Cognitive Science, Faculty of Arts and Science Academic Plan:

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1 Cognitive Science, Faculty of Arts and Science Academic Plan: Cognitive science is the interdisciplinary study of thought and other mental phenomena in humans and machines. It encompasses work done in computer science, linguistics, neuroscience, philosophy, and psychology. Drawing on the concepts, theories, and methodologies of these disciplines, cognitive scientists seek to understand perception, language, learning, and reasoning in both biological and machine information-processing systems (i.e., in both brains and computers). Cognitive science is a young discipline, having achieved its modern form only after the last World War, and it has been one of the major engines of innovation driving theoretical and empirical advancements in many of the life and mathematical sciences. It is the very epitome of a modern multi-disciplinary science. Cognitive science helped create the world we now live in, and it is a central player in determining what the future will bring. The University of Toronto has had a cognitive science program since the early 1980s, when Lynd Forguson (a former Professor in the Department of Philosophy and one-time Principal of University College) founded the Cognitive Science Program (Cog Sci) at University College (UC). Cog Sci grew to become the largest program at UC and one of the most vibrant interdisciplinary programs at the University of Toronto. It attracted excellent undergraduates, and provided a forum for cutting-edge researchers from several departments across the university. Citing recent institutional changes, however, UC quite suddenly decided last year (academic year ) that it could no longer host Cog Sci. Responding to this challenging situation, members of the Departments of Computer Science, Linguistics, Philosophy, and Psychology came together during the Spring 2009 term with the purpose of reimagining Cog Sci. This group was passionately committed to saving Cog Sci; indeed, the very idea of a modern research university without a cognitive science program was unfathomable to the four departments. After a summer and fall of careful deliberation, the group produced in November of the Fall 2009 term a proposal for a completely restructured Cog Sci program, one which would function in a standalone capacity under the auspices of the Faculty of Arts and Science (FAS). As of December 2009, this proposal is making its way through the final stages of the FAS program approval process. The new Cog Sci program it envisions has generated tremendous excitement in the four stakeholder departments (Computer Science, Linguistics, Philosophy, and Psychology) and amongst students. The opportunity is at hand to build, from the ground up, a truly first-rate cognitive science program at the University of Toronto. Thus, the present time is a particularly auspicious one to be engaged in academic planning. Though this planning document will make reference on occasion to features of the old UC program, its concern will be with the new FAS program. 1. Vision and Strengths Before proceeding to a discussion of its vision and strengths, a few words on the structure of the new Cog Sci program are in order. 1.1 Structure of the Program The new Cog Sci program encompasses an arts major and a science major, with both majors requiring the completion of eight full course equivalents. 1

2 The gateway to the program is COG250Y Introduction to Cognitive Science. A successor to the old UNI250Y, this course, to be taken by both arts and science majors in their first years, is a broad introduction to the concepts, theories, and methodologies employed in cognitive science, one which sets the stage for the work students will go on to do in the program. After completing COG250Y as well as a number of other required courses, the students select a course stream in their second or third years. For the arts major, there are three streams: Perception and Attention, Language and Cognition, and Thinking and Reasoning ; for the science major, there are two streams: Computational Cognition and Cognition and the Brain. Cognitive science is a complex, thoroughly interdisciplinary field, and the aim of the streams is to help students chart a path through this complexity that will combine academic rigor (each stream comprises a host of challenging requirements and electives, carefully selected for depth and coherence) with the freedom to structure their coursework in ways that meet their own intellectual interests and career needs. Students in both the arts and science major also take PHL342H Minds and Machines, a sophisticated survey of the philosophical questions about mind raised by cognitive science research. The majors conclude in students fourth years, when the students rejoin one another for participation in the new 400-level capstone seminars. Students from the arts major s streams come together for COG401H Seminar in Cognitive Science, a high-level research-based course, and students from the science major s two streams come together for COG 402H Seminar in Cognitive Science, also a high-level research-based course. 1.2 Vision and Strengths The new Cog Sci program is a fully interdisciplinary standalone program strongly supported by the four stakeholder departments. These departments Computer Science, Linguistics, Philosophy, and Psychology are a tremendous asset. Not only are they the very best in Canada in their respective fields, but each is also highly ranked internationally. Moreover, each department boasts teaching and research strengths in cognitive science and related areas, with some (Linguistics, Philosophy, and Psychology) having made successful cognitive sciencerelated hires in the last five years. There are currently over 150 students enrolled in Cog Sci at the University of Toronto. The third- and fourth-year students in the group will complete their courses of study this year (academic year ) and next ( ) in the old UC program as part of its phase-out. The first- and second-year students in the group will make the transition to the new program, beginning next year ( ). The number of students in the old UC program has grown steadily, from approximately 30 in 2000 to the figure just noted. There is every reason to expect the number to continue to grow once the transition from the UC program to the new FAS program is completed. The expected increase in enrolment is due to the fact that the new FAS Cog Sci program a standalone program, enthusiastically supported by the four high quality stakeholder departments solves a problem that the old UC program contended with for years. On one hand, as long as Cog Sci was hosted by UC, the four departments felt little at stake in managing the program s affairs; but on the other hand, Cog Sci made a poor fit with UC s other programs (Canadian Studies, Drama, Health Studies, Peace and Conflict Studies, and Sexual Diversity Studies). Thus, Cog Sci never received the kind of strong, fully informed support necessary for flourishing. This created a situation in which, though far and away the Canadian leader in computer science, linguistics, philosophy, and psychology, the University of Toronto never had a 2

3 cognitive science program with the stature of those at some other national institutions. Indeed, a recent external review of the old UC program noted with irony that Carleton University, Simon Frasier University, and the University of Waterloo had more active cognitive science programs despite their, the Universities, not being as strong as the University of Toronto in the four core fields. The new FAS Cog Sci program solves this problem in one stroke: now that Cog Sci will be their responsibility, the four stakeholder departments can engage in hands-on management of the program in the way their member cognitive scientists deem most appropriate, and as a standalone program, Cog Sci will not be unduly encumbered by an association with a college whose core interests lie elsewhere. Philosophy handles the administration for the new program and provides its program director, and representatives from each of the four departments sit on the newly established Cognitive Science Advisory Committee, which is responsible for overseeing the new program s development. In connection with these points, it is worth emphasizing that the new program addresses the concern, first voiced by the 2008 FAS External Review Committee, that FAS s interdisciplinary programs and their relationship to the colleges are in need of reassessment and rationalization. The benefits of the just-noted hands-on management by the four departments can already be felt. In the old UC program, the ancestor of COG250Y, UNI250Y, was taught by a sessional instructor. In the new FAS program, though, COG250Y will be team-taught by a roster of cognitive science-interested tenure-stream faculty from the four departments, and the 400-level capstone courses will also be taught by tenure-stream faculty from the four departments (see below, sections 2.2 and 3). This extraordinary show of support means not only that faculty active in cognitive science research will be engaged in teaching undergraduate students, but that these faculty will be designing the relevant courses and collaborating with one another across departments in ways that were impossible in the old program. The new Cog Sci program will provide a host of attractive educational resources to undergraduates. Since philosophy is as integral to cognitive science as computer science, linguistics, and psychology, Cog Sci brings together humanists and scientists within a challenging liberal arts context. Cog Sci will boast a number of team-taught courses, as well as impressive opportunities for undergraduate students to engage in faculty-guided research (see below, sections 2.2 and 3). And Cog Sci offers co-curricular enhancements of the student experience through the affiliated student group CASA (Cognitive Science and Artificial Intelligence Students Association) and their biennial cognitive science conference UTISM (University of Toronto Interdisciplinary Symposium on Mind). The students involved with CASA, including many who will be making the transition to the new program, are extremely enthusiastic and highly motivated, and we expect to see this level of student engagement to increase and intensify. The four departments strong support for the new FAS Cog Sci program stems from their belief in the importance of making the University of Toronto a national and global leader in the field. As part of that vision, the departments would like to see a move towards a collaborative graduate program. The aim is for this movement to grow organically from the kinds of crossdepartmental interaction the faculty design of COG250Y, COG401H, and COG402H will require. Achieving a collaborative graduate program would allow Cog Sci to leverage the tricampus strength of the four departments in ways that would enhance the educational experience of undergraduate and graduate students affiliated with Cog Sci and the four departments. 3

4 2. Priorities Having devoted the summer and fall of 2009 to a complete overhaul of the cognitive science curriculum, the new FAS Cog Sci program s main concern is to capitalize on the opportunity this renewed curriculum provides: nothing less than the chance to build a cognitive science program commensurate with the high ambition, reputation, and goals of a major research university. 2.1 Taking Advantage of Our Breadth The new Cog Sci program s first priority is to complete the tasks of converting COG250Y into a team-taught course and of structuring the 400-level capstone seminars. The aim is to draw more fully on the exceptional breadth of faculty resources on offer in the four departments by having faculty from the departments design the courses from the ground up and collaborate in their instruction. It is worth pausing here to note just how exceptional this breadth is. The Department of Computer Science the dominant department in Canada and number 8 worldwide, according to the latest Academic Ranking of World Universities, conducted by the University of Shanghai is home to a number of cognitive science researchers, one of whom received the David E. Rumelhart Prize in The Rumelhart Prize is the premier award in the international cognitive science community. Though at present linguistics does not rely on any formal ranking system, it is widely acknowledged that the Department of Linguistics is the dominant department in Canada and an international leader in the field. The department boasts a number of cognitive science researchers, and in recent years has made hiring in the area a priority. Indeed, two of the department s most recent appointments, one in 2007 and the other in 2009, pursue cognitive science-focused research agendas. The Department of Philosophy the dominant department in Canada and number 10 among public universities (tied for 17th overall) in the English-speaking world, according to the latest edition of Blackwell Publishing s Philosophical Gourmet Report has exceptionally strong philosophy of mind and cognitive science cohorts. The Gourmet Report ranks the department 9 th overall in mind and tied for 13 th in cognitive science. And like Linguistics, Philosophy has made a number of appointments in these areas in the last five years. Finally, the Department of Psychology the dominant department in Canada and one of the most research-productive psychology departments in the world boasts a large number of cognitive science researchers, one of whom won a lifetime achievement award from the Association for Psychological Science, and another of whom won prestigious Early Career Awards from both the American Psychological Association and the Society for Cognitive Neuroscience. 2.2 Rebuilding the Student Experience: Intensifying Our Efforts The new Cog Sci program is committed to serving the FAS goal of increasing the number and quality of small-group learning experiences for undergraduate students. COG250Y and PHL342H, two large courses which all students in the program must take, have never had tutorial sections. We would like to add graduate-student led tutorials to COG250Y. We would also like to create a system in which interested undergraduate students enrolled in the 400-level capstone seminars serve as discussion group-leading (but non-marking) mentors for their junior peers enrolled in PHL342H. 2.3 Graduate Education and Research Excellence: Leveraging Our Advantage 4

5 Adding tutorial sections to COG250Y would have the additional advantage of giving graduate students from the four departments the opportunity to develop their teaching skills while working together and with motivated undergraduates. The development of a team-taught COG250Y, as well as movement towards a collaborative graduate program, will encourage more crossdepartmental communication between cognitive science-interested researchers and will spark opportunities for joint research by faculty and students, both graduate and undergraduate. 2.4 The Colleges: Capitalizing More Fully on Unique Assets Though the new FAS Cog Sci program will not be formally affiliated with UC, we hope to preserve the historic connection with the college by securing continued access to student space in its quarters. Currently, CASA has a library and a robotics lab housed at UC. An important priority is ensuring that Cog Sci s students will have continued use of these facilities. 2.5 Engaging with the Broader Community We would like to secure funds to expand UTISM by inviting more guest speakers from a range of national and international institutions and by opening it to the community through special student-led cognitive science workshops for a broad, non-specialist audience. 3. Plans for Achieving Priorities What unites all of the new FAS Cog Sci program s priorities is a concern to mobilize the strengths of the four stakeholder departments in a way that will engage faculty, improve the student experience, and build teaching- and research-bridges between faculty in different departments. Our strategies for achieving our priorities with the current level of FAS resources include: (1) Implementing the team-teaching of COG250Y. The Cognitive Science Advisory Committee is currently engaged in drawing up a revised team-teaching plan for the course, to be put into effect in either the academic year or the academic year. We envision either: (i) a course with three 6-week team-taught modules spread over the 24-week academic year one on perception and attention, one on language and communication, and one on thinking and rationality with the beginning of the year, end of the year, and interstitial periods covered by the program director serving as course coordinator or (ii) something similar but with four shorter team-taught units, the fourth being either a machine intelligence/robotics or a consciousness module. The teamteaching faculty would be drawn from the four departments on a rotating basis. (The Cognitive Science Advisory Committee is also looking into scenarios that involve converting COG250Y into an H course.) (2) Drawing on the four departments for teaching of the 400-level capstone seminars. Note that the Cognitive Science Advisory Committee is sensitive to the fact that each of the four departments will be subject to different pressures in the matter of staffing COG250Y and the 400-level capstone seminars. For this reason, the committee is already engaged in high-level discussion with the chairs of the four departments 5

6 regarding the development of appropriate and sustainable instructor-selection mechanisms. (3) Submission of a CRIF proposal for funds to use in team-teaching preparation and in provision of TAs for COG250Y and of undergraduate mentors for COG401H and COG402H. If Cog Sci had access to $100,000 of additional funding, we would use it to establish a base budget. The program s activities are currently funded by the four departments on an OTO basis. This means that everything from the course buyout for the program director to the instructors who will be needed for COG250Y and the 400-level capstone courses is being paid for out of the four departments base budgets. A Cog Sci base budget would make it possible to support the program director, to aid the four departments in their contributions to the program s core courses, and to supply COG250Y with graduate student-led tutorials and PHL342H with undergraduate student mentors. In addition, a Cog Sci base budget would provide the new program with means that could go towards fostering a strong sense of community in the program, from the undergraduate level up through the graduate level and on to the faculty level. The steps the program could take with an influx of funding would include: Mounting an interdisciplinary, high profile seminar series that could attract national and international stars in the cognitive science community to visit the university, interact with the member faculty in the four departments, and bring people from the departments together outside of the classroom. Hosting other community-building events, perhaps coupled to receptions centered around visits by the previously mentioned high profile visiting speakers. 6