In Introduction to Cognitive Science, Professor Thad A. Polk takes you on a fascinating tour of the latest discoveries in the relatively new field of cognitive science. The goal is nothing less than understanding every interaction working in the human brain to produce all forms of cognition. Computer scientists, engineers, linguists, physicians, psychologists, and more are all pursuing the mysteries of the most complex structure in the known universe: the human brain.
But how do we learn about the mechanisms underlying human cognition? Unlike scientists studying other parts of the body, hands-on examination of the brain yields limited results. We can certainly learn about the brain’s structure, but where is the “thinking”? How can we best use our mind to learn about the mind?
In 24 lectures, Professor Polk will share dozens of the most challenging questions in cognitive science today: How do humans process language? How do we make decisions, and why do we so often regret them later? What are emotions, and why do we feel them? How does the brain affect our visual perception of the world? In this course, Professor Polk gives the latest, exciting answers for these questions, and many more.
Getting around the Black Box
Since we cannot directly see how the objective, measurable activity in the brain becomes our subjective world, scientists often describe the mind as hidden in a “black box.” Cognitive scientists use a variety of interdisciplinary methods to get around this fundamental problem. In Introduction to Cognitive Science, you’ll learn about contributions from:
Meetings are online (over Zoom) Tuesday Evenings at 7:00 p.m.
Go to esuc.org/carterclass and click through to the Zoom meeting
Alan Carter has been a member of East Shore since 1997 and leads many of these classes.
For more details see: Introduction to Cognitive Science
We have several parking lots. Our upper lot, off SE 32nd Street, is closest to our Sanctuary, it has handicap and stroller parking. There is a roundabout for drop-offs. Our lower, main parking lot is also off SE 32nd Street. There are stairs that will lead you up to the Sanctuary. If that lot is full, there is also street parking on 32nd Street.