school of social science - Hampshire College

iSPRINGi
Class will meet twice weekly for one hour and twenty
minutes; there will also be a lab session of two hours and fifty
minutes. Enrollment limit is 25.
CCS 246
COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY
Neil Stillings
Cognitive psychology is the study of the fundamental
capacities of the human mind. It is one of the main disciplines
of cognitive science. and it provides intellectual foundations
for the entire field of contemporary psychology. Familiarity
with the field is essential for students who plan to do advanced
undergraduate or graduate work in psychology or
cognitive science. This course will consider memory, attention.
learning. reasoning. problem solving. concept formation.
and other topics. Research methods and statistics will also be a
major focus of the course. Students will learn to understand
the research designs and data analyses in the primary psychological
literature at an advanced level. A term paper or
laboratory project will be required.
Class will meet twice a week for one hour and twenty
minutes each time. Enrollment is limited to 20.
CCS 253
COMPUTERS IN NEUROSCIENCES, PROBING THE
BRAIN
Siavoljub Milekic
In the past decade computers and computer-enhanced
visualization of scientific data became the major research tools
in the area of neurosciences. With modern neuro-imaging
techniques it is possible to create a three-dimensional model
of an actual brain, to examine its topography and structure in
minute detail. and even to dissect it with a digital scalpel.
Maybe even more important is the possibility of monitoring
the brain activity in real time-metabolic scanning procedures
(like PET and SPECT) allow us to see which parts of the
brain are activated during certain mental operations, and
using the Event Related Potentials (ERPs) technique we can
register the changes in activity with millisecond precision. Put
an eye-tracker in from of the brain, and we know nor only the
level of the brain activity but also exactly what was the visual
input that caused it.
The goal of this course is twofold. First. it is to acquaint
the students with the basic principles and practical aspects of
modern neuro-imaging techniques. We will visit labs in the
valley doing ERPs and eye-tracking-based research. The
second goal is to promote creative uses of computers in
student research. You will be expected to design an original
experimental procedure using the computer to collect the data
during cecrain (mental) activity. No computer experience is
necessary.
Class will meet once a week for two hours and fifty
minutes. Five hours of lab time will be scheduled during the
course. Enrollment limit is 15.
CCS 258
MAGAZINES AS CULTURAL COMMENTARY
David Kerr
Magazines are one of the oldest forms of periodical
publication yet today they are economically vibrant and
penetrate deep into the corners of our culture. (Four financially
thriving magazines serving saltwater fly fishers? Seven for
74
the edification of hobbyists who build dollhouses?) TV Guide.
America's highest circulation magazine. helps millions of
Americans select their electronic entertainment. Magazines are
a marvelously varied form of mass communication that should
tell us a great deal about the culture in which we are immersed.
In this course we will look al SOllle of the ways cultural
theory and mass communication theory help us deconstruct
and analyze magazines. Then we will apply these approaches
to contemporary magazines to judge how well they enable us
to understand the values, biases, and world views that define
our culture in today's general circulation magazines. There
will be two short critical papers and one demanding research
paper required.
Class will meet twice a week for one hour and twenty
minutes each time. Enrollment limit is 20.
CCS 263
ARTIFICIAL INTELliGENCE
Lee Spector
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a branch of computer science
concerned with the construction of computer systems that
"think." This course is an introduction to the core ideas of AI
through concrete, hands-on activity. We will use the Common
Lisp programming language. which is taught in CCS
109. to build working Al systems. We will study a range of
techniques and mechanisms. including pattern matching and
production systems. semantic networks and frame systems.
heuriscic search, genetic algorithms, resolution theorem
proving. STRIPS-style planning. symbolic learning algorithms.
augmented transition networks, and neural networks.
We will also discuss the philosophical foundations of AI.
alternative approaches to AI (for example. symbolic.
connectionisc, and sicuaced activity approaches). and implications
of AI for cognitive science more broadly.
This course or its equivalent is a prerequisite for Advanced
Topics in Artificial Intelligence; it may also be a
prerequisite for other advanced courses on computational
topics in the cognitive sciences. Prerequisite: Basic competence
in the Common Lisp programming language.
Class will meet twice a week for one hour and twenty
minuees each rime. Enrollment limit is 25.
CCS 268
NET NEWS WORKSHOP
James Miller
This course begins the process of simultaneously studying
che still-emerging practice of journalism on the Internet and
contributing to it. Our main goal will be Web-site design and
construction and some other aspects of providing news-related
content on the Net. In addition we will critically survey
existing news services available in dec[fonic and traditional
formats. Students should have substantial background in
journalism or Web work. or both.
Class will meet once a week for two hours and fifty
minutes. Enrollment limit is 8 by instructor permission.