Minor Culture and Cognition

Have you ever wondered… How and why human cognition evolved? What does culture have to do with cognition and what allows humans to create culture? And in what respects human culture and cognition are different from those of other animals?

If you are interested in answering these questions, and many more, follow the inter-faculty minor Culture and Cognition!

Programme

The study of culture from the perspective of cognition is an evolving field in the present academic world. There are many ways of studying this; this inter-faculty minor is unique in combining the neurological aspect with courses that are focused on diverse cultural fields. It unveils the cognitive aspects of human culture, and follows the evolution of human cognition, from the earliest forms to the contemporary mind. The courses are taught by a team of lecturers who are professionals in either the study of culture or cognition.

The programme consists of the following courses:

FIRST BLOCK
The Evolution of Human Culture (10 EC, semester 1a) LBA017B10 A compulsory introductory course, based on the solid and comprehensive work of the neuroscientist Merlin Donald.
Biology of Cognition (5 EC, semester 1a) LBA029B05 A compulsory introductory course about the neurobiological basis of human cognition, the evolution of the nervous system and the human brain.
SECOND BLOCK
Art and Cognition (5 EC, semester 1b) LBA026B05 How functional are art behaviours such as musicking, dancing, role playing, or verbal storytelling to human beings? This course offers a deep dive into the cognitive perspective on art. It focuses on the possible functions of the cognitive processes underlying art behaviours drawing from both everyday cases (by means of musicking, dancing, pantomiming, drawing, pretend playing, and verbal storytelling); and clinical cases (making use of different art therapies such as music therapy; dance therapy; visual/tactile therapy; drama therapy; and writing therapy).
Narratives We Live By (5 EC, semester 1b) LBA020B05 One of the central challenges in human interaction is reaching agreement and common ground—about what is true, what is desirable, and what actions should be taken. From everyday conflicts to societal debates, humans use language to navigate and negotiate divergent views. Argumentation is a crucial dimension of communication and language. This course explores the cultural dimensions of language by integrating language and cognition, individual reasoning with social context, theory and practice. It invites students to reflect on how human beings use language not just to communicate, but to think together and resolve conflict.
Knowledge, Signs, and Meaning (5 EC, semester 1b) LBA037B05 How do humans interpret the world? Drawing from scholarship in philosophy this module is a deep dive into the relationships between the things that we know, that we do not know, and how we make meaning. The dominant western worldview dictates that we understand the world through rational analysis, but are there alternatives? In this course unit we dive into the history of our western rational thinking and relate this back to our day-to-day life. This course also provides other perspectives from phenomenology and alternative non-western knowledge systems on how to deal with contemporary human life.

Registration

Please register via Progress.
More information about the enrolment procedure.

NOTE: You can follow the first block (15 ECTS) or the complete minor (30 ECTS). The courses in the second block build on the first block. Students following the complete minor have precedence when enrolling.

Contact

For questions, please contact the Coordinator of this University Minor: Dr. Wah