Search Results
Your search for courses · during 2025-26 · tagged with CGSC Elective · returned 55 results
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BIOL 365 Seminar: Topics in Neuroscience 6 credits
We will focus on recent advances in neuroscience. All areas of neuroscience (cellular/molecular, developmental, systems, cognitive, and disease) will be considered. Classical or foundational papers will be used to provide background.
Waitlist only
- Winter 2026
- No Exploration QRE, Quantitative Reasoning
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Student has completed the following courses: BIOL 125 with a grade of C- or better or received a score of 5 or better on the Biology AP exam or received a score of 6 or better on the Biology IB exam or received a Carleton Biology 125 Requisite Equivalency or completed Biology A Level Test 1 with a grade of B or better AND BIOL 126 with a grade of C- or better or received a Carleton Biology 126 Requisite Equivalency or completed Biology A Level Test 2 with a grade of B or better.
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BIOL 368 Seminar: Developmental Neurobiology 6 credits
An examination of the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying development of the nervous system. We will survey recent studies of a variety of model organisms to explore key steps in neuronal development including neural induction, patterning, specification of neuronal identity, axonal guidance, synapse formation, cell death and regeneration.
Waitlist only
Not offered in 2025-26
- No Exploration QRE, Quantitative Reasoning
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): BIOL 125 with a grade of C- or better or received a score of 5 or better on the Biology AP exam or received a score of 6 or better on the Biology IB exam AND BIOL 126 with a grade of C- or better AND either BIOL 240 or BIOL 280 with a grade of C- or better.
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CGSC 100 Cognitive Development in Childhood 6 credits
This Argument and Inquiry seminar will focus on the cognitive changes experienced by children in the preschool and elementary school years, in such realms as perception, attention, memory, thinking, decision-making, knowledge representation, and the acquisition of academic skills. Weekly observation at local day care centers or elementary schools will be a required course component.
Held for new first year students
- Fall 2025
- AI/WR1, Argument & Inquiry/WR1
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Student is a member of the First Year First Term class level cohort. Students are only allowed to register for one A&I course at a time. If a student wishes to change the A&I course they are enrolled in they must DROP the enrolled course and then ADD the new course. Please see our Workday guides Drop or 'Late' Drop a Course and Register or Waitlist for a Course Directly from the Course Listing for more information.
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CGSC 100 Living with Artificial Intelligence 6 credits
This A&I course is about artificial intelligence (AI) and its place in our lives. We will spend time wondering about how AI systems work and about how we use them. This will involve asking big questions, identifying puzzles and misinformation, and spending a lot of time thinking about robots. Doing so will involve engaging with scientific research, news articles, comics, and other forms of popular media. The primary skills this class focuses on are critical news literacy, cooperative problem solving, writing, editing, and re-writing.
Held for new first year students
- Fall 2025
- AI/WR1, Argument & Inquiry/WR1
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Student is a member of the First Year First Term class level cohort. Students are only allowed to register for one A&I course at a time. If a student wishes to change the A&I course they are enrolled in they must DROP the enrolled course and then ADD the new course. Please see our Workday guides Drop or 'Late' Drop a Course and Register or Waitlist for a Course Directly from the Course Listing for more information.
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CGSC 253 Philosophy of Cognitive Science 6 credits
A study of the central theories, methodological and philosophical issues and major competing paradigms regarding the nature of human cognition. Topics to be treated include: the history of cognitive science as a science, and the context through which we think about mental representations, intentionality, consciousness, the use and importance of language, nativism and externalism in the cognitive sciences, embodied cognition and the constitutive roles of culture and evolution in shaping cognitive processes.
Not offered in 2025-26
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry WR2 Writing Requirement 2
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): CGSC 130 with grade of C- or better.
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CGSC 330 Embodied Cognition 6 credits
This seminar will consider recent work in philosophy, cognitive science and linguistics critical of views of human cognition as “disembodied” and Cartesian. Philosophical sources of the early critiques of symbolic AI and “cartesianism” will be considered (Merleau-Ponty, Dewey), as will the enactive (Cuffari, Di Paolo, and De Jaegher) and ecological (Chemero, Cowley, Steffensen) critiques of language, and current work on embodied cognition by Eleanor Rosch, Hubert Dreyfus, John Haugeland, Andy Clark and Evan Thompson. The seminar will include materials relevant to students in philosophy, linguistics, psychology and cognitive science.
Not offered in 2025-26
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): CGSC 130 or CGSC/PSYC 232 with a grade of C- or better.
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CGSC 340 Phenomenology and Cognitive Science 6 credits
This course will provide an in-depth study of phenomenology, covering both its history and contemporary debates, and phenomenology-inspired research in cognitive science, psychology and neuroscience. Roughly half the course will be devoted to the history of phenomenology, setting the main views within their historical context and explaining how these views respond to the difficulties of their predecessors. The other half will discuss contemporary philosophical debates and scientific research involving phenomenological approaches. In addition to the CGSC 130 prerequisite, a 200-level Cognitive Science, Psychology or Philosophy course is recommended.
Not offered in 2025-26
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): CGSC 130 with grade of C- or better.
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CS 254 Computability and Complexity 6 credits
An introduction to the theory of computation. What problems can and cannot be solved efficiently by computers? What problems cannot be solved by computers, period? Topics include formal models of computation, including finite-state automata, pushdown automata, and Turing machines; formal languages, including regular expressions and context-free grammars; computability and uncomputability; and computational complexity, particularly NP-completeness.
- Fall 2025, Winter 2026, Spring 2026
- FSR, Formal or Statistical Reasoning
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): CS 200 with a grade of C- or better or CS 201 with a grade of C- or better or received a Carleton Computer Science 200 Requisite Equivalency AND CS 202 with a grade of C- or better or received a Carleton Computer Science 202 Requisite Equivalency or MATH 236 with a grade of C- or better or received a Carleton Math 236 Requisite Equivalency. MATH 236 will be accepted in lieu of CS 202.
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CS 301 History of Computing in England Program: History of Computing 6 credits
In the mid-1800s, Charles Babbage’s analytical engine, inspired by programmable looms, was the first conception of an automated programmable computing device. A century later, British researchers built some of the first physical computers—particularly WWII-era code-breaking work, and programmable machines developed immediately after the war. We will explore those two eras, through historical writings (including Babbage and Ada Lovelace, who wrote programs for the analytical engine, and Alan Turing) and visits to relevant museums and archives. We will also study some of the more recent history of computing, particularly the major advances in the 1960s and 1970s.
Participation in OCS History of Computing in England program.
- Fall 2025
- FSR, Formal or Statistical Reasoning
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Acceptance in the Carleton OCS History of Computing in England program.
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CS 314 Data Visualization 6 credits
Understanding the wealth of data that surrounds us can be challenging. Luckily, we have evolved incredible tools for finding patterns in large amounts of information: our eyes! Data visualization is concerned with taking information and turning it into pictures to better communicate patterns or discover new insights. It combines aspects of computer graphics, human-computer interaction, design, and perceptual psychology. In this course, we will learn the different ways in which data can be expressed visually and which methods work best for which tasks. Using this knowledge, we will critique existing visualizations as well as design and build new ones.
Not offered in 2025-26
- FSR, Formal or Statistical Reasoning QRE, Quantitative Reasoning
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): CS 200 or CS 201 with a grade of C- or better or received a Carleton Computer Science 201 or better Requisite Equivalency.
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CS 314* Data Visualization (*=Junior Seminar) 6 credits
Though the wealth of data surrounding us can be overwhelming, we have evolved incredible tools for finding patterns in large amounts of information: our eyes! Data visualization is concerned with turning information into pictures to better communicate patterns or discover new insights, drawing from computer graphics, human-computer interaction, design, and perceptual psychology. In this junior seminar, we will learn different ways in which data can be expressed visually and which methods work best for which tasks, with a particular focus on technical communication. Using this knowledge, we will critique existing visualizations as well as design and build new ones.
- Spring 2026
- FSR, Formal or Statistical Reasoning QRE, Quantitative Reasoning
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): CS 200 or CS 201 with a grade of C- or better or received a Carleton Computer Science 201 or better Requisite Equivalency. Not open to students who have taken CS 314.
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CS 320 Machine Learning 6 credits
What does it mean for a machine to learn? Much of modern machine learning focuses on identifying patterns in large datasets and using these patterns to make predictions about the future. Machine learning has impacted a diverse array of applications and fields, from scientific discovery to healthcare to education. In this artificial intelligence-related course, we’ll both explore a variety of machine learning algorithms in different application areas, taking both theoretical and practical perspectives, and discuss impacts and ethical implications of machine learning more broadly. Topics may vary, but typically focus on regression and classification algorithms, including neural networks.
X seats held for CS Match until the day after X priority registration.
- Winter 2026
- FSR, Formal or Statistical Reasoning
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): CS 200 with a grade of C- or better or CS 201 with a grade of C- or better or received a Carleton Computer Science 200 Requisite Equivalency AND CS 202 with a grade of C- or better or received a Carleton Computer Science 202 Requisite Equivalency or MATH 236 with a grade of C- or better or received a Carleton Math 236 Requisite Equivalency. MATH 236 will be accepted in lieu of CS 202.
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CS 321 Making Decisions with Artificial Intelligence 6 credits
There are many situations where computer systems must make intelligent choices, from selecting actions in a game, to suggesting ways to distribute scarce resources for monitoring endangered species, to a search-and-rescue robot learning to interact with its environment. Artificial intelligence offers multiple frameworks for solving these problems. While popular media attention has often emphasized supervised machine learning, this course instead engages with a variety of other approaches in artificial intelligence, both established and cutting edge. These include intelligent search strategies, game playing approaches, constrained decision making, reinforcement learning from experience, and more. Coursework includes problem solving and programming.
Not offered in 2025-26
- FSR, Formal or Statistical Reasoning
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): CS 200 with a grade of C- or better or CS 201 with a grade of C- or better or received a Carleton Computer Science 200 Requisite Equivalency AND CS 202 with a grade of C- or better or received a Carleton Computer Science 202 Requisite Equivalency or MATH 236 with a grade of C- or better or received a Carleton Math 236 Requisite Equivalency. MATH 236 will be accepted in lieu of CS 202.
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CS 322 Natural Language Processing 6 credits
Advances like deep learning and large language models have led to computer programs that seem to converse intelligently with people. But how do these programs work, and do they really understand language? In this course, we’ll explore techniques that aim to enable computers to interpret and respond appropriately to ideas expressed using natural languages (such as Chinese or English) as opposed to formal languages (such as Python or C). Topics may include classical and modern approaches, and varying applications, such as machine translation, semantic analysis, and question answering.
- Fall 2025
- FSR, Formal or Statistical Reasoning QRE, Quantitative Reasoning
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): CS 200 with a grade of C- or better or CS 201 with a grade of C- or better or received a Carleton Computer Science 200 Requisite Equivalency AND CS 202 with a grade of C- or better or received a Carleton Computer Science 202 Requisite Equivalency or MATH 236 with a grade of C- or better or received a Carleton Math 236 Requisite Equivalency. MATH 236 will be accepted in lieu of CS 202.
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CS 344 Human-Computer Interaction 6 credits
The field of human-computer interaction addresses two fundamental questions: how do people interact with technology, and how can technology enhance the human experience? In this course, we will explore technology through the lens of the end user: how can we design effective, aesthetically pleasing technology, particularly user interfaces, to satisfy user needs and improve the human condition? How do people react to technology and learn to use technology? What are the social, societal, health, and ethical implications of technology? The course will focus on design methodologies, techniques, and processes for developing, testing, and deploying user interfaces.
- Winter 2026
- FSR, Formal or Statistical Reasoning QRE, Quantitative Reasoning
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): CS 200 or CS 201 with a grade of C- or better or received a Carleton Computer Science 201 or better Requisite Equivalency.
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CS 361 Artificial Life and Digital Evolution 6 credits
The field of artificial life seeks to understand the dynamics of life by separating them from the substrate of DNA. In this course, we will explore how we can implement the dynamics of life in software to test and generate biological hypotheses, with a particular focus on evolution. Topics will include the basic principles of biological evolution, transferring experimental evolution techniques to computational systems, cellular automata, computational modeling, and digital evolution. All students will be expected to complete and present a term research project recreating and extending recent work in the field of artificial life.
Not offered in 2025-26
- FSR, Formal or Statistical Reasoning
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): CS 200 or CS 201 with a grade of C- or better or received a Carleton Computer Science 201 or better Requisite Equivalency.
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ECON 265 Game Theory and Economic Applications 6 credits
Game theory is the study of decision making in strategic situations. In this course we will develop tools to help us to analyze a wide variety of settings in which two or more people make choices that jointly affect one another’s well-being. We will discuss many different applications, including negotiations, charitable giving, the division of labor on shared projects, armed conflicts, and the role of education in the job market. Topics covered include pure and mixed-strategy Nash equilibrium, rationalizability, backward induction, repeated games, Bayesian games and level-k reasoning.
- Spring 2026
- QRE, Quantitative Reasoning SI, Social Inquiry
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): ECON 111 with a grade of C- or better or ECON AL (Cambridge A Level Economics) with a grade of B or better or has received a score of 5 on the AP Microeconomics test or a score of 6 or better on the IB Economics test or received an ECON 111 requisite equivalency.
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ECON 267 Behavioral Economics 6 credits
This course introduces behavioral economics as a complementary approach to traditional economic models of decision making. We will study situations in which the predictions of traditional models can appear to be inconsistent with the choices people actually make, and then ask whether we can improve those models by introducing psychologically plausible assumptions. We will discuss a broad range of behavioral topics, including biases in decision making, risk and time preferences, prospect theory, other-regarding preferences, and the design of experiments.
- Spring 2026
- QRE, Quantitative Reasoning SI, Social Inquiry
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): ECON 110 with a grade of C- or better or received a score of 5 on the Macroeconomics AP exam or received a ECON 110 requisite equivalency AND ECON 111 with a grade of C- or better or received a score of 5 on the Microeconomics AP exam or received ECON 111 requisite equivalency OR has received a score of 6 or better on the Economics IB exam.
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EDUC 234 Educational Psychology 6 credits
Human development and learning theories are studied in relation to the teaching-learning process and the sociocultural contexts of schools. Three hours outside of class per week are devoted to observing learning activities in public school elementary and secondary classrooms and working with students.
Extra Time Required: For classroom time in public schools
- Spring 2026
- SI, Social Inquiry
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IDSC 250 Color! 6 credits
If you had to explain to a blind person the nature of color, how would you describe it? Is it a property of objects, oscillations of an electric field, a feature of how the eye generates electrochemical signals to send to the brain, or perhaps a property of the experiences themselves? This team-taught course takes a multidisciplinary approach to color, drawing from physics, psychology, and philosophy. We will explore topics such as the nature of light, visual anatomy, the process by which light is converted to a neural code, color mixing, linguistic differences in color processing, and how color leads us to confront the tension that sometimes exists between appearance and reality.
Not offered in 2025-26
- No Exploration
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): One Introductory PHIL or PSYC course higher than 110 or One Introductory PHYS course higher than 130 with a grade of C- or better.
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LING 117 Sociophonetics 6 credits
This course is a theoretical and practical introduction to studying phonetics (the science of speech) and its relation to sociolinguistic variation (how speech systematically varies across speakers). Throughout the course, students will collect their own conversational speech data and learn to conduct acoustic analysis. Skills developed in the course include recording speech, transcribing, data processing and normalization, and effective presentation of results.
Not offered in 2025-26
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LING 216 Generative Approaches to Syntax 6 credits
This course has two primary goals: to provide participants with a forum to continue to develop their analytical skills (i.e., to ‘do syntax’), and to acquaint them with generative syntactic theory, especially the Principles and Parameters approach. Participants will sharpen their technological acumen, through weekly problem solving, and engage in independent thinking and analysis, by means of formally proposing novel syntactic analyses for linguistic phenomena. By the conclusion of the course, participants will be prepared to read and critically evaluate primary literature couched within this theoretical framework.
- Winter 2026
- FSR, Formal or Statistical Reasoning
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Student has completed and of the following course(s): LING 115 with grade of C- or better.
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LING 217 Phonetics and Phonology 6 credits
Although no two utterances are ever exactly the same, we humans don’t function like tape recorders; we overlook distinctions to which mechanical recording devices are sensitive, and we “hear” contrasts which are objectively not there. What we (think we) hear is determined by the sound system of the language we speak. This course examines the sound systems of human languages, focusing on how speech sounds are produced and perceived, and how these units come to be organized into a systematic network in the minds of speakers of languages.
- Fall 2025
- FSR, Formal or Statistical Reasoning
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): One 100-level LING course with grade of C- or better.
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LING 219 Sociophonetic Analysis 6 credits
This course introduces participants to sociophonetics, a field of study that weds theories of phonetics (the study of the science of speech) to the methodological approaches of sociolinguistics, and which examines the relationships between linguistic variation and speaker identity. Participants consider the acoustic characteristics of vowels, consonants, and prosody; the variation that occurs across these; and how this variation impacts the production and perception of speech. Working with natural speech data, participants learn to use Praat to assess articulatory variation, and contextualize their findings against the backdrop of previous sociophonetic literature.
Not open to students who have taken LING 117 previously
Not offered in 2025-26
- QRE, Quantitative Reasoning SI, Social Inquiry
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): One 100-Level Linguistics course with a grade of C- or better. Not open students who have completed LING 117.
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LING 240 Topics in Semantics and Pragmatics 6 credits
Semantics is the study of how speakers interpret what words and constructions mean in a language. Pragmatics is the study of how factors related to context affect interpretations. Topics include lexical semantics, the computation of meaning over syntactic structures, the various interpretations of ambiguous constructions, and the computation of contextually supplied information. Offered at both the 200 and 300 level, coursework will be adjusted accordingly. Register for LING 340 if you have taken LING 216; register for 240 if you have taken a 100-level linguistics course and have not taken LING 216.
- Spring 2026
- FSR, Formal or Statistical Reasoning
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): One 100-level LING course with grade of C- or better.
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LING 275 First Language Acquisition 6 credits
Humans are unique among animals in that we attain native speaker competency in any language(s) we receive a sufficient amount of exposure to during the right time of our development. The path of first language acquisition is remarkably stable regardless of the language(s) being acquired, and yields insights into the nature of human language. In this course, we explore children’s capacity to acquire language, with a focus on its implications for linguistic theory. Topics include acquisition of phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics, and acquisition in extraordinary circumstances.
Not offered in 2025-26
- SI, Social Inquiry
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): One 100-level LING course with grade of C- or better.
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LING 276 Between Languages: Heritage Speakers 6 credits
Heritage speakers are individuals raised in homes where a language other than the dominant community language is spoken. They are bilinguals of the heritage language, to which a cultural connection persists, and the dominant societal language. We explore the complexities of such an ‘imbalanced’ bilingualism, including the cultural, familial and personal relationship to the heritage language; psycholinguistic implications of a multilingual mental lexicon; unique ways heritage speakers/learners are equipped with differential, but far from trivial, language ability. We draw on primary resources, empirical studies, and seminal scholarship to understand, challenge and improve present models of heritage language grammar.
This course was previously listed as 'Bilingualism & Code Switching'.
Not offered in 2025-26
- SI, Social Inquiry
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): One LING course with a grade of C- or better.
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LING 280 Field Methods in Linguistics 6 credits
This course will introduce students to techniques of linguistic research and analysis through direct work with a native speaker of a language not taught at Carleton. Students will learn techniques for eliciting, organizing, describing, and analyzing data in an ethically responsible and scientifically rigorous manner. Our goal is to develop a description of the language–primarily, aspects of its phonology, morphology, and syntax–through working exclusively with a native speaker. Each student will investigate some aspect of the language in depth, culminating in a class presentation and research report.
- Spring 2026
- LS, Science with Lab
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): One 100-level LING course with grade of C- or better.
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LING 315 Topics in Syntax 6 credits
What moves where, how, and for what purpose? In this course, participants explore accounts of various types of syntactic movement within the Minimalist Program. After an introduction to Minimalism, we read, discuss, and evaluate primary literature. This course offers an overview of the progression of generative syntactic theory from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s, with a focus on objectively comparing competing analyses. By the end of the course, participants will have familiarity with scholarly literature on theoretical syntax; with evaluating and critiquing existing theoretical analyses; and with proposing and defending a novel analysis.
Not offered in 2025-26
- FSR, Formal or Statistical Reasoning
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Student has completed the following course(s): LING 216 with grade of C- or better.
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LING 325 Syntax of an Unfamiliar Language 6 credits
In this course we examine, with the help of a native speaker consultant, the syntax of a language deliberately chosen for its being unfamiliar to all the participants. Our goals will be to construct a coherent and theoretically respectable account of principles of the grammar of this language, and to understand what our account reveals about the structure of human language generally. Each student will investigate some aspect of the syntax of the language in depth, culminating in a class presentation and research report.
Not offered in 2025-26
- LS, Science with Lab
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Student has completed the following course(s): LING 216 with grade of C- or better.
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LING 340 Topics in Semantics and Pragmatics 6 credits
Semantics is the study of how speakers interpret what words and constructions mean in a language. Pragmatics is the study of how factors related to context affect interpretations. Topics include lexical semantics, the computation of meaning over syntactic structures, the various interpretations of ambiguous constructions, and the computation of contextually supplied information. Offered at both the 200 and 300 level, coursework will be adjusted accordingly. Register for LING 340 if you have taken LING 216; register for 240 if you have taken a 100-level linguistics course and have not taken LING 216.
- Spring 2026
- FSR, Formal or Statistical Reasoning
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Student has completed the following course(s): LING 216 with grade of C- or better.
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LING 350 Invented Languages: From Toki Pona to Na’vi 6 credits
Invented, or artificial, languages have come to be for many reasons, whether a desire to improve existing languages, an effort to unite the world, or a need to explore how languages are learned. But, the majority have failed. Why? What can we learn about natural language from invented languages? This class investigates the numerous underpinnings of various invented languages, from 17th century Real Character, to Toki Pona, to Solresol, to more recent creations like Na’vi. We also examine the successful ‘reinvention’ of Modern Hebrew. Students will invent their own language and formally present weekly aspects of their developing grammar.
- Winter 2026
- SI, Social Inquiry
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): LING 216 OR LING 217 with grade of C- or better.
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MUSC 227 Perception and Cognition of Music 6 credits
Covers basic issues in auditory perception and cognition with an emphasis on the perception of musical pitch, including sensory discrimination, categorical perception, roughness and dissonance, absolute pitch, and auditory streaming. Other topics to be covered include the processing of language and music, and emotional responses to music. A grade of C- or better must be earned in both Music 227 and 228 to satisfy the LS requirement.
A grade of C- or better must be earned in both MUSC 227 & 228 to staisfy the LS requirement.
Requires concurrent registration in MUSC 228.
Waitlist Information: If you would like to waitlist for a MUSC 227 lab section, you will need to UNCHECK the box for the lecture section, MUSC 228, prior to completing the waitlist process. If you are offered a seat in the lab, you will be able to register for the lecture at the same time.
Not offered in 2025-26
- LS, Science with Lab QRE, Quantitative Reasoning
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): One MUSC 100, 200 or 300 Level Course not including Lesson or Ensemble courses OR one PSYC 100, 200, 300 Level Course with a grade of C- or better.
- MUSC 228: Perception and Cognition of Music Lab
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NEUR 127 Foundations in Neuroscience and Lab 6 credits
This course is an introduction to basic neural function. Topics include neural transmission, development of the nervous system, anatomy, sensory systems, learning and the corresponding change in the brain, and the role of the nervous system in behavior. Team-based learning will be used to understand the experiments that shape current knowledge.
During registration, students will register for both the lecture and a corresponding lab section, which will appear on the student's academic transcript in a single entry.
- Fall 2025, Winter 2026
- LS, Science with Lab QRE, Quantitative Reasoning
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NEUR 238 Neurons, Circuits and Behavior 6 credits
Neurons are the building blocks of the nervous system. Molecular and cellular neuroscience seeks to understand the fundamental principles that govern how neurons function, how they communicate with each other, and how they assemble into circuits that generate behavior. This course focuses on the molecular and cellular basis of nervous system function from the level of genes and molecules to neural circuits and behavior. We will take an integrative approach to examine the genetic, molecular and cellular mechanisms that underlie neuronal communication, the molecular basis of sensation and innate behaviors, neural plasticity, and nervous system disorders. This course will emphasize the experimental evidence and techniques that have built our understanding of the molecular and cellular basis of behavior through team-based learning, analysis of primary literature papers and laboratory experimentation. A grade of C- or better must be earned in both Neuroscience 238 and 239 to satisfy the LS requirement.
Requires concurrent registration in NEUR 239.
Waitlist Information: If you have already registered for NEUR 238 and NEUR 239, but would like to waitlist for a second NEUR 239 lab section, you will need to remove the lecture section by clicking the Minus Sign icon next to NEUR 238, prior to completing the waitlist process. If you are offered a seat in the lab, you will be able to register for the lecture at the same time.
- Spring 2026
- LS, Science with Lab QRE, Quantitative Reasoning
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): NEUR 127 OR BIOL 125 with grade of C- or better or received a score of 5 on the Biology AP exam or received a score of 6 or better on the Biology IB exam or equivalent.
- NEUR 239: Neurons, Circuits and Behavior Lab
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PHIL 100 Science, Faith and Rationality 6 credits
This seminar will introduce the student to the study of philosophy through a consideration of various epistemic and metaphysical issues surrounding science and religion. What distinguishes scientific inquiry from other areas of inquiry: Its subject matter, its method of inquiry, or perhaps both? How does scientific belief differ from religious belief, in particular? Is the scientist committed to substantive metaphysical assumptions? If so, what role do these assumptions play in scientific investigation and how do they differ from religious dogma (if they do)? Our exploration of these questions will involve the consideration of both classic and contemporary philosophical texts.
Held for new first year students
- Fall 2025
- AI/WR1, Argument & Inquiry/WR1
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Student is a member of the First Year First Term class level cohort. Students are only allowed to register for one A&I course at a time. If a student wishes to change the A&I course they are enrolled in they must DROP the enrolled course and then ADD the new course. Please see our Workday guides Drop or 'Late' Drop a Course and Register or Waitlist for a Course Directly from the Course Listing for more information.
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PHIL 112 Intelligence, Agency and Autonomous Machines 6 credits
What exactly is artificial intelligence (AI)? We will engage this question by reading foundational texts in the philosophy of AI to clarify what things in the world are, or should be, classified as “AI”. This foundation will help us think about what it might mean to be autonomous, intelligent, or agential. We will consider some of the conditions that might lead us to believe certain technologies are (or could be) moral agents or moral patients, and whether (or to what extent) these conditions bear on the AI systems of the present and those of the future.
- Fall 2025, Winter 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry WR2 Writing Requirement 2
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PHIL 116 Sensation, Induction, Abduction, Deduction, Seduction 6 credits
In every academic discipline, we make theories and argue for and against them. This is as true of theology as of geology (and as true of phys ed as of physics). What are the resources we have available to us in making these arguments? It’s tempting to split the terrain into (i) raw data, and (ii) rules of right reasoning for processing the data. The most obvious source of raw data is sense experience, and the most obvious candidates for modes of right reasoning are deduction, induction, and abduction. Some philosophers, however, think that sense perception is only one of several sources of raw data (perhaps we also have a faculty of pure intuition or maybe a moral sense), and others have doubted that we have any source of raw data at all. As for the modes of “right” reasoning, Hume famously worried about our (in)ability to justify induction, and others have had similar worries about abduction and even deduction. Can more be said on behalf of our most strongly held beliefs and belief-forming practices than simply that we find them seductive—that we are attracted to them; that they resonate with us? In this course, we’ll use some classic historical and contemporary philosophical texts to help us explore these and related issues.
Not offered in 2025-26
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PHIL 203 Bias, Belief, Community, Emotion 6 credits
What is important to individuals, how they see themselves and others, and the kind of projects they pursue are shaped by traditional and moral frameworks they didn’t choose. Individual selves are encumbered by their social environments and, in this sense, always ‘biased’, but some forms of bias are pernicious because they produce patterns of inter and intra-group domination and oppression. We will explore various forms of intersubjectivity and its asymmetries through readings in social ontology and social epistemology that theorize the construction of group and individual beliefs and identities in the context of the social world they engender.
Extra time
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PHIL 217 Reason in Context: Limitations and Possibilities 6 credits
Our reflection on significant human questions is often (perhaps always) embedded within a larger set of cultural or personal theoretical commitments. Such embeddedness suggests our reflection cannot achieve the standard of objectivity characteristic of a traditional ideal of rationality. Is this realization to be welcomed insofar as it weakens traditional dogmatic claims to truth and the associated implication that certain views or frameworks are superior to others? Or, in spite of the unmooring of the philosophical tradition from set criteria, do we still find ourselves committed to some ordering of rank and, if so, how do we make sense of this? In this course we’ll examine these questions as they arise in the writings of Nietzsche, Heidegger and other continental philosophers. We will devote part of the course to the ancient sources (Plato and Aristotle) with whom the continental philosophers are in conversation.
Not offered in 2025-26
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PHIL 223 Philosophy of Language 6 credits
In this course we will look at how philosophers have tried to understand language and its connection with human thought and communication. The course will be split into two parts: Semantics and Pragmatics. In the first part, we’ll look at general features of linguistic expressions like meaning and reference. In the second part, we’ll look at the various ways in which speakers use language. Topics to be considered in the second part include speech acts, implicature, and presupposition.
Not offered in 2025-26
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PHIL 225 Philosophy of Mind 6 credits
What is the relationship between the mind and the brain? Are they identical? Or is there mental “stuff” in addition to physical stuff? Or perhaps some physical stuff has irreducibly mental properties? These, and related questions, are explored by philosophers under the heading of “the mind-body problem.” In this course, we will start with these questions, looking at classical and contemporary defenses of both materialism and dualism. This investigation will lead us to other important questions such as: What is the nature of mental representation, what is consciousness, and could a robot have conscious states and mental representations?
- Spring 2026
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry WR2 Writing Requirement 2
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PHIL 257 Contemporary Issues in Feminist Philosophy 6 credits
We will analyze different theories about the distinction between sex and gender. Then we will turn to contemporary issues in feminism for the remainder of the course. These issues include, but are not limited to, conservative feminism, reproductive justice, fetishes, disability, ethics of pronouns, whether men are oppressed, and responsibility for oppression. We will read selections from Oyèrónké Oyewùmí, Robin Dembroff, Karina Ortiz Villa, Robin Zheng, Anne Fausto-Sterling, Audre Lorde, and more. In addition, there will be room for student choice of topics.
Not offered in 2025-26
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PHIL 297 Kant’s Philosophy of Mind 6 credits
Kant’s contributions to philosophy of mind cover a diverse array of aspects of consciousness and have deeply influenced the history of philosophy of mind. His phenomenological reflections on the perception of space and time and the basic categories through which we judge inspired subsequent Kantian philosophers and even contemporary debates about the role of concepts in perception. Further, Kant’s account of judgments of beauty and the sublime provide essential background for contemporary aesthetics. Finally, Kant’s universal law formulation of his central moral principle provides an innovative way to understand moral decision making in terms of collective rationality.
Not offered in 2025-26
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PHIL 319 Self-Knowledge 6 credits
Inscribed above the entry of Apollo’s temple at Delphi is the imperative “Know Thyself!” But what does it mean to know yourself and how do you go about acquiring such knowledge? Is it fundamentally the same as coming to know other people? Or is self-knowledge fundamentally different – both in terms of content and how we come to acquire it – from other kinds of knowledge (including knowledge of other people)? Finally, how does self knowledge relate to questions about agency? Can it sometimes be rational to decide to do something that one's self-knowledge suggests one is unlikely to succeed in doing? This course will explore all these issues by reading Richard Moran’s Authority and Estrangement and/or Barislav Marusic’s Evidence and Agency: Norms of Belief for Promising and Resolving.
- Fall 2025
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry WR2 Writing Requirement 2
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): One Philosophy course excluding Independent Studies or Directed Research courses with a grade of C- or better.
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PHIL 373 Reptiles and Demons 6 credits
Skeptical arguments—like Descartes’ malignant demon argument—threaten to completely undermine our claim to have any knowledge of this world. Philosophers (and non-philosophers) have often met our apparent inability to answer these skeptical arguments with a shrug. The skeptical scenarios exert no gravitational pull on most minds and can be safely filed under “philosophical curiosities.” Meanwhile, global conspiracy theories—like David Icke’s theory that the world’s governments are overrun with shapeshifting reptilians from the constellation Draco—also threaten to undermine our knowledge of the world. Trying to answer them runs us into the very same cognitive and epistemic roadblocks that we run into with philosophical skepticism. We can’t, however, meet these theories with a shrug. Conspiracy theories—even the wilder ones—do attract adherents and do have real-world (and sometimes devastating) consequences. Intensifying our predicament is the undeniable fact that we live in a world that is rife with conspiracies—some of them rather wild. In this seminar we will examine the cognitive architecture and evidential conditions that contribute to our predicament and then ask whether cognitive science or formal epistemology can offer any useful tools or strategies for confronting philosophical skepticism and conspiracy theories.
Not offered in 2025-26
- HI, Humanistic Inquiry QRE, Quantitative Reasoning WR2 Writing Requirement 2
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): One 200 level PHIL course NOT including Independent Studies with a grade of C- or better.
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PSYC 214 Neuropsychology of Aging 6 credits
With the aging population comes a variety of challenges, including those to cognitive health and decline. Neurodegenerative diseases create various forms of dementia and cause unique problems beyond those that are an outcome of healthy aging. This 200-level course consists of lectures and discussions explore the cognitive, behavioral, and molecular aspects of healthy aging and neurodegenerative disease processes in humans. Cognitive topics include working memory, long term memory, attention, familiarity and recollection, emotion, and social factors that interact with aging. The physiological and cognitive outcomes of neurodegenerative conditions such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and various types of dementia are compared with the physiology and cognitive decline evident in healthy aging. Students will read primary articles on these topics, and propose a project based on course discussion and interactions with people at senior centers and convalescent centers in Northfield.
It is recommended that students enroll concurrently in PSYC 215. A grade of C- or better must be earned in both PSYC 214 and 215 to earn the LS requirement.
Recommend Preparation: PSYC 110.
This course is not open to students who have received credit for PSYC 367.
- Fall 2025
- WR2 Writing Requirement 2
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Not open to students who have previously taken PSYC 367.
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PSYC 216 Behavioral Neuroscience 6 credits
An introduction to the physiological bases of complex behaviors in mammals, with an emphasis on neural and hormonal mechanisms. Psychology 216 does not require concurrent registration in Psychology 217, however, a grade of C- or better must be earned in both Psychology 216 and 217 to satisfy the LS requirement. Expected preparation: Psychology 110 or instructor permission.
Not offered in 2025-26
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PSYC 220 Sensation and Perception 6 credits
We will address the question of how humans acquire information from the world to support action, learning, belief, choice, and the host of additional mental states that comprise the subject matter of psychology. In other words “How do we get the outside inside?” We will initially consider peripheral anatomical structures (e.g., the eye) and proceed through intermediate levels of sensory coding and transmission to cover the brain regions associated with each of the major senses. Readings will include primary sources and a text. In addition to exams and papers, students will conduct an investigation into an area of personal interest. A grade of C- or better must be earned in both Psychology 220 and 221 to satisfy the LS requirement.
- Winter 2026
- LS, Science with Lab
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): PSYC 110 with a grade of C- or better or received a score of 4 or better on the Psychology AP exam or received a score of 6 or better on the Psychology IB exam.
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PSYC 234 Psychology of Language 6 credits
This course will cover a range of aspects of language use. We will spend time discussing language production and comprehension, discourse processing, the relationship between language and thought, and language acquisition. Additionally, we will touch on issues of memory, perception, concepts, mental representation, and neuroscience. Throughout the course, we will emphasize both the individual and social aspects of language as well as the dynamic and fluid nature of language use. Concurrent registration in PSYC 235 is optional, but strongly recommended. A grade of C- or better must be earned in both Psychology 234 and 235 to satisfy the LS requirement.
Concurrent registration in PSYC 235 is optional but strongly recommended.
Not offered in 2025-26
- CX, Cultural/Literature LS, Science with Lab
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): PSYC 110 with a grade of C- or better or received a score of 4 or better on the Psychology AP exam or received a score of 6 or better on the Psychology IB exam.
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PSYC 238 Memory Processes 6 credits
Memory is involved in nearly every human activity: We use our memory not only when we reminisce about the past, but when we study for our exams, talk to our friends, and tie our shoes. This course explores the psychological science of human memory. We will examine different types of memory, how we encode new memories and retrieve old ones, how to ensure a memory is never forgotten, and how to implant a false memory in someone else. In doing so we will look at both old and new research, and discuss how memory research can be applied to some real world environments, such as courtrooms and classrooms. By the end of the course you will be familiar with the major issues in the field of memory research and be able to evaluate the quality of the studies used as evidence in these debates.
- Fall 2025
- SI, Social Inquiry
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): PSYC 110 with a grade of C- or better or received a score of 4 or better on the Psychology AP exam or received a score of 6 or better on the Psychology IB exam.
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PSYC 250 Developmental Psychology 6 credits
An introduction to the concept of development, examining both theoretical models and empirical evidence. Prenatal through late childhood is covered with some discussion of adolescence when time permits. Topics include the development of personality and identity, social behavior and knowledge, and cognition. In addition, attention is paid to current applications of theory to such topics as: day care, the role of the media, and parenting.
Not offered in 2025-26
- SI, Social Inquiry WR2 Writing Requirement 2
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): PSYC 110 with a grade of C- or better or received a score of 4 or better on the Psychology AP exam or received a score of 6 or better on the Psychology IB exam.
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PSYC 267 Clinical Neuroscience 6 credits
This course will explore brain disorders with significant psychological manifestations, such as Alzheimer’s disease, anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, and substance abuse, among others. Students will also receive a foundation in brain anatomy, physiology, and chemistry so that they may better understand the biological correlates of these clinical conditions.
- Winter 2026
- No Exploration
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): PSYC 110 with a grade of C- or better or received a score of 4 or better on the Psychology AP exam or received a score of 6 or better on the Psychology IB exam.
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PSYC 366 Cognitive Neuroscience 6 credits
It should be obvious that every process that goes on in the mind has physiological underpinnings. But, whether we can unlock the secrets of learning, memory, perception, language, decision-making, emotional responding, empathy, morality, social thinking, deception, and manipulation as they are supported by neurons and neural connections is a longstanding and elusive problem in psychology. Contemporary primary source articles are mostly used for this discussion-driven course, but a brief textbook/manual on brain processing is also required. The student should leave the class with a working understanding of brain processes and of contemporary theories of brain processes that may support many mental processes in humans.
- Winter 2026
- QRE, Quantitative Reasoning SI, Social Inquiry
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): PSYC 110 or BIOL 125 or PSYC 216 or NEURO 127 with a grade of C- or better or received a score of 4 or better on the Psychology AP Exam or received a score of 6 or better on the Psychology IB exam or received a score of 5 on the Biology AP exam or received a score of 6 or better on the Biology IB exam.
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PSYC 375 Language and Deception 6 credits
In this course we will examine deception and persuasion in language use. We will take up three main issues. The first is what it means to deceive and how people deceive others through language. What methods do they use, and how do these methods work? The second issue is why people deceive. What purposes do their deceptions serve in court, in advertising, in bureaucracies, in business transactions, and in everyday face-to-face conversation? The third issue is the ethics of deception. Is it legitimate to deceive others, and if so, when and why?
- Spring 2026
- QRE, Quantitative Reasoning SI, Social Inquiry
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Student has completed any of the following course(s): PSYC 232 or CGSC232/PSYC 232 or PSYC 234 or PSYC 238 or CGSC 236 with a grade of C- or better.