Cognitive Science

Here you can find all Information about  CAS Cognitive Science.

What is the Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) in Cognitive Science?

> What is cognition?

> What is cognitive science?

> What are the structure and objectives of the certificate?

> Who are the initiators of the CAS?

>Where can I find more information?

Our cognitive abilities underpin processes such as remembering and forgetting, attending and constructing meaning, planning and decision making, language production and comprehension, which allow us to respond to complex problems in our environment. The question of how cognition works is fundamental to countless areas of our daily lives, be it at school, in social interactions, on the road, daydreaming, in mental institutions, translating or in court - to name a few. It is not surprising, therefore, that the field of cognitive science brings together a wide range of disciplines from the humanities, life sciences, natural sciences and behavioural sciences.

Just as diverse as the questions surrounding the concept of cognition are the scientific fields that set themselves the task of systematically investigating these abilities. The subjects at Heidelberg University that deal with problems of cognition include psychology, neuroscience, linguistics, philosophy and the disciplines dealing with artificial intelligence.

Each discipline brings its own questions and methods to the cognitive science community. Advances in new techniques and methods from different disciplines are helping us to develop a better understanding of human cognition. As in empirical research, cognitive science is also an emerging field in theory. For example, the notion of the mind and its functions as an algorithm running in the brain is being challenged by approaches of embodied cognition.

What unifies all these different practical and theoretical approaches is that they approach the phenomenon of cognition in an interdisciplinary research project. One of the most important challenges at present is therefore to bring together in a constructive way research and the results of research in this multidisciplinary field.

The Certificate in Cognitive Science at Heidelberg University offers students from all departments the opportunity to expand their qualifications in the field of cognitive science.

In order to achieve the broadest possible understanding of the diverse issues surrounding cognition, while ensuring in-depth application knowledge in a specific methodology and fostering the ability to independently develop and solve problems in this interdisciplinary field, the certificate is composed of three modules:

The first module provides basics and orientation in the form of a lecture series, which can be attended without registering for the certificate, and in the form of a seminar, for which registration is required. These events provide an overview of the issues of the various subdisciplines and the conceptual basics of cognition. In addition, to pass the modul it is necessary to acquire basic knowledge in statistical methods, which are indispensable in empirical cognitive science.

The second module supplements the basics with a profile that can be individually designed according to the respective interests. This enables the graduates to learn theoretical approaches and a practical research method beyond their own field of study.

Finally, the third module offers the opportunity to elaborate the acquired methods and approaches in an own project design within the framework of current research questions. The project can for instance be used as a basis for theses, doctoral dissertations or smaller research projects.

The design of the certificate provides students the chance to enter a broad, extremely dynamic and socially relevant field of research. They not only acquire an additional qualification, but also gain a new perspective on the potentials of their own discipline. 

For further details, please see the module overview [PDF]. 

The Certificate was initiated by the Initiative and Research Area Cognitive Sciences, whose aim is to bring together cognitive scientists from all four Fields of Focus of the University of Heidelberg and to jointly develop research and teaching in cognitive science at the university.

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