Cognitive Science

Overview

Why study Cognitive Science at Case Western Reserve University?

The uniqueness of the Cognitive Science program of Case Western Reserve University lies partly in its unusual openness to additional input from the arts and humanities. All cognitive science departments, including this one, must teach the core disciplines underlying cognitive science, including cognitive neuroscience, experimental cognitive psychology, and a range of philosophical, evolutionary, linguistic, and computational theories of mind. 

But at Case Western Reserve there is an added dimension, evident in the fourth required course in the core program, which leans heavily in the direction of the visual arts, music, drama and literature. Insights from these disciplines will broaden the field of cognitive science in the same way that ethology broadened the study of animal behavior; by studying people in their natural environment (culture), rather than in the laboratory. We have a unique opportunity to do this very well at Case, because of the resources provided not only by CAS, but also by several eminent arts-related institutions in the University Circle community, who have shown great interest in collaborating with this program.

The program encourages students to develop wide-ranging expertise, cutting across at least two or three relevant disciplines. This kind of preparation will prove useful for a variety of possible careers. Students who wish to pursue a postgraduate degree will have more choice than is usual, having several fields to choose from. Those who enter the workforce on graduation will also find that they have been well-served by this program; there is significant demand for university graduates that can combine a systematic science-oriented approach with the breadth provided by expertise in the social sciences, arts and humanities.