Topics in Cognition

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In this journal-club-style class we will read and discuss papers exploring a content-area in Cognition. For Spring 2026, readings will focus on relationships between language and thought (i.e., Linguistic Relativity). Do the languages we speak shape the way we think? If so, do people who speak different languages think differently? These seemingly innocent questions were considered taboo by scientists and philosophers throughout much of the 20th century. Today, however, these questions are the subject of productive scientific inquiry, and ongoing experiments are producing answers that rewrite the story of language, culture, and the human mind.