Course Offerings

Foundational Courses

COGS-100 Proseminar in Cognitive Science
Explores current issues in cognitive science insofar as they are pertinent to the interests of students as individuals. Facilitates oral presentation skills by having students make short presentations and receiving feedback from other students and the instructor. Grading for the course will be pass/fail. Students may take the course for 1 hour of credit no more than three times. Freshmen should enroll in COGS 100, sophomores in COGS 200, juniors in COGS 300, and seniors in COGS 400. Prerequisite: A declared major in cognitive science.
COGS-111 Introduction to Cognitive Science (3 credits)
Introduces basic concepts, issues, and methodologies associated with the study of human cognition. Insights appropriately drawn from several fields including biology, computer science, philosophy, and psychology.
NEUR-125 Introduction to Neuroscience (3 credits)
Surveys development, organization, and function of the human brain and nervous system - how we sense, move, feel, and think. Introduces neural bases of mood, emotion, sleep, learning, memory, language, and attention. Assumes minimal prior knowledge of biology, physics, and chemistry.
PHIL-221 Modern European Philosophy (3 credits)
Develops and analyzes philosophical theories from the 16th through the 18th centuries. Emphasis on the works of Descartes, Spinoza, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hobbes, Hume, and Kant.
PHIL-231 Symbolic Logic (3 credits)
Introduces fundamental principles and techniques of modern symbolic or mathematical logic including truth functional logic, quantification theory, and the logic of relations. Especially suited for students with interests in mathematics and computing science.
COGS-292 Internship in Cognitive Science (1-3 credits)
Offers students the opportunity for supervised field experience in teaching or research either on campus or at some other facility appropriate to the student's field of study. Repeatable for credit.

Methods Courses

Students must meet a methods requirement in any one of the following areas: Biology, Computer Science, Economics, Mathematics, or Psychology. Note that some of the courses require prerequisites that the students are expected to meet.

Biology (8 hours)

BIOL-107 General Biology (4 credits)
Course for health science majors that introduces basic principles of cell biology, metabolism, genetics, molecular biology, and evolution. Three hours lecture, two hours lab. Fall.
BIOL-320 Evolution and Ecology (4 credits)
Introduces principles and concepts of evolution and ecology, with emphasis on the intricate and intrinsic relationship between these disciplines. Examines mechanisms of evolutionary change and interactions of organisms, populations, and communities of organisms within their environment. Addresses how these interactions occur, what effects they have on the functioning of natural communities, and how they influence the evolution of populations and species. Three hours lecture, three hours lab. Prerequisites: BIOL 118 with a grade of C- or better. Fall.

Computer Science (9 hours)

CS-210 Fundamentals of Programming I (3 credits)
Emphasizes problem-solving techniques used in the analysis and design of software solutions, including structured top-down design, abstraction, good programming style, debugging, and testing. Programming constructs covered include control structures, functions, and basic, and aggregate data types. Introduction to recursion and dynamic allocation. Fall, spring.
CS-215 Fundamentals of Programming II (3 credits)
Project and problem-solving course emphasizes the use of classes for encapsulation of abstract data types and abstract data structures. Topics include classes, templates, dynamic allocation, searching and sorting, recursion, and exception handling. Introduction to algorithm analysis. Prerequisite: Grade of C- or better in CS 210.

Pick One:

CS-290 Object Oriented Design (3 credits)
In-depth study of abstract data types and objects, including inheritance and polymorphism, frameworks and design patterns, and the use of these principles in problem solving and program design. Prerequisite: CS 215. Spring.
CS-315 Algorithms and Data Structures (3 credits)
Design and implementation of algorithms and advanced data structures with attention to complexity and space analysis. Problem-solving strategies including greedy and divide-and-conquer algorithms as well as dynamic programming techniques. Prerequisites: CS 215, MATH 370. Spring.

Economics (9 hours)

QM-227 Introduction to Statistics (3 credits)
General purpose introduction to principles of analysis and inference under conditions of uncertainty. Focuses on the logic of statistical inference. Topics include probability, probability distributions, random variables, sampling and sampling distributions, estimation, hypothesis testing, and linear regression and correlation. Prerequisite: Proficiency in algebra at introductory level. Credit not given for both Quantitative Methods 227 and either Psychology 245 or Sociology 344.
ECON-300 Regression Analysis (3 credits)
Second course in applied statistics for students in economics and other social sciences, business administration, mathematics, or natural sciences. Topics include simple and multiple regression analysis, extensions of the classical regression model, and problems associated with forecasting. Assigned work exposes students to problems from a wide range of applications. This course includes introduction to econometric software and experiments involving a variety of real world data sets. Prerequisite: QM 227 or another course in principles of statistics. Offered alternate fall semesters.
ECON-400 Econometrics (3 credits)
Continuation of Economics 300. An introductory treatment of econometric techniques and their application to business and social science research. Topics include general linear regression models, nonlinear regression, simultaneous equation models, and models with limited dependent variables. Based on a series of experiments using real world data sets. Prerequisite: ECON 300. Offered alternate spring semesters.

Mathematics (9 hours)

MATH-365 Probability (3 credits)
Develops standard topics in calculus-based axiomatic probability theory and applications, including permutations, combinations, sample spaces, events, random variable, independence, conditional probability, distributions, density functions, expected value, and moment generating functions. Prerequisite: Grade of C- or better in Mathematics 222. Fall.
MATH-466 Mathematical Statistics (3 credits)
Develops standard topics in mathematical statistics, including sampling distributions, estimation, hypothesis testing, analysis of variance, regression, and correlation. Prerequisite: Mathematics 365 with C- or better. Spring.

Pick One:

MATH-370 Discrete & Combinatorial Math (3 credits)
Covers such topics as enumeration, principles of logic, set theory, mathematical induction, generating functions, recurrence relations, and graph theory. Prerequisite: Grade of C- or better in Mathematics 222. Fall.
MATH-373 Numerical Methods (3 credits)
Covers numerical computer-based methods for solving transcendental equations, systems of linear equations, interpolation, approximation, numerical integration and differentiation, and numerical solutions of ordinary differential equations. Prerequisite: Computer Science 205 or 210 or equivalent; Grade of C- or better in Mathematics 222. Mathematics 341 is suggested but not required. Spring 2019.

Psychology (8 hours)

PSYC-245 Statistics for Psychologists (4 credits)
Introduces descriptive statistics, probability, decision theory, and testing of hypotheses by both parametric and nonparametric tests. Emphasizes basic concepts, SPSS computer analysis, and APA-format presentation of results. Three hours lecture, two hours lab. Prerequisites: Nine hours of psychology, including Psychology 121; general education mathematics requirement. Fall.
PSYC-246 Research Methods in Psychology (4 credits)
Emphasizes scientific basis of psychology. Explores research methods of modern psychology. Covers use of statistics in design of behavioral experiments. Example experiments are conducted to aid comprehension. Students gain skills necessary for management of simple research and interpretation of research reports. Three hours lecture, two hours lab. Prerequisites: Psychology 121, 245. Fall, spring.

Upper Division Courses

PSYC-355 Sensation & Perception (3 credits)
Examines perceptual processing of sensory information in vision, hearing, touch, taste, and smell. Examines psychophysics and the influence of personality and environmental factors in human perception. Examines neuropsychology and perceptual abnormalities resulting from brain damage. Prerequisites: NEUR 125 and PSYC 121. Spring.
NEUR-357 Neuropsychology (3 credits)
Examines the function and organization of the nervous system and the role of the nervous system in controlling behavior. Topics include nervous system structure and functions as it relates to sensory processing, movement, sleep, reproductive behavior, emotional behavior, learning and memory, stress and health, neurological disorders, and select psychiatric disorders. Current research methodology and experimental findings emphasized. Prerequisites: Biology 100 or higher; Psychology 121. Fall.
PSYC-366 Cognitive Psychology (3 credits)
The study of how we think. Examines the cognitive processes underlying attention, perception, memory, language, reasoning, and problem-solving. Emphasis on theoretical models and experimental findings. Explores areas of applied cognitive psychology. Prerequisites: Psychology 121, 125. Fall
PHIL-445 History and Philosophy of Science (3 credits)
Studies methodological problems of the natural and social sciences from a historical point of view. Also examines the logic of explanation and theory construction. Prerequisite: One course in philosophy, or junior or senior standing in natural or social science.
PHIL-447 Philosophy of Mind (3 credits)
Analyzes the relationship between mental and bodily phenomena and the nature of cognitive activity. Explores whether a strictly physicalist approach to mind is feasible. Prerequisite: One course in philosophy or permission of instructor.
PHIL-451 Philosophy of Agency (3 credits)
Examines the concept of agency from philosophical, psychological, and biological perspectives. Topics include intentional action, free will, autonomy, selfhood, guidance, control, and the phenomenology of action. Prerequisite: One course in philosophy or permission of instructor.
COGS-345 Complex Systems (3-4 credits)
Studies dynamics involved in animal (human and non-human) and machine cognition from a complex systems perspective. Focuses on both internal systems of cognitive agents and their collective behavior. Specific topics may include neural networks, sensory and motor systems, environmental and agent-to-agent relations, and the role of constraints in cognitive behavior. Includes a computer modeling component, but no previous knowledge of mathematics or computer programming is necessary. Prerequisite: Major or minor in Cognitive Science or permission of the instructor.
COGS-492 Internship in Cognitive Science (1-3 credits)
Offers students the opportunity for supervised field experience in teaching or research either on campus or at some other facility appropriate to the student's field of study. Prerequisite: At least two courses in cognitive science, philosophy, psychology or computer science. Repeatable course.
COGS-498 Seminar in Cognitive Science Psychology (3 credits)
Explores a specific interdisciplinary topic that is pertinent to the contemporary study of cognition and behavior. (Course may be repeated for credit as topic changes; however, it may be counted only once as a requirement toward the cognitive science major.) Prerequisite: Four other courses in cognitive science, philosophy, psychology, or neuroscience.

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