The Symbolic Systems Program (SSP) is an interdisciplinary major at Stanford which focuses on computers and minds: artificial and natural systems that use symbols to represent information. It brings together students and faculty interested in different aspects of the human-computer relationship, including

• Cognitive science: studying human intelligence, natural languages, and the brain as computational processes.
• Artificial intelligence: endowing computers with human-like behavior and understanding.
• Human-computer interaction: designing computer software and interfaces that work well with human users.

Symbolic Systems' affiliated faculty come from several departments, including Computer Science, Linguistics, Philosophy, Psychology, Communication, and Education.

Degrees OfferedEdit

SSP offers both B.S. and M.S. programs as well as a minor and an honors program.

They also have a program to become a certified wizard.

Symbolic Systems Core CurriculumEdit

• Cognitive Science
  • Sym Sys 100 or one of the following:
    • CS 378
    • Ling 237/CS 224N
    • Psych 131
    • Psych 137
• Computer Programming
  • CS 106A and CS 106B or CS 106X
  • CS 107
• Discrete Structures
  • CS 103B or CS 103X
• Logic
  • Phil 150 or Phil 150X and either CS 103A or CS 103X
  • Phil 151
• Statistics/Probability
  • One of the following:
    • STATS 121
    • STATS 116
    • STATS 110
    • MS&E 120
    • EE 178
    • MATH 151
• Philosophical Foundations
  • An introductory course in Philosophy, to be taken prior to Phil 80, from among the following:
    • Phil 10
    • Phil 20
    • Phil 30
    • Phil 60
    • Phil 102
    • IHUM 23A and IHUM 23B (both)
  • Phil 80
• Cognitive Psychology
  • Psych 55 or Psych 40
• Formal Linguistics
  • Ling 120
  • One of the following
    • Ling 130A
    • Ling 130B
    • Ling 230A
• Artificial Intelligence
  • CS 121 or CS 221
• Turing Computability (May be fulfilled by a course taken for another requirement in the major)
  • One of the following:
    • CS 103B
    • CS 154
    • Phil 152
    • Sym Sys 100
• Advanced Small Seminar (May be fulfilled by a course taken for another requirement in the major)
  • An upper division, limited-enrollment seminar drawing on material from other courses in the core. Courses listed under Symbolic Systems Program offerings with numbers between SSP 201 and 209 are acceptable, as are other courses which will be announced at the beginning of each academic year. A listing for the current academic year appears here.

External LinksEdit

Symbolic Systems Website