Introduction to Cognitive Science
Psych/Ling 3005/ Phil 3310/ CSCI 3702

Fall 2010

Professors:
Albert Kim
E-mail: Albert.Kim@colorado.edu
Office Phone: 303-492-8616 (2-8616 from on-campus phones)
Office Hours: Albert Kim: Thursday 3:30-4:30 or by appt., MUEN D356B


Martha Palmer E-mail: Martha.Palmer@colorado.edu
Office Phone: 303-492-1300 (2-1300 from on-campus phones)
Office Hours: Martha Palmer: Tuesday 1:30-2:30 and Wednesday 3:30-4:30, Hellems 295


Time and Location: Tue/Thur 11 - 12:15, MUEN D 428, ICS large conference room
Course Credit: 3 credit hours


Class Wiki

Theme: Welcome to Introduction to Cognitive Science.

Cognitive Science is inherently interdisciplinary. This course strengthens a student's ability to integrate methods and concepts outside his or her core discipline by enabling the student to interact with other Cognitive Science students from other core disciplines. Students will discuss, share knowledge, and gain expertise in the diverse content, issues, and practices that make up Cognitive Science, as they are introduced to core topics in Cognitive Science and work together on team projects.


Overview of Schedule

Aug 25 Introduction and Overview
Aug 27 - Sep 8 Symbolic Representations
Sep 10 - Sep 27 Human Sentence Processing
Sep 29 Exam 1 IN KOBL S127 (Business School)
Oct 1 - Oct 20 Semantic Representations and Machine Learning
Oct 22 - Nov 10 The Visual System
Nov 12 Exam 2 in EDUC 155
Nov 17 - Dec 10 (Nov 24/26 Thanksgiving) Student Project Presentations
Final Exam Slot - Sat, Dec 12, 7:30pm (no exam) Student Project Papers due 12/12 7:30pm
no penalty for papers arriving by Mon, Dec 14, 10am


Readings: We will depend primarily on supplementary readings which will be available from the class Wiki. They are divided into required and optional. Among the optional readings are chapters from Paul Thagard's text, Mind: Introduction to Cognitive Science. The text is meant to provide background information on cognitive science, to supplement the lectures and to make the required readings more accessible.

Paul Thagard, Mind: Introduction to Cognitive Science, MIT Press, 2005.
ISBN-10: 0-262-70109-X
ISBN-13: 978-0-262-70109-9

Class Wiki

Assessment: Several components will be taken into consideration in determining your grade.
Exams: There will be two in-class exams at approximately 5 week intervals, for 20% each.
Class Participation is 15%.
Project: A major component is an interdisciplinary team project based on the class readings. The first oral presentation of the project proposal is worth 10%. The second oral presentation of the finished project is worth 15%. The hard copy writeup of the finished project is also worth 20%.

Syllabus Statements:

If you qualify for accommodations because of a disability, please submit to us a letter from Disability Services in a timely manner so that your needs may be addressed. Disability Services determines accommodations based on documented disabilities. Contact: 303-492-8671, Willard 322, and Disability Services

If you have a temporary medical condition or injury, see these guidelines.

Disability Services' letters for students with disabilities indicate legally mandated reasonable accommodations. The syllabus statements and answers to Frequently Asked Questions can be found here.

Campus policy regarding religious observances requires that faculty make every effort to deal reasonably and fairly with all students who, because of religious obligations, have conflicts with scheduled exams, assignments or required attendance. In this class, we are not aware of any religious holidays falling on class days, so if you know of any please inform us. See full details here.

Students and faculty each have responsibility for maintaining an appropriate learning environment. Those who fail to adhere to such behavioral standards may be subject to discipline. Professional courtesy and sensitivity are especially important with respect to individuals and topics dealing with differences of race, culture, religion, politics, sexual orientation, gender, gender variance, and nationalities. Class rosters are provided to the instructor with the student's legal name. We will gladly honor your request to address you by an alternate name or gender pronoun. Please advise us of this preference early in the semester so that we may make appropriate changes to our records. See policies at here and here.

The University of Colorado at Boulder policy on Discrimination and Harassment, the University of Colorado policy on Sexual Harassment and the University of Colorado policy on Amorous Relationships applies to all students, staff and faculty. Any student, staff or faculty member who believes s/he has been the subject of discrimination or harassment based upon race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status should contact the Office of Discrimiation and Harassment (ODH) at 303-492-2127 or the Office of Judicial Affairs at 303-492-5550. Information about the ODH and the campus resources available to assist individuals regarding discrimination or harassment can be obtained here.

All students of the University of Colorado at Boulder are responsible for knowing and adhering to the academic integrity policy of this institution. Violations of this policy may include: cheating, plagiarism, aid of academic dishonesty, fabrication, lying, bribery, and threatening behavior. All incidents of academic misconduct shall be reported to the Honor Code Council (honor@colorado.edu; 303-735-2273). Students who are found to be in violation of the academic integrity policy will be subject to both academic sanctions from the faculty member and non-academic sanctions (including but not limited to university probation, suspension, or expulsion). Other information on the Honor Code can be found here, and here.