Postgraduate Course: CogLab 1: Seminars in Contemporary Cognitive Science (PHIL11146)
Course Outline
| School | School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | This course gives MSc students the opportunity to engage in contemporary debates in cognitive science.
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| Course description |
The course builds on the successful Philosophy Psychology Informatics Group (PPIG) seminar series. It will run on a fortnight basis with both internal and external speakers. Students will be required to attend the seminars and will be exposed to a variety of current topics in cognitive science. A pre-seminar tutorial will be run for students in which the topic is introduced and necessary background provided. The seminars will provide the springboard for students to probe deeper into cutting edge debates in cognitive science, through an analysis of further relevant sources which are selected for each seminar, Q&A with the speaker, and an investigation of a chosen topic for the coursework.
The schedule for the PPIG seminar can be found here: https://ppls.ed.ac.uk/philosophy/research/seminars-and-reading-groups/ppig
Note that there are 2 versions of this course: CogLab 1 and CogLab 2. These run respectively in semesters 1 and 2. Each course is based on the work of the speakers scheduled for that semester. CogLab 1 is not a prerequisite for taking CogLab 2. Each course is free standing. Students are welcome to take either course or both courses.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2025/26, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 0 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
100
(
Lecture Hours 13,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
85 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
One essay of 3000 words on a chosen topic related to one of the speakers' seminars and agreed with the course organiser.
Word limit: 3000 words maximum (excluding references) |
| Feedback |
Students have the opportunity to submit a formative essay. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- engage in rich interdisciplinary discussion that includes philosophy, psychology, neuroscience and computer science
- identify and engage with contemporary debates in cognitive science
- formulate questions and positions of relevance for cutting-edge research in cognitive science
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Reading List
Readings will include new or in-progress papers by PPIG speakers, as well as relevant background papers, to be determined by the speaker and announced before each tutorial on Learn.
Although specific background is not required, this is an advanced course, dealing with cutting edge research, so some familiarity with relevant background material is advised.
For relevant background in the philosophy of cognitive science, some good survey texts include:
Clark, A. (2013). Mindware: An Introduction to Cognitive Science (2nd Edition) Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Clark, A. (1997) Being There. MIT Press, London.
Crane, T. (2003). The Mechanical Mind. Routledge, London, 2nd edition.
Bechtel, W. (2008) Mental Mechanisms. Taylor & Francis, London.
Freeman, W. J. (2000) How Brains Make Up Their Minds. Columbia UP, New York.
Churchland, P. M. (2012) Plato's Camera. MIT Press, London.
Two useful texts that introduce different approaches to 'embodied cognitive science' are:
Thompson, E. (2007) Mind in Life. Harvard University Press.
Chemero, A. (2009) Radical Embodied Cognition. MIT Press. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Reading, understanding and critically engaging with complex texts; critical thinking; constructive oral engagement; essay writing. |
| Additional Class Delivery Information |
The course will be led by the Course Organiser, however both internal and external speakers will be involved in the course. |
| Keywords | Cognitive Science,Philosophy,Psychology,Embodiment,Agency,Social Cognition |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Tillman Vierkant
Tel: (0131 6)51 3748
Email: T.Vierkant@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Olivia Coltman
Tel:
Email: ocoltman@ed.ac.uk |
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