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From: mikes@tekecs.TEK.COM (Michael Sellers)
Newsgroups: comp.cog-eng,comp.ai
Subject: cognitive science programs
Message-ID: <7876@tekecs.TEK.COM>
Date: Thu, 13-Nov-86 14:17:05 EST
Article-I.D.: tekecs.7876
Posted: Thu Nov 13 14:17:05 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 16-Nov-86 20:09:42 EST
Organization: Tektronix Inc., Wilsonville, OR
Lines: 33
Keywords: cognitive science, programs, graduate, undergrad, requirements
Xref: mnetor comp.cog-eng:6 comp.ai:30

[Someone recently asked why all this cognitive science stuff kept appearing
in net.cog-eng and net.ai .  Where else *should* it go?  Do we have enough
readership to justify a net.cogsci (it'd be nice)?]

  I recently asked about cognitive science graduate programs; specifically,
why did you join the one you're in?  I've gotten a number of responses
(thanks! keep that e-mail coming), and now I'd like to alter the question
a bit. 
  It seems that there are very few schools with anything like a bona fide
cognitive science (or cognitive anything) program at the grad level.  There
are some schools that have some sort of mish-mash of AI & psych or linguistics
shoehorned into being a cogsci program (this is not meant to be an attack).
It may be that the field is still too young for there to be people to teach
it reliably, so a full-blown program is not yet possible.  
  My question, then, is in two related parts:  first, what do you consider
appropriate and adequate preparation at the undergraduate level for a 
graduate program in cognitive science (i.e., how much computer science, how
much math, how much bio or psych, etc); and second, what do you consider 
would be a viable program at the graduate level to warrent an advanced degree
(MS or PhD) in cognitive science?
  My main goal here is to start some discussion about how we should proceed
in this area in general; and more specifically so I can get some other ideas 
about *my* possible program.  In addition, it might be useful to approach the
question of "what is/should be cognitive science?" from this perspective.
Rather than arguing about whether neurology is more important than linguistics,
maybe we can settle on how much of each is a good blend.
  E-mail to me is fine (I love the stuff), but I'd like to see a discussion
of this get going, so posting is probably good too.
-- 
			   Mike Sellers
     UUCP: {...your spinal column here...}!tektronix!tekecs!mikes

       "You learn lessons from no one so well as from yourself"