Curriculum (2012/13)

The curriculum

The main goal of the coureses in our PhD program is to ensure that the students master the basic notions and theories in cognitive science and can do cutting-edge doctoral research in one area of expertise of program, such as social cognitive sciences and the study of social cognition. The PhD program will provide basic training (taught courses) on at least the following topics:

  • Cognitive psychology
  • Research methods in cognitive science
  • Social cognition

The credit requirements to be fulfilled during the three-year Cognitive Science PhD program are such that the course work is concentrated during the first year, while most of the requirements are research focused.

Fall Term (2012/13) - credit requirements: 14 for 1st yr students, 4 for 2nd yr students.

Core Courses:

Experimental Research Methods - Jozsef Fiser (2 credits, for Grade)
Introduction to Cognitive Science - Guenther Knoblich (2 credits, for Grade)

Research Courses (include laboratory training):

Infant Cognition - Gergely Csibra and Gyorgy Gergely (2 credits, for Pass/Fail)
Joint Action - Natalie Sebanz and Guenther Knoblich (2 credits, for Pass/Fail)
Visual Perception and Learning in the Brain - Jozsef Fiser (2 credits, for Pass/Fail)
 
Elective Course: (2 credits should be elected for both 1st and 2nd yr students)
 
Cognitive Linguistics - Anne Tamm (2 credits, for Grade)
Mindreading and Joint Action: Philosophical Tools - Stephen Butterfill (2 credits, for Grade)
Social Cognitive Neuroscience - Gergely Csibra, Natalie Sebanz (2 credits, for Grade)
 
Mandatory to attend for Pass/Fail (for both 1st and 2nd yr students)
 
CDC Seminar - (1 credit, for Pass/Fail)
Journal Club - (1 credit, for Pass/Fail)
 
Winter Term (2012/13) - credit requirements: 16 for 1st yr students, 4 for 2nd yr students.

Core Course:

Social Cognition - Christophe Heintz (2 credits, for Grade)
Academic Writing for Cognitive Science (2 credits, for Grade)(2nd yr students can take it for Audit)

Elective Courses: (4 credits should be elected for 1st yr, 2 credits for 2nd yr students)

Social and cognitive sciences approaches to religion - Dan Sperber and Vlad Naumescu (2 credits, for Grade)
Issues in the study of inferece, reasoning and rationality - Dan Sperber (2 credits for Grade)
Approaches to Cognitive Modelling -Jozsef Fiser (2 credits for Grade) 
Embodied Cognition - Natalie Sebanz and Guenther Knoblich (2 credits for Grade)
Behavioral Economics - Christophe Heintz (2 credits for Grade)
Reasoning about instrumental and communicative agnecy in human infancy - Gyorgy Gergely and Pierre Jacob (2 credits for Grade)
The shared intentionality model of human social cognition  - Pierre Jacob (2 credits for Grade)

Mandatory to attend for Pass/Fail (for both 1st and 2nd yr students):
Departmental Colloquium - (1 credit, for Pass/Fail)
Journal Club - (1 credit, for Pass/Fail)

Spring Term (2012/13)

PhD Thesis Proposal (6 credits)
Comprehenisve exam (0 credits)
PhD Progress Report (20 credits - for 2nd yr students)
Conference presentation (2 credits for 2nd yr students)

Detailed course descriptions are available at Courses. 

For detailed information on credits and CEU Grading System, please visit the Student Records Office.