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Fall 2010
Cognitive Science 98/198
2 Unit(s)

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About the Course:

Who: Anyone interested in Cognitive Science, Psychology, Neuroscience, Philosophy, Artificial Intelligence, Linguistics, or the Social Sciences are encouraged to take this class. BRoCA is designed for students interested and somewhat familiar with the Cognitive Sciences and the many disciplines that surround it. We recommend that you have taken CogSci1 or a few other classes in CogSci in order to have a foundation for understanding the material that we will be analyzing.

 

What & Why: Cognitive Science is one of the last remaining frontiers of science, where exciting interdisciplinary research revolutionizing our understanding of the brain and mind is published on a daily basis. Because Cognitive Science is such a “hot” field, it is imperative for those interested in Cognitive Science to stay up-to-date on newly published research. The Berkeley Review of CogSci Articles (BRoCA) is intended to assist students in finding, understanding, analyzing, and discussing fascinating and cutting-edge research. Articles will be selected and presented by post-doctoral fellows and graduate students involved in Cognitive Science research.

Where: 121 Wheeler

When: Tuesdays 6-8pm (Beginning 2/1/11)

How: Each class meeting, students will be given a paper copy of an article to read for the next week’s class session. Stapled to each article will be a response page in which each student needs to come up with at least two questions and one comment or observation to add to the class discussion. This response page will be checked at the beginning of class by a facilitator and used as a means of checking attendance.

 A guest speaker will come in each week and facilitate a review, critical discussion, and analysis of the article with the class. This will serve as an opportunity to ask questions of our guest facilitator.

Course Objectives:

By the end of this course, students will be:

• Able to read scientific articles in the Cognitive Sciences.
• Familiar with research techniques, experimental design, and methods.
• Able to critique experimental design in scientific articles.
• Comfortable analyzing and discussing cutting-edge research.
• Ready to create and deliver a presentation about a scientific experiment to an audience!

Requirements and Grading:

Grades will be based on attendance, participation in discussions, and an end of semester presentation on a research article. The class only meets weekly, so only two absences are permitted.

Breakdown:

Attendance and Participation…………………………………………………75%

Final Research Presentation (required to pass the class)……………………….25%

Total……………………………………………………………………..100%

How to Enroll:

Applicants will be accepted based on class standing (priority to upperclassmen) and interest in course material (gauged by a short written response during the first class meeting).

We welcome students from all grade levels who feel they have a sufficient background in Cognitive Science to be able to read and analyze the weekly articles.

CCNs will be distributed during the first week of the course.