This repository stores the society's resources, including:
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Academic papers discussed;
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Powerpoint slides from each meet;
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All other resources.
Read on for an overview of the society.
For more details or to get involved, contact Róisín (rs843@sussex.ac.uk).
Our aim is to increase engagement in cognitive science. This is a collaborative learning environment designed to help you gain confidence when engaging in academic discussions.
So please note, this is a society for anyone who is interested in cognitive science. We encourage a diverse range of knowledge and ideas as these spark interesting conversations. After-all, we need discrepancies in understanding for teaching and learning!
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Create a supportive learning space for cognitively-interested members of the university.
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Help members develop academic skills including critical thinking, theoretical knowledge and conceptual articulation; as well as soft skills including confidence in public speaking and collaboration.
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Encourage those interested in pursuing a professional identity as a cognitive researcher.
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Every fortnight, we meet on-campus to discuss a chosen research article. The presenter rotates each meet on a volunteer basis. More info on this role can be found below.
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CRAS symposiums in which all members have the opportunity to present a short talk relating to an overarching theme.
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Organised visits to researcher-led symposiums to help aspiring academics gain insight and build connections.
All members are welcome to present a paper! We will rotate this role each meet on a volunteer basis.
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Role of presenter: Select the paper for the next meet and prepare its discussion.
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Responsibilities of presenter:
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Within a week of the previous meet, provide the next paper alongside some planned questions. This will be shared on the discord channel. Each member is then free to contribute to the planned questions.
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At the meet, provide an initial synopsis of the paper and explain the rationale behind your selection.
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There is no such thing as a stupid question, although you should aim to provide thoughtful, open-ended questions.
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Meets aren't about who's best at memorisation. Rather, the paper is the reference-point for our discussions. This means questions follow on from the paper, so may be about interpretations (from any cognitive discipline), opinions on a methodology, implications etc... it's up to you.
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Please note, questions should account for roughly 45 minutes of discussion, and leave time for the two questions we ask at the end of each meet:
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How does this paper link to the paper we previously discussed?
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Feedback: Why did you like/dislike this paper? How did you find this meet? Is there anything you'd change, or like to see more of next time?
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For inspiration...
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Refer to previous meets (which can be found on this repository!), and consider your experiences in academic discussions, such as seminars- what questions prompted the most engagement?
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Some online resources can help give you an idea, but take them with a pinch of salt... each journal article club is unique, so what works for one won't necessarily work for another. For example, many sources online advise rigidly-structured, formal article clubs, while at CRAS you're free to use your own creative freedom and discretion.
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AI can be a useful tool to generate questions that incite critical engagement, just make sure you agree in your own assessment!
If you're part of the University of Sussex and would like to be added to the mailing list for any of these academic groups, contact Róisín (rs843@sussex.ac.uk).
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Centre for Cognitive Science (COGS) is a pioneering cognitive research center at our university. They host regular academic seminars, which are great for gaining insight into this academic environment. Anyone is welcome to go. For inquiries, you can email Simon Bowes using the address below.
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Reality Bending Lab is a neuropsychological lab in the department of Psychology that investigates reality and its distortions. You can find out more about their research led by Dominique Makowski, and read their blog pages on their website.
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Sussex Neuroscience runs a seminar series that invites external speakers to talk about a wide range of topics, including cellular, molecular, systems, cognitive and clinical neuroscience. You can read more about their seminar programme on their page within the university website.
- https://www.sussex.ac.uk/research/centres/sussex-neuroscience/seminarsandactivities
- Watch their videos and listen to their Braincast podcast series here
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Cognitive, Neuroscience and Imaging (CNI) Seminars are linked to the Sussex Neuroscience Seminars but operate as their own series, focusing on research developments in cognitive neuroscience. They usually run weekly and cover a wide range of research happening at the university. For inquiries, you can email Chris Bird using the address below.
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Psychology Colloquiums are held every Thursday lunchtime. Speakers from other universities and our own department of Psychology share their pioneering work. For inquiries, you can email Reny Baykova using the address below.
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Sussex AI Is a multidisciplinary center of excellence that investigates a range of AI-related topics from a quintessentially Sussex angle, reflecting the mass of technical and domain knowledge we hold. They host fascinating seminars on work being done that at the frontier of AI research.