COGSCI 600, Seminar in Cognitive Science

You should start thinking about your essay early on. There is a good deal of leeway for what you write on and for how you write on it. There are two criteria, beyond the word count: that it satisfy the requirements for an essay (report, article) in the discipline it concerns (Psychology, English, Philosophy, Computer Science, Biology, Anthropology, German, Linguistics, Architecture, Management Sciences, Systems Design Engineering, ...); and that it involves cognitive science in a significant way. It will be graded jointly by me (Harris), and another lecturer in the course who is suited to the topic and approach. In the case that someone writes an essay outside the expertise of the lecturers (in Architecture, for instance, or Sociology), I will try to recruit someone from the relevant discipline (your suggestions would be welcome).

I encourage you to integrate this essay with work you might already be doing, especially with a major research project, a thesis, or a dissertation, but it should not be a mere echo of that work. It should seriously address the themes we take up in the class.

Please keep in mind that this is a seminar: you are expected to take an active role in the development of the course. Come to class prepared, participate in discussions, contribute to our collective understanding of cognitive science.

I will use a merit/demerit policy to evaluate your participation. Merit will be awarded primarily on the quality of participation: asking relevant questions; making relevant observations; complementing or advancing someone else's contribution; and generally being a constructive CogSci 600 citizen. Quantity of participation is a positive factor only to the extent that more quality contributions are preferable to fewer quality contributions, but talking for the sake of talking is not a good idea. Demerit will be assessed reluctantly, and only on the basis of repeated instances. The grounds for the demerit system are: absenteeism (you can't participate if you're not there); whispering or chatting while other people are talking; and/or making lengthy, unfocused comments that draw away from the general thread of discussion (verbal wanking).

The presentation should be 10-20 minutes long, and you can adopt any format you like, though I discourage reading, and the topic should overlap substantially with your essay. It might be effectively a précis of your argument, for instance, or a significant subcomponent of your argument, or the report of results relevant to your essay. If you are using technology (data display, audio, overhead projector, whiteboard, etc.), it is your responsibility to work out the logistics ahead of time (test the file, bring a marker, ...).