21 courses with the subject COGS, each shown exactly as we captured it from the college's catalog, with every element we hold. Where the wording looks broken, that is our reading of the catalog, not the college's text.
COGS 100Introduction to Cognitive Science1
Cognitive science is a multidisciplinary exploration of the nature of mind and intelligence in whatever forms they may take, from animal (including especially humans) to machine. This course explores the modern history of our efforts to understand the nature of mind, asking such questions as how a purely physical entity could have a mind, whether a computer or robot could have genuine mental states, and what it really means to be intelligent or to have a mind. In the process of seeking answers to these questions, the course explores such phenomena as perception, memory, prediction, decision-making, action, language, and consciousness by integrating methods and concepts from a number of disciplines, including philosophy, psychology, computer science, neuroscience, biology, linguistics, and anthropology. Material from economics, education, mathematics, engineering, and the arts is increasingly integrated into the field as well. No background in any of these disciplines is assumed, and this course is intended to serve as an introduction, for both majors and non-majors, to the unique multidisciplinary approach to studying problems of mind that Cognitive Science represents. The Department. Course Format: CLS
Our understanding of what minds are and of how they work has exploded dramatically in the last half century. As in other areas of science, the more we know the harder it becomes to convey the richness and complexity of that knowledge to non-specialists. This First-Year Course explores two different styles of writing for explaining new findings about the nature of mind to a general audience. The most direct of these styles is journalistic and explanatory and is well represented by the work of people like Steven Pinker, Bruce Bower, Stephen J. Gould, and Ray Kurzweil. The second style is fictional. At its best, science fiction not only entertains, it also stretches the reader’s mind to a view of implications and possibilities beyond what is currently known. Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, Greg Bear, and Richard Powers all provide excellent models of this kind of writing. In this course students practice both ways of writing about technical and scientific discoveries. By working simultaneously in both styles it should become clear that when done well even a strictly explanatory piece of science writing tells a story. By the same token even a purely fictional narrative can explain and elucidate how the real world works. The focus of our work is material from the sciences of mind, but topics from other scientific areas may also be explored. This course does not serve as a prerequisite for upper-level courses in Cognitive Science. Ken Livingston. Open only to first-year students; satisfies the college requirement for a First-Year Writing Seminar. Two 2-hour periods. Course Format: CLS
This course is about the ongoing, dynamic, causal loops of action and perception that situate agents in the world and form the foundation for their intelligence. Topics include how physical energies become perceptual experiences, how systems evolve, develop, and learn the ability to perform complex actions, and how it is that actions are brought under the control of perceptions. Material is drawn from the neurosciences, robotics, human and non-human animal behavior research, and philosophy. Classes include regular laboratory work including human experimental work and robotics. The Department.
COGS 100 . Two 75-minute periods, plus one 4-hour laboratory. Course Format: CLS
Offered
Fall
COGS 213Language1
This course considers the rich and complex phenomenon of human language from a multidisciplinary perspective. The emphasis is on the cognitive representations and processes that enable individual language users to acquire, perceive, comprehend, produce, read, and write language. Consideration is given to the relation of language to thought and consciousness; to neural substrates of language and the effects of brain damage on language ability; to computational models of language; and to language development. Throughout, language is examined at different levels of analysis, including sound, structure, and meaning. Stephen Flusberg.
COGS 100 . Two 75-minute periods. Course Format: CLS
Offered
Fall
COGS 215Knowledge and Cognition1
This course asks how knowledge and cognition contribute to the functioning of biological and synthetic cognitive agents. Along the way it inquires into the origins and nature of knowledge, memory, concepts, goals, and problem-solving strategies. Relevant philosophical issues are examined along with research on the brain, experimental evidence from cognitive psychology, computer models, and evolutionary explanations of mind and behavior. A major goal of the course is to explore how cognitive scientists are coming to understand knowledge and cognition within an embodied agent embedded in a real world. Stephen Flusberg.
COGS 100 . Two 75-minute periods. Course Format: CLS
Offered
Spring
COGS 219Research Methods in Cognitive Science1
In this course, students learn to apply the principal methodologies of cognitive science to a specific problem in the field. The methods are drawn from human neurophysiology, experimental cognitive psychology, computer modeling, linguistic and logical analysis, and other appropriate investigative tools, depending on the specific issue chosen for study. A major goal of the course is to give students hands-on experience with the use and coordination of research techniques and strategies characteristic of contemporary cognitive science, including those related to current concerns about the reproducibility and transparency of scientific research. The course also plays a critical role in preparing students for the senior thesis. It is therefore strongly encouraged that this course be completed by the junior year.
Either COGS 211 , COGS 213 , or COGS 215 and either PSYC 200 , MATH 240 , or ECON 209 Regular laboratory work. Enrollment limited. Two 75-minute periods; one 4-hour laboratory. Course Format: CLS
Offered
Spring
COGS 221Qualitative Methods: Theory and Practice1
This course focuses on methods for studying the subjective experience, thinking, and behavior of organisms, including in their real world contexts. Students are introduced to methods such as: structured and open-ended interview, journaling, experiential sampling, non-intrusive and participant observation, case studies, and longitudinal data gathering. Students learn how these methods are used in research and employ some of them. We also explore a set of basic philosophical issues regarding ways of knowing, whether it is ever possible to attain objective knowledge, the reliability of subjective data, the role of context in organism functioning, and the related problem of ecological validity. We consider the advantages and limitations of the methods that we study. The focus is on qualitative research methods.
One of the following: COGS 211 , 213 , 215 . Two 2-hour periods. Not offered in 2026/27. Course Format: CLS
COGS 281Evolution of Cognitive Systems1
Evolution is a physical law, one particular way in which particular kinds of systems change over time. In Cognitive Science, evolutionary explanations help us understand the deep historical roots of the cognitive systems we know as organisms, the current evolutionary pressures on populations of those lifeforms, and how we have and might continue to create other types of “artificial” cognitive systems. We draw on theories and methods of evolutionary biology, artificial life, embodied computational evolution, biorobotics, animal behavior, and neuroethology; our work is to synthesize these approaches to build an integrative understanding of how actors possessing minds might and do evolve. Topics include evolutionary forces in populations, reconstruction of evolutionary patterns in lineages, testing of adaptation hypotheses, the evolution of intelligence, and evolutionary modeling. John Long.
0.5 to 1 unit(s) Individual or group independent work with prior approval of the advisor and of the instructor who supervises the work. The Department.
A thesis written in two semesters for 1 unit. Yearlong course 304- COGS 305 taken in spring of junior year and spring of senior year. Only for students enrolled in the dual-degree program with Columbia University. Jan Andrews, Gwen Broude, Joshua de Leeuw, Kenneth Livingston. Yearlong course 304- COGS 305 . Course Format: INT
A thesis written in two semesters for 1 unit. Yearlong course COGS 304 -305 taken in the spring of junior year and spring of senior year. Only for students enrolled in the dual-degree program with Columbia University. Joshua de Leeuw, Stephen Flusberg, Kenneth Livingston, John Long. Yearlong course COGS 304 -305. Course Format: INT
At least one 200-level course in Cognitive Science and permission of the instructor. May be repeated for credit if the topic has changed. Two 75-minute periods. Course Format: CLS
Offered
Fall
COGS 312Mind Reading: The Cognitive Science Book Club1
The goal of this course is to explore interests and issues from the field of Cognitive Science that go beyond the Cognitive Science curriculum. These include methodological and theoretical issues as well as empirical work, narrative, and more. The course is book-driven and discussion-intense. Think of it as a Cognitive Science book club. We read books, lots of them, and talk about them. Past topics have included: free will, consciousness, embodiment, first person subjective experience, neuroscientific methods, the anthropological stance, artificial intelligence, origins of morality, story, and theory of mind. Books and topics change each year.
Any 200-level course in Cognitive Science and permission of the instructor. May be taken more than once for credit when content changes. One 2-hour period. Course Format: CLS
Offered
Spring
COGS 319Modeling Minds, Brains, and Behavior1
(Same as CMPU 319 ) This course explores computational models as a powerful tool for developing and testing scientific theories in cognitive science. What exactly are models? How can models be used to test hypotheses? How do we decide whether one model is better than another? Why is modeling such an important part of the scientific process? We will tackle these sorts of questions through hands-on creation and exploration of models, as well as discussion of research papers that exemplify modeling work in cognitive science. By the end of the course, students will understand the foundational issues of modeling, be better consumers of research that uses modeling, and be able to build their own models. Because there are a wide variety of modeling approaches used in cognitive science, the focus of this class changes periodically to cover different areas of modeling. The course may be repeated for credit if the topic has changed.
Subject
COGS
Credits (min)
1
Credits (max)
1
Credit unit
unit(s)
Type
course
Repeatable
may be repeated for credit if the topic has changed.
A 200-level course in Cognitive Science, Computer Science, or a related discipline; or permission of the instructor. May be repeated for credit if the topic has changed. One 2-hour period plus one 50-minute period. Course Format: CLS
Offered
Spring
COGS 320Autonomous Robotics Design Competition1
This course gives students with an interest in robotics an opportunity to explore basic principles of robot design and programming in a hands-on laboratory environment. The specific nature of the task to be accomplished varies each year, but in all cases the problems to be solved require thinking about the key issues that confront any robot designer: How is the robot situated in its environment? How does the design of the robot’s body affect its intelligence? What are the optimal strategies for programming flexible intelligence in the robot (e.g., behavior-based or reactive systems, world modeling and planning systems, hybrid systems)? Students are organized into teams with balanced skill sets and compete to complete the assigned task most effectively in an end-of-semester competition. The design and construction components of the course are supported by classroom instruction in basic electronics, hardware design and building techniques, and relevant programming skills.
Either COGS 211 , a 200-level CMPU course, or permission of the instructor. Students who have neither COGS 211 nor a 200-level CMPU course as
Offered
Spring
COGS 393Minds in Motion: The Cognitive Science of Dance0.5
(Same as DANC 393 ) How do we dance and how does it affect us? Dancing to a beat is a type of rhythmic synchronization with social origins; it involves watching, listening, and then reproducing and riffing on the sounds and movements of others, in coordinaion with others. As we learn more about how the brain and body co-operate with each other, and interact with their world, the cognitive underpinnings of dance appear to involve the parallel workings of multiple perception-action loops and mental models that learn and predict. From a neural perspective, we see the brain activity of dance partners entrain, and people with Parkinson’s who use music and dance to reorganize their rhythmic movements. In this Intensive, we explore dance from the perspective of cognitive science and cognitive science from the perspective of dance. Our work includes readings, projects and experiments. John Long, Miriam Mahdaviani. Second six-week course. One 2-hour period. Course Format: INT
0.5 to 1 unit(s) Individual or group advanced independent work with prior approval of the advisor and of the instructor who supervises the work. The Department.
