Cognitive Science Major
Research in cognition has surged recently, which affects fields such as psychology, linguistics, philosophy, computing science, education, anthropology, communications, and sociology. The greatest impact within psychology is in the sub-fields of psycholinguistics, cognitive psychology, and developmental psychology; within philosophy, on philosophy of language, philosophical logic, and philosophy of mind; within linguistics, on semantics, syntax, phonology, and phonetics; and within computing science, on artificial intelligence.
Those working in these areas find they read the same literature and ask closely related questions in research and teaching. Increasingly, work in these fields belongs to a common area which cuts across traditional departmental organization. At Ά‘ΟγΤ°AV, this interrelation is reflected in courses which draw on research, cognition and language from different departments. This program offers a structured and integrated study of cognition.
Bachelor of Arts Requirements
Students complete 120 units which include at least
65 units in Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences subjects (includes major/minor units if in this faculty)
45 upper division units (includes major/minor units)
writing, quantitative and breadth requirements as described below
Program Requirements
Within the minimum 120 units needed for the BA, students complete the required courses in the sections below.
Lower Division Requirements
Introductory Courses
Students complete a minimum of 18 units, including
This course provides a basic integrative overview of how cognitive science aspires to integrate the empirical findings, theories, and methods of psychology, neuroscience, linguistics, computing science and philosophy. Prerequisite: Open to all students. Students with credit for COGS 200 may not take COGS 100 for further credit. Breadth-Hum/Social Sci/Science.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
Jeremy Turner |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Wed, 5:30β8:20 p.m.
|
Vancouver |
and the following requirements.
Computing Science
Students complete either
A rigorous introduction to computing science and computer programming, suitable for students who already have substantial programming background. This course provides a condensed version of the two-course sequence of CMPT 120/125, with the primary focus on computing science and object oriented programming. Topics include: fundamental algorithms and problem solving; abstract data types and elementary data structures; basic object-oriented programming and software design; elements of empirical and theoretical algorithmics; computation and computability; specification and program correctness; and history of computing science. Prerequisite: BC Math 12 (or equivalent, or any of MATH 100, 150, 151, 154, or 157). Students with credit for CMPT 120, 125, 128, 130, 135 or higher may not take CMPT 126 for further credit. Quantitative/Breadth-Science.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
Karol Swietlicki |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Mon, Wed, Fri, 2:30β3:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D101 |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Fri, 10:30β11:20 a.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D102 |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Fri, 11:30 a.m.β12:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D103 |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Fri, 12:30β1:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D104 |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Fri, 1:30β2:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D105 |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Fri, 3:30β4:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
or both of
An elementary introduction to computing science and computer programming, suitable for students with little or no programming background. Students will learn fundamental concepts and terminology of computing science, acquire elementary skills for programming in a high-level language and be exposed to diverse fields within, and applications of computing science. Topics will include: pseudocode, data types and control structures, fundamental algorithms, computability and complexity, computer architecture, and history of computing science. Treatment is informal and programming is presented as a problem-solving tool. Prerequisite: BC Math 12 or equivalent is recommended. Students with credit for CMPT 102, 125, 126, 128 or 130 may not take this course for further credit. Quantitative/Breadth-Science.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
Anne Lavergne |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Wed, 1:30β2:20 p.m.
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Fri, 12:30β2:20 p.m. |
Burnaby Burnaby |
|
D101 |
Anne Lavergne |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Wed, 10:30β11:20 a.m.
|
Burnaby |
D102 |
Anne Lavergne |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Wed, 10:30β11:20 a.m.
|
Burnaby |
D103 |
Anne Lavergne |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Wed, 11:30 a.m.β12:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
D104 |
Anne Lavergne |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Wed, 11:30 a.m.β12:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
D105 |
Anne Lavergne |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Wed, 12:30β1:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
D106 |
Anne Lavergne |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Wed, 12:30β1:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
D107 |
Anne Lavergne |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Wed, 2:30β3:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
A rigorous introduction to computing science and computer programming, suitable for students who already have some background in computing science and programming. Intended for students who will major in computing science or a related program. Topics include: fundamental algorithms; elements of empirical and theoretical algorithmics; abstract data types and elementary data structures; basic object-oriented programming and software design; computation and computability; specification and program correctness; and history of computing science. Prerequisite: CMPT120. Co-requisite: CMPT127. Students with credit for CMPT 126, 128, 135 or CMPT 200 or higher may not take for further credit. Quantitative.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
Bobby Chan |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Mon, Wed, Fri, 3:30β4:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
Additionally students who choose intermediate level computing science, must complete
Introduction to counting, induction, automata theory, formal reasoning, modular arithmetic. Prerequisite: BC Math 12 (or equivalent), or any of MATH 100, 150, 151, 154, 157. Quantitative/Breadth-Science.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
Distance Education | |||
Ramesh Krishnamurti |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Mon, Wed, Fri, 9:30β10:20 a.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D101 |
Ramesh Krishnamurti |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Thu, 9:30β10:20 a.m.
|
Burnaby |
D102 |
Ramesh Krishnamurti |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Thu, 10:30β11:20 a.m.
|
Burnaby |
D103 |
Ramesh Krishnamurti |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Thu, 11:30 a.m.β12:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
D104 |
Ramesh Krishnamurti |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Thu, 2:30β3:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
D105 |
Ramesh Krishnamurti |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Thu, 3:30β4:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
D106 |
Ramesh Krishnamurti |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Fri, 1:30β2:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
Linguistics
Philosophy
An introduction to some of the central problems of philosophy. Topics to be discussed include the different theories of reality; the nature and sources of knowledge, truth, evidence, and reason; the justification of belief and knowledge about the universe. These topics and problems will be considered as they arise in the context of issues such as: relativism versus absolutism; the existence of God; personal identity; the nature of the mind and its relation to the body; free will and determinism; the possibility of moral knowledge. Open to all students. Students with credit for PHIL 100 may not take this course for further credit. Writing/Breadth-Humanities.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
Michaela Lucas |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Mon, Wed, 11:30 a.m.β12:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D101 |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Mon, 9:30β10:20 a.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D102 |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Mon, 10:30β11:20 a.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D103 |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Mon, 12:30β1:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D104 |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Mon, 2:30β3:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D105 |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Tue, 9:30β10:20 a.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D106 |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Tue, 2:30β3:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D107 |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Wed, 9:30β10:20 a.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D108 |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Wed, 10:30β11:20 a.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D109 |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Wed, 12:30β1:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D110 |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Wed, 1:30β2:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D111 |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Wed, 2:30β3:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D112 |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Wed, 2:30β3:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D113 |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Wed, 12:30β1:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D114 |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Mon, 12:30β1:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D115 |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Wed, 10:30β11:20 a.m.
|
Burnaby |
Psychology
Acquaints the student with the major issues in contemporary psychology and considers the historical antecedents. Special attention is given to questions of methodology and research design in psychology. Topics in physiological psychology, perception, learning and motivation are considered. Students with credit for PSYC 101 may not take PSYC 100 for further credit. Breadth-Social Sciences.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
George Alder |
May 11 β Jun 22, 2015: Mon, Wed, Fri, 10:30 a.m.β12:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
Acquaints the student with major issues in contemporary psychology and considers their historical antecedents. Topics in learning, cognition, social psychology and abnormal psychology are considered. Recommended: PSYC 100 is recommended but not required. Students with credit for PSYC 101 may not take PSYC 102 for further credit. Breadth-Social Sciences.
Intermediate Courses
Students complete a minimum of 18 units including
An introduction to major empirical methods and theoretical frameworks for exploring the mind that examines some of the foundational debates that have fueled investigations over the past fifty years. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, the course illustrates how a convergence of ideas from psychology, philosophy, linguistics, and computer science has led to deep explanations of a range of cognitive science topics. Prerequisite: COGS 100. Students who have taken COGS 200 before 1998 may take this course for further credit.
and the requirements for at least three of the four disciplines shown below.
Computing Science
Introduction to a variety of practical and important data structures and methods for implementation and for experimental and analytical evaluation. Topics include: stacks, queues and lists; search trees; hash tables and algorithms; efficient sorting; object-oriented programming; time and space efficiency analysis; and experimental evaluation. Prerequisite: MACM 101 and one of CMPT 125, 126 or 128; or CMPT 128 and approval as a Biomedical Engineering Major. Students with credit for CMPT 201 may not take this course for further credit. Quantitative.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
John Edgar |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Mon, 12:30β2:20 p.m.
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Wed, 12:30β1:20 p.m. |
Burnaby Burnaby |
|
D101 |
Geoffrey Tien |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Tue, 11:30 a.m.β12:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
D102 |
Geoffrey Tien |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Tue, 12:30β1:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
D103 |
Geoffrey Tien |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Tue, 1:30β2:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
D104 |
Geoffrey Tien |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Thu, 11:30 a.m.β12:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
D105 |
Geoffrey Tien |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Thu, 12:30β1:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
D106 |
Geoffrey Tien |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Thu, 1:30β2:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
D107 |
Geoffrey Tien |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Thu, 2:30β3:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
Linguistics
The principles of phonetic and phonological analysis. Prerequisite: LING 220.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
James Thompson |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Wed, 2:30β5:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
The principles of syntactic analysis. Prerequisite: LING 220.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
James Thompson |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Tue, 2:30β5:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
Lorna Fadden |
TBD |
Philosophy
A critical overview of recent accounts of the nature and scope of human knowledge and of justified or rational belief, and of philosophical issues that these accounts are intended to address. Prerequisite: One of PHIL 100W (or equivalent), 144, 150, 151, or COGS 100. Students who have taken PHIL 301 cannot take this course for further credit.
This course studies a natural deductive system of propositional and quantificational logic, the first-order theory of identity and the first-order theory of relations. Topics include the metatheory of propositional logic and the application of formal theory to the assessment of natural language arguments. Quantitative.
Psychology
An introduction to the procedures used in psychological research, and to the logic underlying them. Topics include the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to research, the formulation of testable questions, the control of extraneous influences, the measurement of effects, and the drawing of valid conclusions from empirical evidence. Provides a background for senior psychology courses since it offers a basis for the critical evaluation and conduct of research. Prerequisite: PSYC 100 or 102 (or PSYC 101). Students with credit for PSYC 201 may not take this course for further credit. Writing/Quantitative.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
Gordon Rose |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Fri, 12:30β2:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D102 |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Tue, 10:30 a.m.β12:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D103 |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Tue, 12:30β2:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D104 |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Tue, 2:30β4:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D105 |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Wed, 8:30β10:20 a.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D106 |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Wed, 10:30 a.m.β12:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D107 |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Wed, 12:30β2:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D108 |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Wed, 2:30β4:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D109 |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Wed, 4:30β6:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D110 |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Thu, 8:30β10:20 a.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D111 |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Thu, 10:30 a.m.β12:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D112 |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Thu, 12:30β2:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
|
D113 |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Thu, 2:30β4:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
Introduction to the study of cognitive and perceptual processes. Topics include memory, perception, attention, language, mental imagery, creativity, judgment and decision-making, and an introduction to cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, dyslexia, aphasia and attention-deficit disorder. Prerequisite: PSYC 100 (or PSYC 101). Students with credit for PSYC 320 may not take PSYC 221 for further credit.
Surveys the major areas in biological psychology. Topics include the basics of neuroanatomy and nerve cell function, the behavioral and physiological effects of drugs and hormones in the nervous system, evolutionary perspectives on the brain and behavior, and the biopsychology of vision, the chemical senses, hearing, movement, biological rhythms, sex, and cognitive processes. Prerequisite: PSYC 100 (or 101). Recommended: BISC 101. Breadth-Science.
Section | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|
Distance Education |
Upper Division Requirements
Students complete a minimum of 27 units, including both of
An interdisciplinary exploration of recent work on some special topic in cognitive science (such as vision, reasoning, connectionism, etc.). Prerequisite: Lower division cognitive science course requirements. Students with credit for COGS 400 may not take COGS 300 for further credit.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
TBD |
and the requirements listed below for the three disciplines that were previously completed at the intermediate level, all with an upper division cognitive science grade point average of 2.0 or higher in each of these three disciplines.
Computing Science
Students who chose this discipline in the lower division will also complete one of
This course covers the key components of a compiler for a high level programming language. Topics include lexical analysis, parsing, type checking, code generation and optimization. Students will work in teams to design and implement an actual compiler making use of tools such as lex and yacc. Prerequisite: MACM 201, (CMPT 150 or ENSC 215) and CMPT 225.
Various concepts and principles underlying the design and use of modern programming languages are considered in the context of procedural, object-oriented, functional and logic programming languages. Topics include data and control structuring constructs, facilities for modularity and data abstraction, polymorphism, syntax, and formal semantics. Prerequisite: CMPT 225, MACM 101.
This course considers modelling and programming techniques appropriate for symbolic data domains such as mathematical expressions, logical formulas, grammars and programming languages. Topics include recursive and functional programming style, grammar-based data abstraction, simplification and reduction transformations, conversions to canonical form, environment data structures and interpreters, metaprogramming, pattern matching and theorem proving. Prerequisite: CMPT 225; MACM 101.
Languages, grammars, automata and their applications to natural and formal language processing. Prerequisite: MACM 201. Quantitative.
and any two of
Provides a unified discussion of the fundamental approaches to the problems in artificial intelligence. The topics considered are: representational typology and search methods; game playing, heuristic programming; pattern recognition and classification; theorem-proving; question-answering systems; natural language understanding; computer vision. Prerequisite: CMPT 225 and MACM 101. Students with credit for CMPT 410 may not take this course for further credit.
Formal and foundational issues dealing with the representation of knowledge in artificial intelligence systems are covered. Questions of semantics, incompleteness, non-monotonicity and others will be examined. As well, particular approaches, such as procedural or semantic network, may be discussed. Prerequisite: Completion of nine units in Computing Science upper division courses or, in exceptional cases, permission of the instructor.
Computational approaches to image understanding will be discussed in relation to theories about the operation of the human visual system and with respect to practical applications in robotics. Topics will include edge detection, shape from shading, stereopsis, optical flow, Fourier methods, gradient space, three-dimensional object representation and constraint satisfaction. Prerequisite: MATH 152, and nine units in Computing upper division courses or permission of the instructor.
This course covers various topics in computer vision with the emphasis on the model-based approach. Main subjects include 2-D and 3-D representations, matching, constraint relaxation, model-based vision systems. State-of-the-art robot vision systems will be used extensively as study cases. The solid modelling and CAD aspects of this course should also interest students of computer graphics. Prerequisite: MATH 152 and nine units in CMPT upper division courses, or permission of the instructor.
This course examines the theoretical and applied problems of constructing and modelling systems, which aim to extract and represent the meaning of natural language sentences or of whole discourses, but drawing on contributions from the fields of linguistics, cognitive psychology, artificial intelligence and computing science. Prerequisite: Completion of nine units in Computing Science upper division courses or, in exceptional cases, permission of the instructor.
Intelligent Systems using modern constraint programming and heuristic search methods. A survey of this rapidly advancing technology as applied to scheduling, planning, design and configuration. An introduction to constraint programming, heuristic search, constructive (backtrack) search, iterative improvement (local) search, mixed-initiative systems and combinatorial optimization. Prerequisite: CMPT 225.
Computationally-oriented theories of human cognitive architecture are explored, beginning with neurologically inspired (neural network) models of "low-level" brain processes, and progressing upwards to higher-level symbolic processing, of the kind that occurs in rule-following and problem solving. Arguments concerning the need for modular processing and combinatorially adequate forms of mental representation are examined at length. Prerequisite: CMPT 225. Recommended: CMPT 310.
Current topics in artificial intelligence depending on faculty and student interest.
Linguistics
Students who choose this discipline in the upper division will also complete any three of
An overview of theoretical principles in phonology. Prerequisite: LING 221.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
Zita McRobbie |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Fri, 9:30 a.m.β12:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
Introduces theories of sentence structure. Prerequisite: LING 222.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
Panayiotis Pappas |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Mon, 10:30 a.m.β12:20 p.m.
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Wed, 10:30β11:20 a.m. |
Burnaby Burnaby |
Basic formal aspects of meaning (e.g. compositional semantics, truth conditional semantics and quantification in natural language) and how they are distinguished from pragmatic aspects of meaning. Prerequisite: LING 222. Quantitative.
A survey of methods of speech sound description and transcription. Prerequisite: LING 221.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
Zita McRobbie |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Thu, 2:30β5:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
Introduction to the study of language acquisition from the point of view of linguistic structure. Prerequisite: LING 221. Students who have taken LING 250 may not take this course for further credit.
Investigation of a selected area of linguistic research. Prerequisite: Requirements will vary according to the topic offered.
Investigation of a selected area of linguistic research. Prerequisite: Requirements will vary according to the topic offered.
Philosophy
Students who choose this discipline in the upper division will also complete any three of
An exploration of philosophical issues concerning, e.g.: causation, time, modality, or the self; the realism/nominalism or realism/idealism debate; relativism; the concept of truth; naturalized epistemology; global epistemological skepticism or perhaps a 'local' form of skepticism such as skepticism about induction or about sensory belief. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: PHIL 201 or 203.
An examination of one or more topics such as: philosophical logic; deontic logic; the logic of knowledge and belief; the logic of preference; tense logics; foundations of set theory; recursive functions; the history of logic. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: PHIL 210, 310, or with the approval of the instructor or department.
A study of the nature of scientific enquiry, classificatory systems, laws and theories, the role of observation in science, the demarcation between science and non-science, causality, the status of theoretical constructs, and teleological explanation. Prerequisite: Either one of: PHIL 201 or 203; or both of PHIL 100W (or equivalent) and COGS 200.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
Nicolas Fillion |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Wed, 4:30β7:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
Psychology
Students who choose this discipline in the upper division will also complete any three of
Examination of the phenomena of memory and the retention and reproduction of information. Considers the conditions and principles of retention and recall in short- and long-term memory. Prerequisite: PSYC 201W and PSYC 221 (or instead of PSYC 221 one of the following courses: PSYC 280 or PSYC 320).
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
Cindy Barha |
May 11 β Jun 22, 2015: Tue, Thu, 11:30 a.m.β2:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
Survey the different aspects of paying attention. Topics include the effects of selective and divided attention on perceptual and cognitive function; the role of attention in human performance; attentional dysfunction and attention-deficit disorder; and the development of attentional capacity across the life span from newborns to the elderly. Prerequisite: PSYC 201, and 221 (or 320).
Examines the properties of the visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory, and kinesthetic systems and receptor mechanisms with a strong emphasis on physiology. Topics include psychophysical measurement of sensations, cross-modal organization and computational modeling of sensory processes, and the interface between sensory and perceptual processes. Prerequisite: PSYC 201, 221, and one of 280 or 303.
Examines research and theory concerning the origins and development of cognition in humans. Traces the development of language and children's thinking about the physical and social world from birth to adulthood, with a focus on infancy and childhood. Prerequisite: PSYC 201 and 250 (or 350 or 351).
A survey of how psychoactive drugs affect brain function to alter consciousness and behavior. Topics will include cellular effects of drugs that affect the central nervous system and discussions of the psychological and social effects of those drug-induced changes in the brain. Research on drug abuse and addictions and means of treating them will be covered. Historical, social and legal aspects of non-medical drug use will be discussed, as will the use of medications for the treatment of anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, dementias and other psychological disorders. Prerequisite: PSYC 201 and 280. Students with credit for PSYC 483 may not take this course for further credit.
Examines the neurophysiological bases of cognitive and perceptual phenomena such as memory, attention, language, thinking, imagery, vision, audition, and sensory processes. The study of human cognitive performance with measurement techniques such as ERP, PET, and MRI is also discussed. Prerequisite: PSYC 201, 221, and 280.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
John Joseph McDonald |
May 11 β Jun 22, 2015: Mon, Wed, Fri, 12:30β2:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
Topics such as altruism, parental care, mate choice, sex differences in behavior, aggression, dominance and territoriality are considered from an evolutionary perspective. The role of heredity and environment in the development of these behaviors is also discussed. Prerequisite: PSYC 201W: Introduction to Research Methods in Psychology.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
Tyler Wereha |
May 11 β Aug 10, 2015: Wed, 2:30β5:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
* relevant topics include discourse analysis, functional linguistics, language and the brain, computational linguistics; consult the cognitive science advisor for additional appropriate topic courses offered each term
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Program Requirements
For all bachelor of arts (BA) programs, students complete 120 units, which includes
- at least 60 units that must be completed at Ά‘ΟγΤ°AV
- at least 45 upper division units, of which at least 30 upper division units must be completed at Ά‘ΟγΤ°AV
- at least 65 units (including 21 upper division units) in Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences courses
- satisfaction of the writing, quantitative, and breadth requirements
- an overall cumulative grade point average (CGPA) and upper division CGPA of at least 2.0, and a program (major, joint major, extended minor, minor) CGPA and upper division CGPA of at least 2.0
Writing, Quantitative, and Breadth Requirements
Students admitted to Ά‘ΟγΤ°AV beginning in the fall 2006 term must meet writing, quantitative and breadth requirements as part of any degree program they may undertake. See for university-wide information.
WQB Graduation Requirements
A grade of C- or better is required to earn W, Q or B credit
Requirement |
Units |
Notes | |
W - Writing |
6 |
Must include at least one upper division course, taken at Ά‘ΟγΤ°AV within the student’s major subject | |
Q - Quantitative |
6 |
Q courses may be lower or upper division | |
B - Breadth |
18 |
Designated Breadth | Must be outside the student’s major subject, and may be lower or upper division 6 units Social Sciences: B-Soc 6 units Humanities: B-Hum 6 units Sciences: B-Sci |
6 |
Additional Breadth | 6 units outside the student’s major subject (may or may not be B-designated courses, and will likely help fulfil individual degree program requirements) Students choosing to complete a joint major, joint honours, double major, two extended minors, an extended minor and a minor, or two minors may satisfy the breadth requirements (designated or not designated) with courses completed in either one or both program areas. |
Grade Requirements
In addition to the BA requirement that a student's cumulative grade point average (CGPA) and upper division grade point average (UD GPA) be 2.0 or highter for graduation, cognitive science grade point averages (cognitive science GPA and cognitive science upper division GPA) are calculated based on all the courses selected to satisfy the graduation requirements for a major, minor or honours. Cognitive science program GPAs (COGS CGPA and COGS UD GPA) of 2.0 or higher are required for program continuation.
Residency Requirements and Transfer Credit
The University’s residency requirement stipulates that, in most cases, total transfer and course challenge credit may not exceed 60 units, and may not include more than 15 as upper division work.
Elective Courses
In addition to the courses listed above, students should consult an academic advisor to plan the remaining required elective courses.
Languages Other Than English
Those contemplating graduate work are advised to acquire a reading knowledge of at least one language other than English.