Designing a Concentration

Overview

The Cognitive Science major requires students to propose a concentration, which consists of three additional courses that cohere around a theme that has clear and direct relevance to cognition. Because of its interdisciplinary nature, cognitive science courses are taught in many departments across the Claremont Colleges, and students can design their own concentration based on their specific interests in cognitive science. Students must get approval of their proposed concentration from the Coordinator of Cognitive Science by submitting this form no later than the end of their junior year (earlier is better in case your concentration is not approved or needs to be revised). You can submit the concentration application before taking all of the courses.

How to Design Your Concentration

    • Look at some example concentrations below for a few ideas. Students are NOT limited to these concentrations; they are just a few examples. Students are encouraged to think creatively about the concentration that is the best fit for their interests. However, your concentration MUST have a clear connection to cognition, and the three courses should be clearly connected to the theme you have chosen. The focus of the concentration should connect cognition in some way to a subdiscipline/multiple disciplines of cognitive science, such as linguistics, cognitive psychology, philosophy, etc., and be clearly grounded in coursework that is furthering your understanding of the mind. If your concentration seems like it could easily fit into other majors or minors, then it probably isn’t specific enough for cognitive science. For example, concentrations that focus on courses in psychology that lack a cognition emphasis (e.g., social psychology, clinical psychology) are not appropriate for a cognitive science concentration.
    • Check out courses that have previously been approved to count toward the cognitive science major; that list of courses can be found here. Students are not limited to these courses in designing their concentration, but they will need to submit a course syllabus for any new course that they would like to be considered for their concentration. Courses should be upper-level (not introductory), as the concentration is supposed to build your expertise.
    • Students are encouraged to meet with the Cognitive Science coordinator before applying to discuss their concentration ideas and get preliminary feedback.
    • Carefully prepare your responses to the questions that will be asked on the online application, giving as much detailed explanation as possible. The list of questions can be found here.
    • When ready, you can complete the online application by clicking here.
    • NOTE: Students who are double-majoring with cognitive science must design a concentration that is different from their other major. For example, a CS and cog sci double major cannot design a concentration that uses a majority of CS courses, even if those courses are not counting toward the CS major. Similarly, a concentration must be different from a minor (e.g., a cog sci major cannot design a linguistics concentration and have a minor in linguistics).

Example Concentrations

Theme: Cognition of Language

      • Cognitive factors such as perception, memory, and consciousness define the mind, which creates language. Simultaneously, there are ways in which natural language is involved in cognition. The proposed concentration will explore these bidirectional relationships.
      • Possible courses: LGCS 121 PO (Psycholinguistics); LGCS 133 PO (Neurolinguistics); LGCS 185 PO (Topics in Cognitive Science: Depends on what is offered); PSYC/COGS 127 PZ (Language and Cognition)

Theme: Diverse Minds

      • What do child development, brain damage, and bilingualism have in common? They can all teach us something about cognition through a different lens that arises from differences in humans’ experiences and in their brains.
      • Possible courses: PSYC 108 PO (Developmental Psychology); PSYC 096 CM (Neuropsychology); LGCS 135 PO (Bilingual Cognition)

Theme: Symbolic Systems

      • The goal is to explore how computational models of processing reflect, contrast with, and question our understandings of both human and non-human intelligence in order to draw conclusions on how, if at all, machines and technologies should shape the way humans interact with the world.
      • Possible courses: COGS 123 PZ (Mind & Machines); CSCI 046 CM (Data Structure and Algorithms); PHIL 047 JT (Philosophy of Technology)
  • Theme: Sound Cognition
      • This topic covers how humans perceive, interpret, and interact with their sonic environment. This includes study of topics from ear anatomy and the physics of soundwaves to human interaction with music and natural soundscapes throughout history, to the more abstract topic of sound art, pushing the boundaries of aural experience. As research investigates how sound affects cognitive functioning, this work can be applied to almost any environment to produce a healthier soundscape.
      • Possible courses: MUS 091 PO (Perception, Cognition, and the History of Sound); MS 115 PZ (Sound, Art, and Power); MUS 147 PO (Linguistics in Music); PSYC 126 PZ: Music Cognition (to be retitled as COGS 126 PZ: The Musical Mind)

Theme: Human-Centered Design

    • Cognitive science lays the foundations from which to dive into the world of human-centered design. From empathy interviewing to prototype refining, human-centered design offers a unique framework through which to approach and tackle design challenges on a micro to macro level. Human-centered design is primarily about solving problems rather than implementing solutions. As such, understanding unmet user needs is directly linked to understanding how the human mind works through creative problem-solving.
    • Possible courses: ENGR 180 HM (Human-Centered Design) or ENGR 190 HM (Advanced Topics in Human-Centered Design); PSYC 160 (Cognitive Psychology); MS 054 SC (Intermediate Computational Media); the Hive also has a list of many other possible courses to consider – check out https://hive7c.notion.site/56e58c5acf414ca3be6dc2268a122726?v=c49191b6f32446669f225b022f946e17. A HCD concentration within cognitive science should be broader than just HCD courses, e.g., plan to take one HCD Core, one Design Practice, and one Design Research class.