Cognitive Sciences

Cognitive Sciences
https://cogsci.rice.edu/
464 Sewall Hall
713-348-4856

Bartlett D. Moore, IV
Program Director
bart4@rice.edu

Researchers in the interdisciplinary field of Cognitive Sciences seek to understand such mental phenomena as perception, thought, memory, the acquisition and use of language, learning, concept formation, and consciousness. Some investigators focus on relations between brain structures and behavior, some work with computer simulation, some use experimental methodology, and others work at more abstract theoretical levels.

Cognitive Sciences does not currently offer an academic program at the graduate level.

Director

Bartlett D. Moore, IV, Social Sciences

Professors

Michel Achard, Linguistics
Michael D. Byrne, Psychological Sciences
Patricia DeLucia, Psychological Sciences
Uriah Kriegel, Philosophy
Randi C. Martin, Psychological Sciences
Frederick L. Oswald, Psychological Sciences
Timothy Schroeder, Philosophy
Charles Siewert, Philosophy
Devika Subramanian, Computer Science
Marina Vannucci, Statistics

Associate Professors

Robert Englebretson, Linguistics
Simon J. Fischer-Baum, Psychological Sciences
Caleb Kemere, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Suzanne E. Kemmer, Linguistics
Philip T. Kortum, Psychological Sciences
Nancy A. Niedzielski, Linguistics
Vincente Ordóñez-Róman, Computer Science

Assistant Professors

Bryan Denny, Psychological Sciences
Stephanie L. Leal, Psychological Sciences
Lan Li, History
Alexander Morgan, Philosophy
Michelle Torres, Political Science
Vaibhav V. Unhelkar, Computer Science

Professors Emeriti

Steven J. Cox, Computational Applied Mathematics and Operations Research
Richard E. Grandy, Philosophy
Don Herrick Johnson, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Mark Kulstad, Philosophy
Sydney M. Lamb, Linguistics
David M. Lane, Psychological Sciences
James R. Pomerantz, Psychological Sciences
David J. Schneider, Psychological Sciences
Stephen A. Tyler, Anthropology
James Young, Electrical and Computer Engineering

Teaching Professor

David R. Caprette, BioSciences

Assistant Teaching Professor 

Jonathan R. Flynn, BioSciences

Lecturers

Louretha Adams, Psychological Sciences
John Greiner, Computer Science
Bartlett D. Moore, IV, Social Sciences

Adjunct Faculty 

Xaq Pitkow, Electrical and Computer Engineering

 
 

For Rice University degree-granting programs:
To view the list of official course offerings, please see Rice’s Course Catalog
To view the most recent semester’s course schedule, please see Rice's Course Schedule

Cognitive Sciences (CSCI)

CSCI 102 - QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS FOR SOCIAL SCIENCES: COGNITIVE SCIENCES LAB

Short Title: COGSCI STATISTICS LAB

Department: Cognitive Sciences

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Laboratory

Credit Hours: 0

Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.

Course Level: Undergraduate Lower-Level

Description: This lab companion course to SOSC 302: Quantitative Analysis for the Social Sciences involves cognitive science-specific applications of statistical analysis. The lab focuses on the use of software to analyze data from research in the cognitive sciences. Students who enroll in this lab section must also enroll in SOSC 302 during the same semester.

CSCI 238 - SPECIAL TOPICS

Short Title: SPECIAL TOPICS

Department: Cognitive Sciences

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Internship/Practicum, Laboratory, Lecture, Seminar, Independent Study

Credit Hours: 1-4

Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.

Course Level: Undergraduate Lower-Level

Description: Topics and credit hours vary each semester. Contact department for current semester's topic(s). Repeatable for Credit.

CSCI 299 - EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION IN COGNITIVE SCIENCES

Short Title: EXPERIENTIAL EDUC IN COGSCI

Department: Cognitive Sciences

Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory

Course Type: Internship/Practicum

Credit Hour: 1

Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Cognitive Sciences. Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.

Course Level: Undergraduate Lower-Level

Description: Provides one hour of university credit for faculty-approved internship. Students must obtain approval from Cognitive Sciences program director and must submit an offer letter from the internship provider as well as a letter indicating completion and satisfactory performance. Instructor Permission Required. Repeatable for Credit.

CSCI 340 - METHODS OF COGNITIVE SCIENCE

Short Title: METHODS OF COGNITIVE SCIENCE

Department: Cognitive Sciences

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.

Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level

Description: Cognitive science is a basic science of mental operations in humans, animals, and artificial systems. It is a highly interdisciplinary endeavor that draws on philosophy, psychology, biology, linguistics, and computer science, among other traditional disciplines. This course provides an integrated introduction to the primary empirical methods for studying the human mind. Students will learn how the scientific method is applied to study mental information representation, manipulation, and utilization in natural and artificial cognitive systems. It will teach students to understand and evaluate existing methodological approaches as well as recognize what is necessary to replicate results. Topics include the philosophical foundations of cognitive science, basic methods of cognitive psychology, neuroscience, linguistics, computational modeling, data analysis, and ethical responsibility when conducting cognitive research.

CSCI 390 - SUPERVISED RESEARCH IN COGNITIVE SCIENCES

Short Title: SUPERV RESRCH COGNITIVE SCI

Department: Cognitive Sciences

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Research

Credit Hours: 1-3

Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.

Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level

Description: Supervised research on topics relevant to the cognitive sciences. Limited to majors in Cognitive Sciences. Instructor Permission Required. Repeatable for Credit.

CSCI 477 - SPECIAL TOPICS

Short Title: SPECIAL TOPICS

Department: Cognitive Sciences

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Internship/Practicum, Laboratory, Lecture, Seminar, Lecture/Laboratory, Independent Study

Credit Hours: 1-4

Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.

Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level

Description: Topics and credit hours vary each semester. Contact department for current semester's topic(s). Repeatable for Credit.

CSCI 481 - HONORS PROJECT

Short Title: HONORS PROJECT

Department: Cognitive Sciences

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Research

Credit Hours: 1-3

Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional or Visiting Undergraduate level students.

Course Level: Undergraduate Upper-Level

Description: Independent directed research toward preparation of an undergraduate honors project or thesis. Instructor Permission Required. Repeatable for Credit.

Description and Code Legend

Note: Internally, the university uses the following descriptions, codes, and abbreviations for this academic program. The following is a quick reference: 

Course Catalog/Schedule 

  • Course offerings/subject code: CSCI 

Department (or Program) Description and Code 

  • Cognitive Sciences: CSCI 

Undergraduate Degree Description and Code

  • Bachelor of Arts degree: BA 

Undergraduate Major Description and Code 

  • Major in Cognitive Sciences: CSCI

Undergraduate Major Areas of Specialization Descriptions and Attribute Codes*

  • Area of Specialization in Computation: CSCS
  • Area of Specialization in Linguistics: CSLN
  • Area of Specialization in Neuroscience: CSNR
  • Area of Specialization in Philosophy: CSPH
  • Area of Specialization in Psychology: CSPS

Please Note: Areas of Specialization are department/program-specific and are not formally recognized academic credentials. Unlike Major Concentrations, Areas of Specialization do not appear on the student's official academic transcript, etc. Students may informally choose to follow more than one Area of Specialization (or pre-specified collections of elective courses), however, when declaring their major they should identify and declare one Area of Specialization with the Office of the Registrar.

CIP Code and Description1

  • CSCI Major/Program: CIP Code/Title: 30.2501 - Cognitive Science