meets Computing

Linguistics

LIGN 4. Language as a Cognitive System

LIGN 6. Computers and Language

LIGN 101. Introduction to the Study of Language

LIGN 110. Phonetics

LIGN 111. Phonology 

LIGN 112. Speech Sounds and Speech Disorders

LIGN 113. Hearing Science and Hearing Disorders

LIGN 119. First and Second Language Learning: From Childhood through Adolescence 

LIGN 120. Morphology

LIGN 121. Syntax I

LIGN 130. Semantics

LIGN 144. Discourse Analysis: American Sign Language and Performing Arts

LIGN 146. Sociolinguistics in Deaf Communities

LIGN 148. Psycholinguistics of Sign Language

LIGN 150. Historical Linguistics

LIGN 154. Language and Consciousness

LIGN 155. Evolution of Language

LIGN 160. Pragmatics

LIGN 165. Computational Linguistics

LIGN 167. Deep Learning for Natural Language Understanding

LIGN 170. Psycholinguistics

LIGN 171. Child Language Acquisition

LIGN 174. Gender and Language in Society

LIGN 175. Sociolinguistics 

LIGN 177. Multilingualism

LIGN 180. Language Representation in the Brain

LIGN 181. Language Processing in the Brain

Psychology

PSYC 1. Psychology

PSYC 2. General Psychology: Biological Foundations

PSYC 3. General Psychology: Cognitive Foundations

PSYC 4. General Psychology: Behavioral Foundations

PSYC 6. General Psychology: Social Foundations

PSYC 7. General Psychology: Developmental Foundations

PSYC 101. Developmental Psychology

PSYC 102. Sensory Neuroscience

PSYC 104. Social Psychology

PSYC 105. Cognitive Psychology

PSYC 106. Behavioral Neuroscience

PSYC 108. Cognitive Neuroscience

PSYC 113. Electroencephalogram (EEG) Lab

PSYC 114. Psychophysiological Perspectives on the Social Mind Laboratory

PSYC 115A. Laboratory in Cognitive Psychology I

PSYC 115B. Laboratory in Cognitive Psychology II

PSYC 118. Laboratory in Animal Behavior

PSYC 120. Learning and Motivation

PSYC 121. Laboratory in Operant Psychology

PSYC 122. Mechanisms of Animal Behavior

PSYC 123. Cognitive Control and Frontal Lobe Function

PSYC 128. Psychology of Reading

PSYC 129. Logic of Perception

PSYC 130. Delay of Gratification 

PSYC 131. Scientific Racism: Genetics, Intelligence, and Race

PSYC 132. Hormones and Behavior

PSYC 133. Circadian Rhythms—Biological Clocks

PSYC 136. Cognitive Development

PSYC 137. Social Cognition

PSYC 138. Sound and Music Perception

PSYC 139. The Social Psychology of Sport 

PSYC 140. Human Behavior Laboratory

PSYC 141. Evolution and Human Nature

PSYC 142. Psychology of Consciousness

PSYC 143. Control and Analysis of Human Behavior

PSYC 144. Memory and Amnesia

PSYC 145. Psychology of Language

PSYC 146. Language and Conceptual Development

PSYC 147. Gender

PSYC 148. Psychology of Judgment and Decision

PSYC 150. Cognitive Neuroscience of Vision

PSYC 152. Conceptions of Intelligence

PSYC 153. Psychology of Emotion

PSYC 154. Behavior Modification

PSYC 155. Social Psychology and Medicine

PSYC 156. Cognitive Development in Infancy

PSYC 157. Happiness

PSYC 158. Interpersonal Relationships

PSYC 159. Physiological Basis of Perception

PSYC 166. History of Psychology

PSYC 167. Science of Imagination

PSYC 168. Psychological Disorders of Childhood

PSYC 169. Brain Damage and Mental Function

PSYC 170. Cognitive Neuropsychology

PSYC 171. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory

PSYC 172. Psychology of Human Sexuality

PSYC 173. Psychology of Food and Behavior

PSYC 174. Visual Cognition

PSYC 175. Science of Mindfulness 

PSYC 176. Creativity

PSYC 179. Drugs, Addiction, and Mental Disorders

PSYC 180. Adolescence

PSYC 182. Illusions and the Brain

PSYC 184. Choice and Self-Control

PSYC 186. Evolutionary Psychology

PSYC 187. Development of Social Cognition

PSYC 188. Impulse Control Disorders

PSYC 189. Brain, Behavior, and Evolution

PSYC 190. Science of Parenting 

PSYC 191. Psychology of Sleep

Enrollment in these courses is subject to the normal prerequisites and requirements in place in these departments. Outside elective courses need not be from any single department, though students are encouraged to consult with affiliated faculty in philosophy for assistance selecting a coherent group of courses in this category.

Grade rules for majors/minors: All courses applied toward the major and minors must be completed with a grade of C– or better. Further, a GPA of 2.0 must be maintained in courses applied toward the major or minor. It should be noted that courses taken under the Pass/Not Pass (P/NP) grading option cannot be applied toward the major or minors.

Declare a Cogsci Minor

online major/minor tool