andycl@syma.sussex.ac.uk (Andy Clark) (01/23/91)
Distribution: world
Keywords: connectionism,philosophy,cognitive science
NOTICE OF NEW M.A.COURSE BEGINNING OCT. 1991
UNIVERSITY OF SUSSEX, BRIGHTON, ENGLAND
SCHOOL OF COGNITIVE AND COMPUTING SCIENCES
M.A. in the PHILOSOPHY OF COGNITIVE SCIENCE
This is a one year taught course which examines issues relating to
computational models of mind. A specific focus concerns the significance of
connectionist models and the role of rules and symbolic representation in
cognitive science. Students would combine work towards a 20,000 word
philosophy dissertation with subsidiary courses introducing aspects of A.I.
and the other Cognitive Sciences. For information about this new course
contact Dr Andy Clark, School of Cognitive and Computing Sciences, University
of Sussex,Brighton, BN1 9QH, U.K. E-mail: andycl@uk.ac.sussex.syma
General Information.
The School of Cognitive and Computing Sciences provides a highly active and
interdisciplinary environment involving linguists,cognitive
psychologists,philosophers and A.I. researchers. The kinds of work undertaken
in the school range from highly practical applications of new ideas in
computing to the most abstract philosophical issues concerning the foundations
of cognitive science. The school attracts a large number of research fellows
and distinguished academic visitors, and interdisciplinary dialogue is
encouraged by several weekly research seminars. The current list of full-time
teaching faculty is as follows:
P.Agre BS (Maryland) MS (MIT) PhD (MIT)
Professor H.G.Barrow BA (Cambridge) MSc PhD (Keele)
Professor M.A.Boden MA ScD (Cambridge) PhD (Harvard) FBA
A.J. Clark BA (Stirling) PhD (Stirling)
R.A. Coates MA PhD (Cambridge)
J.B.H. du Boulay BSc (London) PhD (Edinburgh)
S.Easterbrook BSc (York)
R.P.Evans BSc (Warwick) Cert. Advanced Study in Mathematics (Cambridge)
DPhil (Sussex)
Professor G.J.M. Gazdar BA (East Anglia) MA PhD(Reading) FBA
Professor M.Hennessy BSc (National University of Ireland) MA (Dublin)
PhD (Waterloo)
P.Husbands BSc (Manchester) MSc (Polytechnic of South Bank) PhD
(Edinburgh)
B.Katz BA (Duke) PhD (Illinois)
W.Keller Bsc (Warwick) MA (Sussex)
R.K.Lutz BSc (Warwick) MSc (Heriot-Watt)
M.Millington BSc (Essex) PhD (Edinburgh)
H.Petrie BA (Melbourne) PhD (London)
J.C. Rutkowska BA MSc DPhil (Sussex)
M.Scaife Bsc (Liverpool) DPhil (Oxford)
M.Sharples BSc (St.Andrews) PhD (Edinburgh)
A.Stoughton BS, MS (California, Los Angeles) PhD (Edinburgh)
Y.Suzuki BA (Tokyo) MSc, PhD (Tokyo Metropolitan)
S.P.Thornton BA PhD (Exeter)
D.J.Watson MA PhD (Cambridge)
P.M.Williams MA (Cambridge) MSc DPhil (Sussex)
S.Wood BA, DPhil (Sussex)
D.S.Young MA PhD (Cambridge)
N.Yuill BA DPhil (Sussex)
Some examples of work recently carried out in the school are: Philosophical
research into the foundations of cognitive science (Boden, Clark and Sloman)
and into the issues of internal representation and mental causation (Boden,
Clark); work on connectionism and neural networks (Clark, Barrow, Young, Lutz,
Katz); work on human machine interfaces (du Boulay, Sharples, Sloman); work on
image analysis and interpretation (Barrow, Young); natural language processing
(Evans, Gazdar,Keller); relations between psychology, biology and artificial
intelligence (Scaife, Rutkowska); creativity (Boden); and computational models
of developmental change (Thornton, Rutkowska, Scaife).
Specific details of the M.A. in Philosophy of Cognitive Science
Course Structure
TERM 1
Compulsory Course: Philosophy of Cognitive Science (I)
Topic: The Representational Theory of Mind:
From Fodor to Connectionism.
and one out of : Computational Psychology
A.I. Programming (1)
Modern Analytic Philosophy (1)
Modern European Philosophy (1)
TERM 2
Compulsory Course: Philosophy of Cognitive Science (II)
Topic: Code,Concept and Process:
Philosophy, Neuropsychology and A.I.
and one out of: Developmental Cognitive Psychology
A.I. Programming (2)
Neural networks
Modern Analytic Philosophy (2)
Modern European Philosophy (2)
( NOTE: The AI (2) and Neural Networks courses will be open only to students
who have taken A.I.Programming 1 or have a background in A.I.)
TERM 3
Philosophy of Cognitive Science dissertation
(20,000 words)
All students will be expected to attend the meetings of the
Philosophy Society and the Cognitive Sciences Seminar.
Choice of options is determined by student preference and content of
first degree. Not all options will always be available and new options may
be added according to faculty interests.
ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS
These will be flexible. A first degree in Philosophy or one of the
Cognitive Sciences would be the usual minimum requirement.
FUNDING
U.K. students may apply for British Academy funding for this
course in the usual manner. Overseas students would need to be
funded by home bodies.