Quick reminder to anyone interested: shortly after the Easter break, Boeckx will be offering an Advanced Issues course in the Language & Cognitive Science MA program.
Visitors are welcome. Here is a brief description of the course:
Advanced Issues in
Cognitive Science and Language (April 2012)
Meeting times: April 16, 18, 20; 11h00-13h00; Ed. Josep Carner, 5th floor.
Cedric Boeckx
This 3-day course will focus on an emerging field in
cognitive science that David Poeppel has aptly called "computational
organology", a research area that seeks to combine insights from a variety
of disciplines to shed light on 'mental organs' such as language.
The notion of computation will be at the center of our
discussion, and I will assume that students are familiar with the basics of
what 'computation' is.
The specific lists of topics covered will depend, in part,
on who takes the class for credit, and the shape of the final assignment will
be determined accordingly. As preparation for the class, I would like students
(registered or not) to take a careful look at the following two essays:
1. "How the Zebra Gets Its Stripes" (Chapter
29).In Gould, S. J. (1983) Hen's Teeth and Horse's Toes: Further Reflections in
Natural History. New York: W. W. Norton and Company. [You can find this article
in many other anthologies and collections of essays by Gould.]
2. "Computing the organism", by R. Lewontin.
Natural History, April issue, 2000.
Students eager to read more before class may find a lot of
relevant material in
A. "Evolution --- the Extended Synthesis", by
Massimo Pigliucci and Gerd B. Müller. 2010. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.
and also in
B."Developmental plasticity and evolution" by Mary
Jane West-Eberhard. 2003. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Both readings are highly recommended.