Tentative Course Offerings

COGS 87 (A00): How Minds and Groups Make Religion and Superstition | Professor Gedeon Deak

Why do humans, individually and in groups, attribute natural events to supernatural agents? How does the human brain accept religious beliefs, even in the face of contradictory evidence? We will examine how cognitive, developmental, and cultural factors work together to cause humans to believe in the supernatural.

COGS 87 (B00): How to be wrong: Case studies in human failure, borked tools, and bad data | Professor Jason Fleischer

Science, technology, engineering, business, and even getting a university degree are human activities that need data. We will examine some common ways that our minds and our tools cause failure through examples of disasters and mishaps. Space shuttles explode, lost COVID-19 data costs lives, and AI programs are racist. Hopefully you will come out the other end with some new ideas and habits to help you avoid similar traps in your life and career. Bonus: we will also talk about how to (not) screw up your university experience!

COGS 160 (A00): Social Cog/Lang Devel Lab | Professor Gedeon Deák

This course is a mixed Practicum/Seminar course designed to provide hands-on experience in research on infancy and early childhood. Students learn skills and are assigned responsibilities based on the project to which they are assigned. Students also participate in a journal club and prepare brief end-of-quarter presentations and reports. It is a 3-quarter sequence. Content, skills, and responsibilities evolve and expand every quarter. Students work with a supervisor who oversees training and task progress. 

Prerequisites: GPA of 3.3 or better; commitment to this COGS 160 for 3-quarters; permission of instructor based on interview and availability. 

Request enrollment by contacting Dr. Deak (gdeak@ucsd.edu).

COGS 160 (A00): Lang Devlpmnt/Early Childhood | Professor Gedeon Deák

This course is a mixed Practicum/Seminar course designed to provide hands-on experience in research on infancy and early childhood. Students learn skills and are assigned responsibilities based on the project to which they are assigned. Students also participate in a journal club and prepare brief end-of-quarter presentations and reports. It is a 3-quarter sequence. Content, skills, and responsibilities evolve and expand every quarter. Students work with a supervisor who oversees training and task progress. 

Prerequisites: GPA of 3.3 or better; commitment to this COGS 160 for 3-quarters; permission of instructor based on interview and availability. 

Request enrollment by contacting Dr. Deak (gdeak@ucsd.edu).

COGS 160 (B00): Cognitive and Neuroscience for Architecture | Professor David Kirsh

This is a seminar and project-oriented class in which students and several faculty explore what is known at cognitive, neuroscientific and behavioral levels about the interaction of person and building (human building interaction, HBI). It is part of the emerging field of research concerned with applications of Cognitive Science and Neuroscience to Architectural and Urban Design. Topics include: what is HBI; how space and movement are cognized and used; what is architectural atmosphere; what is the metaverse and its forthcoming roles in architecture; how can we quantify effects of buildings on persons and study HBI scientifically; what is architectural legibility; what is place: how do we understand it and remember; how does architecture affect our emotions; how does it affect our work; how does it shape personal well-being and social dynamics. Students and faculty will critically present the contents of research papers, and work in practicums whose goal will be to investigate specific roles that science may play in reshaping architectural and urban design. Faculty include several members from Cognitive Science and the Salk Institute, guest lecturers from University of London, and architects from the US and abroad.

Class meet Monday 11:00am-1:50pm in CSB 003

Enrollment is by permission of the instructor only, request enrollment via EASy.

COGS 87 (A00):How Minds & Cultures Make Religion & Superstition | Professor Gedeon Deak

Why do humans, individually and in groups, attribute natural events to supernatural agents? How does the human brain accept religious beliefs, even in the face of contradictory evidence? We will examine how cognitive, developmental, and cultural factors work together to cause humans to believe in the supernatural.

DSGN 119: Design at Large (course information) | Professor Kyong Park

Urban Designs from South Korea: Architecture, Ecology and Communities from South Korea

New societal challenges, cultural values, and technological opportunities are changing design, and vice versa. The seminar explores this increased scale, real-world engagement, and disruptive impact. Invited speakers from UC San Diego and beyond share cutting-edge research on interaction, design, and learning. 2 units, P/NP grades only.

Meets Wednesdays 4:00pm-5:50pm at DIB 208.

Prerequisites: COMM 124A or COGS 10 or DSGN 1

DSGN 160: Resilient Health Design | Professor Eliah Aronoff-Spencer

A project-based course examining how principles of systems thinking, serious games and design science apply to the development of health and medical technologies.  Learn about dynamical systems in precision medicine and public health, new methods and opportunities for MedTech innovation. Learn to design holistic, people-centered applications and services. Co-develop a solution for community resilience.

Prerequisites: upper-division standing or consent of the instructor

Class meet TuTh 2:00pm-3:20pm DIB 336

Finals Thursday 6/15/23 3pm-6pm DlB 336