Cognitive Science Major
Students must also complete the Undergraduate Registration Requirement and the degree requirements of their home school.
NOTE: This Catalog describes Weinberg College BA requirements that pertain to students who matriculated at Northwestern after spring quarter 2023. Refer to the Archives if you are following BA requirements described in the 2018-2019 through 2022-2023 editions.
Course | Title |
---|---|
Major Requirements (13 units) | |
3 required introductory courses: | |
Introduction to Cognitive Science | |
Introduction to Computer Programming | |
Fundamentals of Computer Programming | |
or STAT 201-0 | Introduction to Programming for Data Science |
Introduction to Statistics and Data Science | |
or PSYCH 201-0 | Statistical Methods in Psychology |
1 required proseminar | |
Cognitive Science Proseminar | |
5 Theme courses, one from each of the five themes listed below. | |
Theme: Brains & Bodies | |
Language and the Brain | |
Sound Patterns in Human Language | |
Intro to Music Cognition | |
Neurobiology of Learning and Memory | |
Introduction to Neuroscience | |
Theme: Learning over Lifetimes | |
Learning, Representation & Reasoning | |
Language Development and Usage | |
Cognitive Psychology | |
Developmental Psychology | |
Theme: Models & Machines | |
Introduction to Cognitive Modeling | |
Introduction to Artificial Intelligence | |
Formal Analysis of Words & Sentences | |
Introduction to Computational Linguistics | |
Minds and Machines | |
Philosophy of Mind | |
Theme: Reasoning & Rhetoric | |
Evaluating Evidence | |
Meaning | |
Theory of Knowledge | |
Political Psychology | |
Psychology of Thinking | |
Decision Making | |
Theme: Collective Cognition | |
Psychological Anthropology | |
Presenting Ideas & Data | |
Culture and Cognition | |
Redesigning Everyday Organizations | |
Learning and Thinking in Organizations | |
Cultural Psychology | |
4 Electives chosen from the Theme lists above or from the Electives listed below |
-
Of the 9 Theme and Elective courses (5 Theme courses plus 4 Electives) at least five must be at the 300-level or above. Other 300- and 400-level courses beyond those listed here may be counted as Electives with consent of the director of undergraduate studies.
-
COG_SCI 399-0 or another independent study approved by the cognitive science adviser may count as an Elective course.
-
For students pursuing honors, the second quarter Senior Thesis Seminar (COG_SCI 398-2) may count as an Elective course.
-
At most 3 courses counted toward the cognitive science major may be double-counted toward another major. Courses used to meet major requirements may not be double-counted toward a minor.
Electives
Students following the major requirements in this catalog year may chose any of the elective courses listed below regardless of academic area. Students following requirements in the 2020-2021 or prior catalog year should refer to that catalog for the required allocation of courses among designated advanced elective areas.
Elective Courses
Course | Title |
---|---|
ANTHRO 360-0 | Language and Culture |
ANTHRO 361-0 | Talk as Social Action |
ANTHRO 389-0 | Ethnographic Methods and Analysis |
BIOL_SCI 302-0 | Fundamentals of Neurobiology |
CSD 301-0 | Anatomy and Physiology of the Vocal Mechanism |
CSD 302-0 | Anatomy and Physiology of the Peripheral Hearing Mechanism |
CSD 303-0 | Brain and Cognition |
CSD 306-0 | Psychoacoustics |
CSD 309-0 | Culture, Language and Learning |
CSD 310-0 | Biological Foundations of Speech and Music |
CSD 342-0 | Language and Cognition in Atypical Development |
CSD 373-0 | Introduction to Learning Disabilities |
CSD 376-0 | Diagnostic & Remedial Approaches for Children With Learning Problems |
CSD 382-0 | Autism Spectrum Disorder |
CSD 388-0 | Attention Deficit Disorder and Related Disorders |
CSD 392-0 | Language Development and Usage |
COMM_ST 227-0 | Communication & Technology |
COMM_ST 351-0 | Technology & Human Interaction |
COMP_SCI 314-0 | Technology and Human Interaction |
COMP_SCI 325-0 | Artificial Intelligence Programming |
COMP_SCI 330-0 | Human Computer Interaction |
COMP_SCI 337-0 | Natural Language Processing: Classical Approaches |
COMP_SCI 338-0 | Practicum in Intelligent Information Systems |
COMP_SCI 344-0 | Design of Computer Problem Solvers |
COMP_SCI 347-0 | Conversational AI |
COMP_SCI 349-0 | Machine Learning |
COMP_SCI 371-0 | Knowledge Representation and Reasoning |
COMP_SCI 372-0 | Designing and Constructing Models with Multi-Agent Languages |
ECON 330-0 | Behavioral Economics |
LING 300-0 | Topics in Linguistics |
LING 315-0 | Experimental Approaches to Word Form Processing |
LING 316-0 | Experimental Syntax |
LING 317-0 | Experimental Pragmatics |
LING 321-0 | Bilingualism |
LING 330-0 | Research Methods in Linguistics |
LING 341-0 | Language Typology |
LING 342-0 | Structure of Various Languages |
LING 350-0 | Fundamentals of Laboratory Phonology |
LING 360-0 | Fundamentals of Syntax |
LING 370-0 | Fundamentals of Meaning |
LING 371-0 | Reference |
LING 372-0 | Pragmatics |
LING 373-0 | Implicature |
LRN_SCI 301-0 | Design of Learning Environments |
MUSIC 320-0 | Listening in the Age of the Algorithm |
MUS_THRY 341-0 | Sound to Structure |
MUS_THRY 348-0 | Corpus Studies |
NEUROSCI 320-0 | Animal Behavior |
NEUROSCI 360-0 | Neuroscience of Brain Disorders |
NEUROSCI 377-0 | Neurobiology of Sensation and Perception |
PHIL 250-0 | Elementary Logic II |
PHIL 253-0 | Introduction to the Philosophy of Language |
PHIL 327-0 | Philosophy of Psychology |
PHIL 330-0 | Practical Reasoning and Choice |
PHIL 350-0 | Advanced Logic |
PHIL 351-0 | Advanced Topics in Philosophical Logic |
PHIL 353-0 | Philosophy of Language |
PSYCH 324-0 | Perception |
PSYCH 327-0 | Brain and Cognition |
PSYCH 328-0 | Brain Damage and the Mind |
PSYCH 336-0 | Consciousness |
PSYCH 370-0 | Cognitive Development |
PSYCH 372-0 | Language and Cognition |
PSYCH 374-0 | Human Memory |
Also relevant sections of: | |
Topics In Anthropology | |
Special Topics in Communication Sciences and Disorders | |
Special Topics in Computer Science | |
Selected Topics in Music Theory | |
Selected Topics in Music Cognition | |
Special Topics in Cognition/Neuroscience | |
Advanced Seminar in Cognition or Neuroscience |
Honors in Cognitive Science
Majors with strong academic records and an interest in pursuing honors should contact the director of undergraduate studies in early spring of junior year. Qualifying students prepare a thesis proposal under the guidance of a faculty mentor and present the proposal, along with the names of the mentor and a second faculty reader, to the program committee for review. After committee approval of the proposal, students normally enroll in COG_SCI 398-1 Senior Thesis Seminar in fall and COG_SCI 398-2 Senior Thesis Seminar in winter of senior year. With the permission of the director of undergraduate studies, 1 quarter of COG_SCI 399-0 Independent Study may be substituted for one of either COG_SCI 398-1 Senior Thesis Seminar or COG_SCI 398-2 Senior Thesis Seminar.
Students whose projects, theses, and grades meet program criteria are recommended to the college for graduation with honors. For more information consult the director of undergraduate studies and see the section on Honors in Cognitive Science on the Cognitive Science Undergraduate page.