COGS 111: Introduction to Cognitive Science Spring 2007 Syllabus Instructor: Dr. Anthony Beavers Office: Olmstead Hall 342 Email: [email protected] Hours: 11:00-11:50/1:00-1:50 MWF Phone: 488-2682 Class Time: MWF 2:00-2:50 Room: KC 125 Course Description This course will introduce basic concepts, issues and methodologies associated with the interdisciplinary study of human cognition. Its primary goal is to pare down important concepts, such as “cognition,” “intelligence,” and “consciousness,” to render them appro-priate as topics for empirical science. Insights will be appropriately drawn from several fields including biology, computer science, philosophy and psychology. This course is offered for general education credit as a three-hour non-lab science option and serves as a requirement for majors and minors in cognitive science. Required Texts Clark, A. (2001). Mindware: An introduction to the philosophy of cognitive science. Ox-ford: Oxford University Press. Damasio, A. (1994). Descartes’ Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain. New York: Quill. Kolak, D., et. al. (2006). Cognitive Science: An Introduction to Mind and Brain. New York: Routledge. Assignments Students are required to come to class prepared, having read and attempted to understand the reading assignment for the day. In addition, each student will be required to take two exams, a midterm and a comprehensive final exam, and write a five to six page paper on any topic related to the course. The due dates for all assignments are listed on the calen-dar below. Grading 20% - Midterm Exam 30% - Final Exam 30% - Paper 20% - Course ParticipationExam Format Both the midterm and final exams will involve a mixture of objective and written essay components. The objective part may consist of true/false and multiple choice questions with some additional items for matching. The written components will require short, paragraph-length answers. Students will be allotted fifty minutes for the midterm and two hours for the final exam. Paper Requirements and Evaluation The topic for your paper must address some theme that overlaps with course content. (If you are in doubt, ask the instructor!) You must use at least four sources from the library or from an online journal database that indexes peer-reviewed academic papers, such as J-STOR. Resources found in Noesis: Philosophical Research Online (see below) can be used as well, provided that they are full-length academic articles. However, avoid encyclopedia articles, whether in the library or online. Your paper should be longer than five pages and no longer than six. It must be in Times New Roman, 12 point font and formatted according to the MLA style as indicated in the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 6th Edition. (Copies are available in the li-brary, bookstore and at Barnes & Noble.) Be sure to include a title. Staple the paper in the top, left corner. All papers must be submitted in print and electronically through Turnitin.com. Necessary submission information will be posted to Acelink at the appropriate time. Late papers will be penalized accordingly. Your paper will be evaluated according to the following characteristics, though it will not be graded according to an average based on individual assessments of each area. (In other words, I will consider the paper as a whole looking to the following characteristics for guid-ance.) • Focus – Does the paper stick to its topic, addressing necessary details while avoiding extraneous ones? • Organization – Is the paper well-organized with respect to the order and presenta-tion of ideas? Are ideas properly subordinated throughout the paper? • Clarity – Is the paper generally clear and the prose readable? Is the thesis and ar-gument explicit? • Argument – Is the paper well-reasoned on the basis of sound and cogent argu-ment? Is evidence interpreted adequately? • Factuality – Are the factual assertions advanced in the paper generally correct? Are they adequately supported by documentation as needed?• Use of Sources – Are sources appropriately integrated into your paper and mixed throughout. • Documentation – Is the selection and use of sources appropriate for the topic? Is the paper properly documented with citations to your sources? • Format – Does the paper adhere to the formatting guidelines of the 6th edition of the MLA style manual? • Grammar – Is language used according to the rules of grammar? Is it properly academic? Course Participation Course participation grades are not automatic. They are based on oral contributions to the collective learning experience of the class as a whole in terms of asking pertinent ques-tions, answering questions correctly or, at least, provocatively, making insightful obser-vations, and offering other meaningful expressions of interest in the material that help encourage learning. I begin by assuming a C for each student’s course participation grade and move from there. Students should realize that it is possible to talk a lot in class and receive a low grade for course participation. Frequent absences are also grounds for a low participation grade. Attendance Because being present and attentive in class is part of (and perhaps the most important part of) the learning experience and because a serious comportment toward learning new ideas is necessary for understanding cognitive science, I have a serious attendance policy: final grades will be dropped a part letter grade for each unexcused absence after the first. In order for an absence to be excused, students must submit an official university excuse in writing. I will NOT accept email for this purpose. Special consideration will be given to seniors who miss class for job and graduate school interviews that must be scheduled during class time. Electronic Technology in the Classroom (Cell Phones, Laptops, Etc.) The use of laptops, cell phones, gaming devices and other electronic contraptions is not permitted in class. Students caught using them will be asked to leave and counted absent for the day. (You can wear a watch, if you must, but please don’t sit staring at it during my lectures.) Food in the Classroom No eating in