PSYC 045. The Cognitive Science of Racism in America

This four-week intensive course considers myriad ways that limitations and biases in human cognitive systems can contribute not only to bias against perceived others, but how these biases can be systematically recruited to enforce and seemingly justify discriminatory policies and practices in the US. An introductory week will consider consciousness of self vs. other, subsequent weeks will intensively consider in turn, how various evolved cognitive systems designed to make perception, language use, and reasoning powerfully efficient, also render these cognitive systems open to systematic bias and, thus, manipulation. Equal focus will be placed on understanding the sophistication and vulnerability of human cognition.

Prerequisite: PSYC 001 or COGS 001 , or permission of the instructor.
1 credit.
Catalog chapter: Psychology
Department website: http://www.swarthmore.edu/psychology

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