Note: This is the 2018–2019 eCalendar. Update the year in your browser's URL bar for the most recent version of this page, or .
Program Requirements
The Minor Cognitive Science is intended to allow students in the Faculty of Arts or the Faculty of Science to explore the interdisciplinary study of cognition. The goal is to understand the principles of intelligence with the hope that this will lead to a better understanding of the mind and learning.
Students wishing to complete this Minor must meet with the Interdisciplinary Programs Adviser in the Science Office for Undergraduate Student Advising (SOUSA).
Required Course (3 credits)
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PSYC 433 Cognitive Science (3 credits)
Overview
Psychology : The multi-disciplinary study of cognitive science, exploring the computer metaphor of the mind as an information-processing system. Focus on levels of analysis, symbolic modeling, Turing machines, neural networks, as applied to topics such as reasoning, vision, decision-making, and consciousness.
Terms: Winter 2019
Instructors: Otto, Anthony (Winter)
Complementary Courses (21 credits)
Note:
Students must take a minimum of 6 credits at the 400 to 500 level.
Students may not take any courses from their home department(s).
Students complete a minimum of 9 credits each in two areas.
Computer Science and Mathematics
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COMP 206 Introduction to Software Systems (3 credits)
Overview
Computer Science (Sci) : Comprehensive overview of programming in C, use of system calls and libraries, debugging and testing of code; use of developmental tools like make, version control systems.
Terms: Fall 2018, Winter 2019
Instructors: Meger, David (Fall) Vybihal, Joseph P; Zammar, Chad (Winter)
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COMP 230 Logic and Computability (3 credits)
Overview
Computer Science (Sci) : Propositional Logic, predicate calculus, proof systems, computability Turing machines, Church-Turing thesis, unsolvable problems, completeness, incompleteness, Tarski semantics, uses and misuses of Gödel's theorem.
Terms: Fall 2018
Instructors: Schlimm, Dirk (Fall)
3 hours
Prerequisite: CEGEP level mathematics.
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COMP 250 Introduction to Computer Science (3 credits)
Overview
Computer Science (Sci) : Mathematical tools (binary numbers, induction, recurrence relations, asymptotic complexity, establishing correctness of programs), Data structures (arrays, stacks, queues, linked lists, trees, binary trees, binary search trees, heaps, hash tables), Recursive and non-recursive algorithms (searching and sorting, tree and graph traversal). Abstract data types, inheritance. Selected topics.
Terms: Fall 2018, Winter 2019
Instructors: Langer, Michael; Alberini, Giulia (Fall) Robillard, Martin; Alberini, Giulia (Winter)
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COMP 251 Algorithms and Data Structures (3 credits)
Overview
Computer Science (Sci) : Introduction to algorithm design and analysis. Graph algorithms, greedy algorithms, data structures, dynamic programming, maximum flows.
Terms: Fall 2018, Winter 2019
Instructors: Waldispuhl, Jérôme (Fall) Devroye, Luc P; McLeish, Erin Leigh (Winter)
3 hours
Prerequisite: COMP 250
COMP 251 uses mathematical proof techniques that are taught in the corequisite course(s). If possible, students should take the corequisite course prior to COMP 251.
COMP 251 uses basic counting techniques (permutations and combinations) that are covered in MATH 240 and 363, but not in MATH 235. These techniques will be reviewed for the benefit of MATH 235 students.
Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken or are taking COMP 252.
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COMP 302 Programming Languages and Paradigms (3 credits)
Overview
Computer Science (Sci) : Programming language design issues and programming paradigms. Binding and scoping, parameter passing, lambda abstraction, data abstraction, type checking. Functional and logic programming.
Terms: Fall 2018, Winter 2019
Instructors: Pientka, Brigitte (Fall) Panangaden, Prakash (Winter)
3 hours
Prerequisite: COMP 250
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COMP 330 Theory of Computation (3 credits)
Overview
Computer Science (Sci) : Finite automata, regular languages, context-free languages, push-down automata, models of computation, computability theory, undecidability, reduction techniques.
Terms: Fall 2018
Instructors: Panangaden, Prakash (Fall)
3 hours
Prerequisite: COMP 251.
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COMP 417 Introduction Robotics and Intelligent Systems (3 credits)
Overview
Computer Science (Sci) : This course considers issues relevant to the design of robotic and of intelligent systems. How can robots move and interact. Robotic hardware systems. Kinematics and inverse kinematics. Sensors, sensor data interpretation and sensor fusion. Path planning. Configuration spaces. Position estimation. Intelligent systems. Spatial mapping. Multi-agent systems. Applications.
Terms: Fall 2018
Instructors: Dudek, Gregory L (Fall)
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COMP 424 Artificial Intelligence (3 credits)
Overview
Computer Science (Sci) : Introduction to search methods. Knowledge representation using logic and probability. Planning and decision making under uncertainty. Introduction to machine learning.
Terms: Winter 2019
Instructors: Cheung, Jackie (Winter)
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COMP 527 Logic and Computation (3 credits)
Overview
Computer Science (Sci) : Introduction to modern constructive logic, its mathematical properties, and its numerous applications in computer science.
Terms: Winter 2019
Instructors: Pientka, Brigitte (Winter)
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COMP 531 Advanced Theory of Computation (3 credits)
Overview
Computer Science (Sci) : Models for sequential and parallel computations: Turing machines, boolean circuits. The equivalence of various models and the Church-Turing thesis. Unsolvable problems. Model dependent measures of computational complexity. Abstract complexity theory. Exponentially and super-exponentially difficult problems. Complete problems.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2018-2019 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2018-2019 academic year.
3 hours
Prerequisite: COMP 330
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MATH 318 Mathematical Logic (3 credits)
Overview
Mathematics & Statistics (Sci) : Propositional logic: truth-tables, formal proof systems, completeness and compactness theorems, Boolean algebras; first-order logic: formal proofs, Gödel's completeness theorem; axiomatic theories; set theory; Cantor's theorem, axiom of choice and Zorn's lemma, Peano arithmetic; Gödel's incompleteness theorem.
Terms: Fall 2018
Instructors: Sabok, Marcin (Fall)
Linguistics
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LING 201 Introduction to Linguistics (3 credits)
Overview
Linguistics : General introduction to linguistics, the scientific study of human language. Covers the core theoretical subfields of linguistics: phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics. Also provides background on other subfields including sociolinguistics, pragmatics, historical linguistics, linguistic variation, and language acquisition.
Terms: Fall 2018, Winter 2019
Instructors: Coon, Jessica; Torreira-Martinez, Francisco (Fall) Goad, Heather; Coon, Jessica (Winter)
Fall and Winter
No prerequisite.
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LING 330 Phonetics (3 credits)
Overview
Linguistics : Transcription, identification, and production of speech sounds. Introduction to the acoustic properties of speech sounds, acoustic analysis of speech, and auditory phonetics.
Terms: Fall 2018, Winter 2019
Instructors: Lamontagne, Jeffrey (Fall) Torreira-Martinez, Francisco (Winter)
Winter
Prerequisite: LlNG 201
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LING 331 Phonology 1 (3 credits)
Overview
Linguistics : Introduction to phonological theory and analysis.
Terms: Fall 2018
Instructors: Goad, Heather (Fall)
Fall
Prerequisite: LING 330.
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LING 355 Language Acquisition 1 (3 credits)
Overview
Linguistics : A critical study of the application of linguistic theory and description to first and second language learning. Topics include: the acquisition of sounds, syntax and word meanings; acquisition strategies; properties of the input; theories of first and second language acquisition.
Terms: Winter 2019
Instructors: Smeets, Liz (Winter)
Fall
Prerequisite: LING 201.
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LING 371 Syntax 1 (3 credits)
Overview
Linguistics : Introduction to the study of generative syntax of natural languages, emphasizing basic concepts and formalism: phrase structure rules, transformations, and conditions on rules.
Terms: Fall 2018, Winter 2019
Instructors: Shimoyama, Junko (Fall) Shimoyama, Junko (Winter)
Winter
Prerequisite: LING 201.
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LING 419 Linguistic Theory and its Foundations (3 credits)
Overview
Linguistics : Change linguistics underwent at the end of the 1950's both in how it conceived of itself and in the methods it used, including the philosophical change and the formal and mathematical innovations in syntax and morphology.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2018-2019 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2018-2019 academic year.
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LING 440 Morphology (3 credits)
Overview
Linguistics : An introduction to the study of the internal structure of words. Topics will include the different ways words are formed in languages, how sound changes take place within words, how words are used in sentences.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2018-2019 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2018-2019 academic year.
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LING 455 Second Language Syntax (3 credits)
Overview
Linguistics : The nature of the linguistic knowledge acquired by second language learners, focusing on description and explanation of second language syntax and morphology.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2018-2019 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2018-2019 academic year.
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LING 571 Syntax 2 (3 credits)
Overview
Linguistics : This course extends and refines the theory of grammar developed in LING 371, while introducing some primary literature and developments (in certain modules of the grammar such as phrase structure, wh-movement, and binding).
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2018-2019 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2018-2019 academic year.
Fall
Prerequisite: LING 371
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LING 590 Language Acquisition and Breakdown (3 credits)
Overview
Linguistics : Theoretical and experimental perspectives on an imperfect language faculty, in the context of current linguistic theory and state-of-the-art experimental methods and techniques. Comparison of linguistic abilities of normally developing children, children with language disorders (e.g., SLI), and adults with disrupted linguistic abilities (e.g., aphasic patients).
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2018-2019 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2018-2019 academic year.
Philosophy
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PHIL 210 Introduction to Deductive Logic 1 (3 credits)
Overview
Philosophy : An introduction to propositional and predicate logic; formalization of arguments, truth tables, systems of deduction, elementary metaresults, and related topics.
Terms: Fall 2018, Summer 2019
Instructors: Hallett, Michael Frank (Fall) Gaber, David (Summer)
Restriction: Not open to students who are taking or have taken MATH 318
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PHIL 304 Chomsky (3 credits)
Overview
Philosophy : Philosophical aspects of Chomsky's contribution to psychology, linguistic theory, theories of human nature, and to politics.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2018-2019 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2018-2019 academic year.
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PHIL 306 Philosophy of Mind (3 credits)
Overview
Philosophy : A survey of major positions of the mind-body problem, focusing on such questions as: Do we have minds and bodies? Can minds affect bodies? Is mind identical to body? If so, in what sense "identical"? Can physical bodies be conscious.
Terms: Winter 2019
Instructors: Gold, Ian Jeffrey (Winter)
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PHIL 310 Intermediate Logic (3 credits)
Overview
Philosophy : A second course in Logic. NB. The course will be technical in nature, and some mathematical aptitude is essential. The emphasis is on the expressive properties of standard logical systems, including implications for the philosophy of mathematics. We will study the Completeness of First-Order Logic, then the 'limitative' theorems of Tarski and Gödel.
Terms: Winter 2019
Instructors: Hallett, Michael Frank (Winter)
Prerequisite: PHIL 210 or equivalent
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PHIL 415 Philosophy of Language (3 credits)
Overview
Philosophy : An examination of central notions in the philosophy of language (reference, meaning, and truth, e.g.), the puzzles these notions give rise to, and the relevance of these notions to such questions as: What is language? How is communication possible? What is understanding? Is language rule-governed.
Terms: Fall 2018
Instructors: Hallett, Michael Frank (Fall)
Prerequisites: PHIL 210 or equivalent and one intermediate course in philosophy
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PHIL 474 Phenomenology (3 credits)
Overview
Philosophy : A study of phenomenology from a historical and thematic perspective. The course will typically involve the study of central thinkers such as Husserl, Heidegger, or Merleau-Ponty, with an examination of the nature and development of the phenomenological movement.
Terms: Winter 2019
Instructors: Buckley, R Philip (Winter)
Prerequisite: one intermediate course in philosophy
Psychology
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PSYC 213 Cognition (3 credits)
Overview
Psychology : Where do thoughts come from? What is the nature of thought, and how does it arise in the mind and the brain? Cognition is the study of human information processing, and we will explore topics such as memory, attention, categorization, decision making, intelligence, philosophy of mind, and the mind-as computer metaphor.
Terms: Winter 2019, Summer 2019
Instructors: Sheldon, Signy (Winter) Latif, Nida (Summer)
Winter
2 lectures, 1 conference
Prerequisite: One previous course in Psychology.
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PSYC 301 Animal Learning and Theory (3 credits)
Overview
Psychology : Contemporary and historical research and theory on animal learning approached from a behavioural, cognitive and biological perspective. Classical and instrumental conditioning, cognitive learning, and biological constraints. The status and history of North American behaviourism will be discussed and compared with cognitive and other approaches.
Terms: Fall 2018
Instructors: Graham, Matthew Dean (Fall)
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PSYC 304 Child Development (3 credits)
Overview
Psychology : Psychology of children, covering critical issues, theories, biological underpinnings, experimental methods, and findings in perceptual, cognitive, language, emotional, and social development.
Terms: Fall 2018, Summer 2019
Instructors: Dirks, Melanie (Fall) Gaskin, Stephane (Summer)
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PSYC 310 Intelligence (3 credits)
Overview
Psychology : Introduction to the evolution and assessment of intelligence. Emphasizes measurement and correlates of the human intellect and the role of environment and heredity in social and race differences in intellectual and adaptive functioning. Evolution of intelligence in vertebrates and other intelligences including practical and emotional intelligence will be covered.
Terms: Winter 2019
Instructors: Gagnon, Geneviève (Winter)
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PSYC 311 Human Cognition and the Brain (3 credits)
Overview
Psychology : The course is an introduction to the field studying how human cognitive processes, such as perception, attention, language, learning and memory, planning and organization, are related to brain processes. The material covered is primarily based on studies of the effects of different brain lesions on cognition and studies of brain activity in relation to cognitive processes with modern functional neuroimaging methods.
Terms: Fall 2018, Summer 2019
Instructors: Petrides, Michalakis (Fall) Petrides, Michalakis (Summer)
Fall
2 lectures; 1 conference
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PSYC 315 Computational Psychology (3 credits)
Overview
Psychology : Application of computational methods to the simulation of psychological phenomena. Comparison of natural and artificial intelligence. Symbolic and neural network techniques. Methods for evaluating simulations.
Terms: Fall 2018, Winter 2019
Instructors: Shultz, Thomas R (Fall) Shultz, Thomas R (Winter)
Fall
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.
Restriction: Not open to U0 or U1 students.
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PSYC 340 Psychology of Language (3 credits)
Overview
Psychology : A survey of issues in psycholinguistics, focusing on the nature and processing of language (e.g., how we understand speech sounds, words, sentences, and discourse). Also surveyed: language and thought, the biological foundations of language, and first language acquisition.
Terms: This course is not scheduled for the 2018-2019 academic year.
Instructors: There are no professors associated with this course for the 2018-2019 academic year.
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PSYC 410 Special Topics in Neuropsychology (3 credits)
Overview
Psychology : Developments in cognitive neuroscience and cognitive neuropsychiatry via readings from primary sources. Topics include the neural bases of memory, emotion, social cognition and neuropsychiatric diseases. Integrating knowledge from studies in clinical populations and functional neuroimaging studies.
Terms: Fall 2018
Instructors: Capozzi, Francesca (Fall)
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PSYC 413 Cognitive Development (3 credits)
Overview
Psychology : In-depth exploration of cognitive development in infants and children including knowledge representation and processing, conceptual development, language development, and theories and principles of cognitive development.
Terms: Fall 2018
Instructors: Onishi, Kristine (Fall)
Faculty of Science—2018-2019 (last updated Aug. 22, 2018) (disclaimer)
