Must Courses
Computer Science Track
Linguistics Track
Psychology Track
Philosophy Track
(*) shows core courses.
Cognitive Science Graduate Program
Course DescriptionsMust Courses
COGS 501 Formal Languages Linguistics
Natural language and linguistics knowledge. Language and grammar. Morphology. Syntax and grammatical structure. Semantics: Word meaning and grammatical meaning. Pragmatics: The grammar of discourse. Phonology.
Countable and countably infinite sets. Regular expressions and regular grammars. Finite-state machines. Context-free grammars. Push-down automata. Parsing and derivation: a brief introduction.
COGS 502 Programming and Logic
Sets, relations, and functions. Propositional and predicate logic. Truth, validity, and models. Deduction and inference methods. Introduction to intensional logic. Logic programming. Specification and construction of PROLOG programs. Various data structures and predicates of PROLOG. Overview of Functional programming.
Computer Science
COGS 511 Computational Models of Mind
An introduction to computational modeling in cognitive science, including computer simulation models of complex cognition, models within artificial intelligence, models based on neural mechanisms and networks, and formal and mathematical models in areas such as psychology, linguistics, and philosophy. Mathematical and computational modeling of the evolution of cognition. Models of cognition that extend beyond the boundaries of the person to include the environment, artifacts, social interactions, and culture.
COGS 523 Using Corpora for Language Research
The study of language via corpora. Definition and varieties of corpora. Building a corpus: sampling, representativeness, encoding and annotation. Characteristics of major available corpora. Using corpora: corpora in psycholinguistics, corpora and semantics, corpora and discourse, statistical natural language processing. Using tools and programming for corpus-based studies.
CENG 561 Artificial Intelligence
Problem solving and search strategies.Game playing. Knowledge representation.Expert systems and rule chaining. Vision. Natural language processing.Machine translation.Machine learning. Neural networks.
EE 586 Artificial Intelligence
Exploiting natural constraints. Problem solving; Description matching and goal reduction, finding solution paths, games. Logic. Knowledge representation. Natural Language understanding. Applications of AI.
CENG 563 Computational Linguistics
Phrase structures, syntax, parsing. Semantics: Lambda-calculus, logic forms, compositional semantics, writing parsers and interpreters.Context-free grammars for Natural Language Processing. Definite-clause grammars.Basic concepts in morphology. Top-down and bottom-up parsing.
Learning and generalization. The basic perceptron and linear separability. Multilayer perceptrons and the back propagation algorithm. The Hopfield model and its dynamics. Bidirectional associative memory. Recurrent networks. Unsupervised learning and self-organizing maps. The counter-propagation network. Boltzmann machine and simulated annealing. Recent advances.
CENG 424 Logic for Computer Science
Overview of propositional and first-order logic. Computational aspects of logic: definite clauses, resolution, unification, and algorithms for obtaining clausal forms. Modal, temporal, and other nonstandard logics. Applications of various logics in computer science.
CENG 584 Cognitive Aspects of Natural Language Processing
Computational aspects of linguistic theories; Grammars and Parsing; Interpretation; Information Structure; Ambiguity resolution; Interactions in multi-component grammars.
CENG 567 Design and Analysis of Algorithms (3-0)3
Introduction to algorithms. The computational complexity of algorithms. Amortized analysis. Lower and upper bound theory. Approaches for designing algorithms: Divide-and-Conquer, Greedy Approach, Dynamic Programming, Backtracking and Branch-and-Bound. NP-Complete and NP-Hard problems. Approximation algorithms.
Prerequisite: CENG 315 or equivalentBILKENT CS 563 Computers and Commonsense Reasoning
Qualitative and quantitative knowledge in mechanics. Envisioning. Naive physics, histories, confluences, Kuipers 'Qualitative Simulation Theory. Forbus' Qualitative Process Theory. Comparative analysis and exaggeration. Mental models. Deep vs. shallow knowledge. Causality. Temporal notions. The problem of 'Generality in AI'.
Paradigms of machine learning. Inductive, deductive, abductive forms of learning. Cognitive aspects of learning. Connectionist models of learning. Programming environments for learning programs.
BILKENT CS 574 Varieties of Formal Semantics
Beginning model theory. Non-classical logics. Brief review of the pioneering works of Godel, Church, Turing, Tarski, Kleene, Frege, Russel, Wittgenstein, et al. in philosophical logic and semantics. Determiners, quantifiers, conditionals, tense and modality, categorical grammars. Semantic automata. Counterfactuals. Montague's Intentional Logic. The Grammar of PTQ. Compositionality, partiality, nonexistent objects. Private languages, situation theory. Paradoxes. Model theory of common knowledge. Situated set theory.
CENG 582 Advanced Neural Modeling
Mathematical treatment of generalization. Information theory in neural modeling. Radial-basis function networks. Higher- order neural networks. Adaptive resonance theory. Temporal processing in neural networks. Modular networks. Neurodynamics. Introductory computational neuroscience.
Introduction. Edges and Edge Detection. Segmentation. Texture. Stereo Imaging. Sequence of images. 3 Dimensional Vision. Applications.
An introduction to the machine recognition of 1,2 or higher dimensional patterns. Statistical and linguistic approaches. Survey of application areas. Bayes Decision Theory. Decision boundaries, classifiers, and discriminant functions. Estimation of parameters. Clustering. Feature selection. Structural approaches to P.R. Neural networks recognizers. Applications.
Discrete time signals, and systems . Sampling, reconstruction, quantization. Digital image representation. Digital image fundamentals .Image transforms. Image enhancement. Image restoration. Image segmentation and description.
This course is intended to combine practice and theory in the fields of AI, logic, and mathematics which can be of interest to students and researchers involved in disciplines across these fields. Geometric reasoning, temporal reasoning, uncertain reasoning, non-monotonic reasoning, induction, meta-knowledge, and meta-reasoning, state and change, planning, intelligent-agent architecture.
Introduction, computer models of neuron. Supervised and unsupervised learning, Hopfield nets, Perceptrons. Backprogation learning algorithms. Self organization and memories. Neurocomputing for pattern recognition, expert systems, and optimization problems. Analogy between Neurocomputers and computation in Cerebral Cortex. Characteristic differences between Digital and Neurocomputers.
ES 509 Partial Differential Equations in Computer Vision / Image Processing (3-0)3
Axiomatic Approach in Computer Vision, Nonlinear Evolution equations, Representation of generic shape, Energy functions and associated Euler equations, Heat equation, multi resolution, stochastic connection.
Prerequisite: Engineering Mathematics and working knowledge of a programming tool.Linguistics
COGS 530 Modern Theories of Grammar
The course introduces to the theory of principles and parameters which is representative for the contemporary discussion in linguistic research. Empirical adequacy and cognitive relevance are considered to be the relevant criteria of explanatory adequacy of a theory of grammar as a system of mental representations.
COGS 531 Cognitive Linguistics
Models for the acquisition, processing, and application of human knowledge as the object of cognitive sciences. Cognitive linguistics as the investigation of the acquisition, processing, and application of language knowledge. Grammar as a model of human language knowledge. Relations to artificial intelligence.
ELT 506 Second Language Acquisition (3-0)3
Surveying current research in language acquisition with special emphasis on similarities and differences between child and adult language, between native and foreign language acquisition
Current issues and theories in psycholinguistics focusing mainly on language and cognition, language acquistion, language processing, biological foundations of language, language disorders, and bilingualism.
Lexical semantics, history of lexical semantics, theta-roles, lexical conceptual structures, verb classes and alternations, lexical aspects, events, unaccusative hypothesis, ergative verbs, linking from lexicon to syntax.
COGS 532 Theoretical Linguistics
A survey in theories and formal modals of structural and generative linguistics in the field of syntax, semantics, and pragmatics and discourse.
The course aims to examine the theories and research methods in first language acquisition of phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics and pragmatics including representation of knowledge structures and bilingual processing.
ELT 520 English-Turkish Contrastive Analysis
Introducing current approaches to contrastive analysis; comparing and contrasting English and Turkish in the areas of phonetics and phonology, syntax and semantics with special emphasis on problem areas in language teaching and learning.
ELT 608 Pragmatics and Discourse
Training in participants to become component researchers in language issues and problems both in L1 and L2 related to the field of education specifically and language use in society, in general. Basic concepts and research techniques specific to the pragmatics and discourse with a view language as an interactive process.
COGS 530 Modern Theory of Grammar
The course introduces to the theory of principles and parameters which is representative for the contemporary discussion in linguistic research. Empirical adequacy and cognitive relevance are considered to be the relevant criteria of explanatory adequacy of a theory of grammar as a system of mental representations.
Psychology
This course is intended to introduce the students to the theoretical, behavioral and anatomical study of memory. The course will start with a discussion of approaches, metaphors, and research methods in the study of memory. Special topics of concentration will include sensory memory stores, working memory and its components, encoding, storage, retrieval aspects of long term retention, and possibility of independent memory systems.
COGS 552 Thought & Language Processes
This course will examine language, knowledge representation and thinking from the standpoint of behavioral research. Basic mental processes related to phonological, orthographic, syntactic and semantic processing will be examined. Rule-based and alternative approaches to human reasoning will be considered. The course will include discussions of specific topics such as logical reasoning, statistical reasoning, decision making, hypothesis testing, and problem solving. More general issues such as training in reasoning and expertise will also be discussed.
COGS 553 Psychology of Reading
The course will review research on psychological processes related to reading starting from the more perceptual and proceeding towards conceptual and global issues. The early part of the course will deal with the control of eye movements and registration of visual information during reading. Then issues related to word identification such as alternative models of visual word recognition and possible role of phonological coding in visual word identification will be discussed. Other topics will include constructing mental representations from text, learning, reading, develop and acquired reading disabilities.
This course will concentrate on the perceptual and cognitive analysis of auditory stimuli at simple and complex levels. The early part of the course will be devoted to an introduction to the physical properties of sound and structure and functioning of auditory sense organs and the auditory nervous system. This will be followed by discussion of perception of simple qualities of sound as pitch loudness and timbre. The final part of the course will concentrate on more complex auditory phenomena such as auditory scene analysis, memory of auditory stimuli, perception of speech and perception of musical pitch.
COGS 555 Connectionism and Human Behavior
This course will provide an introduction to connectionist models as a model of human behavior and mental process. The course will start with an introduction to the basic principles of connectionism, alternative structures and learning algorithms. Specific models that were developed in order to simulate human behavior in various areas such as vision, reading, speech perception, language and memory will be discussed. The course will conclude with a discussion of more general issues about connectionist models such as their viability as models of mental processes, their place in psychology today, and their relationship with the alternative models.
COGS 556 Visual Cognition (3-0)3
The course covers sensory, perceptual, and cognitive processes related to vision from a mainly psychological viewpoint supported by neuroscientific and computational information where appropriate. Content includes discussion of theoretical approaches to vision and a survey of empirical research on main problems related to vision. Information on classic research will be supplemented by examination of contemporary research on central issues.
COGS 757 Neurogenetics of Learning and Memory (3-0)3
This course is a survey of research on the genes that affect learning and memory when mutated. The course involves an introduction to research methods that are used to identify genes and study their function; a survey of behavioral tests that are used to screen for learning and memory mutants; and readings on the neural mechanisms of learning and memory.
COGS 758 Time and Cognition (3-0)3
This course is a survey of the properties of temporally controlled behavior in animals and humans, and the models have proposed to explain the neural mechanisms of timing and time perception. The course starts with readings the orderliness of behavior, with special emphasis on Weber's law in interval timing (aka the scalar property). Following a survey of the mathematical models that attempt to explain the scalar property, the course proceeds with readings on the neural mechanims of timing and perception. It is recommended to cognitive science, psychology, and biology students.
Philosophy
PHIL 510 Topics in Epistemology
Study in selected topics in epistemology.
PHIL 507 Philosophical Logic I
Modal and intensional logics. Tense logic, epistemic logic, deontic logic.
PHIL 523 Studies in Philosophy of Science I
Discussion of various problems in contemporary philosophy of science. Critical assessment of recent philosophical views on these issues
Logical analysis of ontological problems and main issues in the philosophy of mind.
PHIL 653 Theories of Scientific Method
Views on the methods of mathematical and empirical sciences in the ancient world; theories of method since Renaissance.
PHIL 508 Philosophical Logic II
A continuation of PHIL 507.
PHIL 622 Philosophy of Mind II
A continuation of PHIL 621.
PHIL 405 Philosophy of Language
Ordinary language and formal languages. Syntax, semantics, pragmatics. Extension and intension. Naming and predication. Theory of reference and theory of meaning.
PHIL 632 Dynamics of Scientific Theories
Logical analysis of the evolution of physical theories.
PHIL 524 Studies in Philosophy of Science
Discussion of various problems in contemporary philosophy of sicence. Critical assessment of recent philosophical views on these issues.
Curriculum | Degree Programs | People | Research | News&Links | Application | Cognitive Science | Informatics Institute | METU | Contact
Best viewed in 1024*768 resolution