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Cognitive Science Fiction

Course description

What does it mean to be intelligent? Does our experience with language change how we think about the world? How do we develop the ability to interact socially with others? These are some of the questions that this course will explore by engaging both with relevant science fiction and academic research on select topics in Cognitive Science. The course is designed to provide students with a broad introduction to many areas of active research in Cognitive Science. Through this, students will be exposed to many different domains and methods within Cognitive Science including philosophy, computational modeling, comparative cognition, developmental psychology, neuroimaging, neuropsychology, and human behavior. Additionally, students experience science fiction across several different mediums: short stories, podcasts, movies, television, and a novel.

Course goals

By the end of this course, you will be…

  1. aware of common topics and methods in Cognitive Science (CogSci).
  2. aware of the real limitations, concerns, and ethical considerations in the CogSci.
  3. able to critically evaluate academic articles in CogSci and weigh different theoretical perspectives.
  4. critically engage with science fiction and other popular media presentations of CogSci.
  5. Potential bonus goal: You will develop or foster a life-long enthusiasm for science fiction :)

What our goal is not

The course is partially intended to foster an enjoyment of science fiction across many different mediums. Our goal will not be to dismiss the value of science fiction because it is not scientifically accurate. It is fiction afterall, and its purpose is not to teach us about science.

Class meeting structure

On alternating days, we will engage with either science fiction or CogSci articles.

Science-fiction days

The first half of the class meeting will be a discussion focused on the CogSci themes in the sci-fi material. I will close out the class by giving a short lecture that summarizes some of the work being done in the particular area of cognitive science.

Academic article days

These classes will be entirely discussion based. Students will be responsible for summarizing the main points of the assigned readings in discussion. We will also compare what is currently known about the particular topic and relate it to the science fiction reading from the previous day.

Grading & Assignments

Participation/Attendance

You will be expected to come to class prepared and to participate in discussions.

Quizzes

This course will require completing the assigned readings and a quiz before each class. These quizzes are not only meant to check that you have completed the reading although that is part of the goal. They also serve to guide you in thinking about what aspects of the reading are relevant to the course. And, if I have done a good enough job in writing them, they should get you thinking about questions/comments that you would like to discuss in class.

Quizzes should be completed entirely on your own without consulting classmates. This is because you should use the quizzes as an opportunity for your engagement with the material. Any confusion/clarification should be brought to the whole class so that we can all discuss and learn together.

Quizzes will be submitted and graded automatically on Gradescope (linked from the course Canvas site).

How to succeed

passing for this course is not assigned based on the average of individual scores. Earning a “Satisfactory” in this course will require that you 1) earn a passing score (75% or greater) on 75% of the quizzes (10 out of 13 quizzes) and 2) attend and participate in 75% of class meetings (10 out of 13 meetings).

Missed Class/Quizz Policy

There will not be makeup quizzes and you do not need to inform me if you are going to miss class for any reason. You can miss up to 3 classes (attend 10 total) and 3 quizzes (take and score at least 75% on 10 quizzes) and still earn a passing grade for the course. If you anticipate more protracted/frequent absences or missing work, please contact me, and we can discuss alternate arrangements that I will evaluate on a case-by-case basis.

Readings

The course website will link to many of the readings, but for copyright reasons will not directly post most of the course readings. All of the assignments have been registered with the library, and with the exception of the novellas, are availble through eReserves and also in the “eReserves” tab on the course Canvas site. The movies and TV episode are also available through eReserves.

There is are two novellas assigned for the course that can be purchased through Barnes and Noble Johns Hopkins. I would encourage you to either buy the book from one of Baltimore’s terrific local bookstores like Atomic Books, Greedy Reads, or Ivy Bookshop or borrow it from the library. Enoch Pratt Free Library, Baltimore’s public library, has some physical, ebook, and audiobook copies.

Diversity in readings

An unfortunate reality of both CogSci and sci-fi is that both fields have historically had little diversity. In the selection of readings for this course, I have tried to highlight work people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, and women.

Research in Cognitive Science

The Cognitive Science department at Johns Hopkins is committed to an inclusive environment where undergraduate students can receive research experience to explore careers in Cognitive Science. There are opportunities available to perform research for credit, as well as grants available to support research as a paid job. Many professors are actively seeking research assistants. Please see the Job & Research Opportunities section of the Cognitive Science website for more information, or reach out to professors to inquire about potential research positions.

Further down the road, if you enjoyed the topics covered in this course, consider applying to graduate school to study Cognitive Science or related topics. Pursuing a PhD is more like a job than being an undergraduate student: PhD programs pay a full-time salary to support you as you take ownership of a research topic. People get into graduate school from all sorts of backgrounds, so don’t assume that you are unsuited for a PhD program. Advanced degrees in Cognitive Science can lead to a variety of careers within or outside of academia. For example, some of our alumni currently work at NASA as a Technical Writer, at Apple as a Research Engineer, at various organizations as research scientists, and more. Talk to your advisor or another professor for advice on applying to graduate programs.