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Course Redesign Meeting [ The Happy Hour Archive | obereed.net ]
(C&P Happy Hour: Friday 4pm Charley's. Be there!)
Colleagues,
Many of you may know that, as of last month, the status of Cognitive
Psychology was officially changed from that of a soft to a hard science.
This means that Instructors will be required to act in a "more scientific"
manner. We must take a cue from our brethren in the other established
sciences in both the social and fashion senses. Beginning this semester,
no more than 2 members of this program may engage in any activity deemed
"social" unless said individuals are accomplishing science related work.
In addition, matched clothing is prohibited, and each individual must
observe a monthly shower quota to be announced at a later date. And of
course, all instructors will be required to wear white lab coats, like the
other real scientists.
Finally, in an attempt to develop a more rigorous program, there comes a
need to redefine the nature of the courses being taught. Therefore there
will be a mandatory (work related) meeting on Friday at 4pm at Goodtime
Charley's to discuss the new curriculum. During this meeting we will not
drink any beer or relax with friends. Below is a tentative list of changed
courses. I expect you'll know it by heart by 4pm at Charley's (outside if
its nice, inside if its not).
TENTATIVE COURSE CHANGES REVISED 28-AUGUST-1997
PSY 642 FULL CONTACT METACOGNITION
Prof. Bill Gehring
This class is designed to separate the wheat from the chaff among
undergraduate psychology students. Each class, Professor Gehring, along
with the GSI of his choice will engage in a no holds barred cage match of
metacognitive wit with two students. Class will include such topics as,
knowing that you know I'm gonna kick your butt. In addition, guest
lecturer Dave "Big Dave" Meyer will demonstrate his famous Bottleneck hold.
Prerequisites: Permission of Instructor. Doctor's note.
PSY 649 INTRODUCTION TO REALLY, REALLY COMPLEX SYSTEMS
Prof. John Holland
In this course, based on the simple presupposition that within a system,
individual agents can be not only adaptive, but also very wiley, we will
explore what happens when a complex adaptive system tries to confuse you by
behaving in a really, really complex manner. This includes such phenomena
as, an infinite number of monkeys with an infinite number of Holland
Classifiers, very smart ants, and the inexplicable popularity of the music
group Hanson.
PSY 748 ADVANCED MODELLING
Prof. Thad Polk
Whether you want to build a model, or just look like one, this class is for
you. Interspersed throughout discussions of ACT*, SOAR, and EPIC, Prof.
Polk will provide tips on looking good, and succeeding in the competitive
world of modelling. Topics will include, poise, make-up, smile, and
working memory. In addition, each student will be required to build his/or
her own model.
Texts: Anderson, 1983 & Vogue, 1997
PSY 808 002 SPECIAL SEMINAR: HIGH DIMENSIONAL VISUALIZATION THROUGH
RUBBING YOUR EYES REAL HARD.
Prof. George Furnas
In this groundbreaking class, Prof. Furnas will teach students how they can
alter their visual field to enable visualization of data up to
15-dimensions. Students will be expected to provide their own data, and
eye drops. This course is based on his wildly popular presentation at last
week's C&P Conference.
Prerequisites: Cannot wear contact lenses.
Also note the following new crosslisted course:
PSY 439 THE INTELLIGENT RAT
Prof. Steve Maren
This class will focus on new data that suggest that the humble laboratory
rat has an IQ significantly higher than the average college freshman.
These findings will be discussed in a framework that can be used to explain
a wide range of psychological effects. For example, it has been repeatedly
shown that rats are more competant in laboratory tasks than most freshmen.
This includes everything from actually showing up on time, to understanding
experimental instructions. In addition, rats have been shown to write
better essays, and have learned to drink in moderation.
Thank you for your attention to this most important announcement. See you
at 4!
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