Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Cognitive Science with Specialization in the Biological Foundations of Cognition
ObjectivesUntil about a century ago, the study of the mind was carried out mostly by philosophers. Psychology and linguistics then emerged as distinct disciplines. Psychologists developed an empirical approach to perception and reasoning, while linguists focused on the nature of language. When artificial intelligence made its appearance, just after the Second World War, yet another perspective opened up. Today cognitive science is an exciting discipline that integrates elements of philosophy, psychology, linguistics, neuroscience, and computer science into a unified field of study. Cognitive scientists study cognition, perception, and emotion from all these perspectives, ranging from abstract concepts at one end to well-defined empirical research on language and cognition and computer modelling at the other.
Entry requirementsThe degree program is intended for students who are interested in cognitive processing - of humans, animals, and machines.
Academic titleBachelor of Arts (Honours) in Cognitive Science with Specialization in the Biological Foundations of Cognition
Course descriptionCognitive Science with Specialization in the Biological Foundations of Cognition
B.A. Honours (20.0 credits)
1. Credits Included in the Major GPA (15.5 credits):
1. 2.0 credits in CGSC 2001, CGSC 2002, CGSC 3001 and CGSC 3002;
2. 1.0 credit in CGSC 4908 [1.0];
3. 1.0 credit in COMP 1005 and COMP 1006;
4. 0.5 credit from COMP 4106 or CGSC 4001;
5. 0.5 credit in LALS 1001;
6. 1.5 credits in LALS 2001, LALS 2005 and LALS 3505;
7. 1.0 credit in PHIL 1301, PHIL 2501, or PHIL 3502;
8. 0.5 credit from PHIL 2001, PHIL 2520 or PHIL 3306;
9. 0.5 credit from PHIL 2301, PHIL 2504, PHIL 3104, PHIL 3301, PHIL 3501, PHIL 3502, PHIL 3504, PHIL 3506, PHIL 3530, CGSC 3004;
10. 2.5 credits in PSYC 1001, PSYC 1002, PSYC 2001, PSYC 2200, and PSYC 2700;
11. 4.5 credits in the specialization:
1. 0.5 credit in PSYC 2002;
2. 0.5 credit in PSYC at the 2000-level or above;
3. 2.0 credits in PSYC 3000 [1.0] and PSYC 3200 [1.0];
4. 0.5 credit from PSYC 3202 or PSYC 3702;
5. 1.0 credit in PSYC at the 4000-level or above;
2. Credits Not Included in the Major CGPA (4.5 credits):
12. 4.5 credits in free electives.
Note:
* Normally, students may not offer more than one credit of independent study (eg. CGSC 4801 and CGSC 4802) in their total program, including independent study credits taken through other departments.
CGSC 2001 - Introduction to Cognitive Science
CGSC 2002 - Theories and Methods in Cognitive Science
CGSC 3001 - Honours Seminar in Cognitive Science I
CGSC 3002 - Honours Seminar in Cognitive Science II
CGSC 3004 - Philosophy and Cognitive Science
CGSC 3100 - Co-operative Work Term Report 1
CGSC 4001 - Artificial Intelligence for Cognitive Scientists
CGSC 4100 - Co-operative Work Term Report 2
CGSC 4101 - Co-operative Work Term Report 3
CGSC 4801 - Independent Study
CGSC 4802 - Independent Study
CGSC 4900 - Special Topics in Cognitive Science
CGSC 4908 - Honours Project
PHIL 1000 - Introductory Philosophy: Fields, Figures and Problems
PHIL 1100 - Looking at Philosophy
PHIL 1200 - The Meaning of Life
PHIL 1301 - Mind, World, and Knowledge
PHIL 1500 - Contemporary Moral, Social and Religious Issues
PHIL 1550 - Introduction to Ethics and Social Issues
PHIL 1600 - History of Philosophy
PHIL 2001 - Introduction to Logic
PHIL 2003 - Critical Thinking
PHIL 2005 - Greek Philosophy and the Western Tradition
PHIL 2010 - Issues in Theoretical Philosophy
PHIL 2020 - Issues in Practical Philosophy
PHIL 2101 - History of Ethics
PHIL 2103 - Philosophy of Human Rights
PHIL 2104 - Computer Ethics
PHIL 2106 - Information Ethics
PHIL 2201 - Introduction to Marxist Philosophy
PHIL 2202 - Topics in Marxist Philosophy
PHIL 2301 - Introduction to the Philosophy of Science
PHIL 2306 - Philosophy and Feminism
PHIL 2307 - Gender and Philosophy
PHIL 2380 - Introduction to Environmental Ethics
PHIL 2405 - Philosophy of the Paranormal
PHIL 2408 - Bioethics
PHIL 2501 - Introduction to Philosophy of Mind
PHIL 2504 - Language and Communication
PHIL 2520 - Introduction to Philosophical Logic
PHIL 2540 - Personal Identity and the Self
PHIL 2550 - Moral Psychology
PHIL 2601 - Philosophy of Religion
PHIL 2807 - Philosophy of Art
PHIL 2900 - Truth and Propaganda
PHIL 3000 - Topics in Ancient Philosophy
PHIL 3001 - Early Greek Philosophy
PHIL 3002 - 17th Century Philosophy
PHIL 3003 - 18th Century Philosophy
PHIL 3005 - 19th Century Philosophy
PHIL 3009 - Topics in European Philosophy
PHIL 3010 - Philosophical Traditions
PHIL 3102 - Philosophy of Law: The Logic of Law
PHIL 3104 - The Roots of Analytic Philosophy
PHIL 3140 - Epistemology
PHIL 3150 - Metaphysics
PHIL 3301 - Issues in the Philosophy of Science
PHIL 3306 - Symbolic Logic
PHIL 3320 - Contemporary Ethical Theory
PHIL 3330 - Topics in History of Social and Political Philosophy
PHIL 3340 - Topics in Contemporary Social and Political Philosophy
PHIL 3350 - Philosophy, Ethics, and Public Affairs
PHIL 3380 - Environments, Technology and Values
PHIL 3450 - Topics in Aesthetics
PHIL 3501 - Philosophy of Cognitive Science
PHIL 3502 - Mind and Action
PHIL 3504 - Pragmatics
PHIL 3506 - Semantics
PHIL 3530 - Philosophy of Language
PHIL 3901 - Independent Study
PHIL 3902 - Independent Study
PHIL 3903 - Independent Study
PHIL 3906 - Independent Study
PHIL 3907 - Independent Study
PHIL 3908 - Independent Study
PHIL 4003 - Seminar in philosophy Before the Modern Period
PHIL 4004 - Seminar in philosophy Before the Modern Period
PHIL 4005 - Seminar in Modern Philosophy
PHIL 4006 - Seminar in Modern Philosophy
PHIL 4007 - Seminar in Contemporary Philosophy
PHIL 4008 - Seminar in Contemporary Philosophy
PHIL 4100 - Special Topic
PHIL 4210 - Seminar in philosophy of Language or Linguistics
PHIL 4220 - Seminar in philosophy of Mind or Cognition
PHIL 4230 - Seminar in Metaphysics, Epistemology, or Philosophy of Science
PHIL 4300 - Seminar in Ethical Theory or Meta-Ethics
PHIL 4320 - Seminar in Ethics or Moral Philosophy
PHIL 4330 - Seminar in Social or Political Philosophy
PHIL 4403 - Special Topic in Applied Ethics
PHIL 4404 - Special Topic in Applied Ethics
PHIL 4405 - Special Topic in Aesthetics or Philosophy of Art
PHIL 4406 - Special Topic in Aesthetics or Philosophy of Art
PHIL 4407 - Special Topic in philosophy of Law
PHIL 4408 - Special Topic in philosophy of Law
PHIL 4503 - Special Topic in philosophy of Computing
PHIL 4504 - Special Topic in philosophy of Computing
PHIL 4505 - Semantics II
PHIL 4507 - Contemporary Formal Semantics
PHIL 4603 - Special Topic in Feminist Philosophy
PHIL 4604 - Special Topic in Feminist Philosophy
PHIL 4606 - Special Topic in Continental Philosophy
PHIL 4607 - Special Topic in Continental Philosophy