脑与认知科学(Brain and Cognitive Sciences)
人类的大脑是目前已知的最复杂、最先进、最强而有力的资讯处理装置。为了要研究它的复杂组成，麻省理工学院的脑与认知科学科系结合了神经生物学、神经科学和心里学的实验技术，搭配上由计算机辅助的神经科学和认知科学的理论依据。
本科系在一九六四年由Hans-Lukas Teuber创建，旧称为心理系，那时便开创新见解，主张脑与心智的研究是不可分割的。今日，在日趋专业分工时代中，我们的研究目标仍为探索认知领域：从分子、神经元神经网络和认知模组的层次了解它的过程和机制。在神经科学和认知科学的各科系领域中，我们的研究范畴和目标让我们独树一帜。我们对脑和心智的研究领域非常广泛，结合了许多不同层次的分析，从分子、细胞、系统、计算机运算认知角度探索分析。
由于脑和认知科学的发展时间尚短，变动也十分的快，在本系所大多数的课程中几乎都没有单一的教本可以涵盖所有课程内容。课内读物主要是期刊论文和研究报告。这样的作法提供学子们既深且广知识范畴，让这些未来的科学家可以直接接触神经科学和认知科学中最先进领域。当您阅读麻省理工学院开放式课程系统中的教材时，最珍贵的就是每个科目中所提供的详细书目，让您洞悉目前学术界对该主题的思考。
我们科系的主要目的是训练研究生了解脑和认知科学，以及教育大学部的学生。我们的研究生从我们广泛的科目安排中获益甚多，更可以和本系的教职员共同参与研究；我们的师资在各领域中都是一时之选。本系所目前将神经科学和认知科学纳入大学部课程，而我们的主修生增加的速度也是本校中最快速的。
若要了解更多资讯，请见：http://web.mit.edu/bcs/。
The human brain is the most complex, sophisticated, and powerful information-processing device known. To study its complexities, the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology combines the experimental technologies of neurobiology, neuroscience, and psychology, with the theoretical power that comes from the fields of computational neuroscience and cognitive science.
The Department was founded by Hans-Lukas Teuber in 1964 as a Department of Psychology, with the then-radical vision that the study of brain and mind are inseparable. Today, at a time of increasing specialization and fragmentation, our goal remains to understand cognition- its processes, and its mechanisms at the level of molecules, neurons, networks of neurons, and cognitive modules. We are unique among neuroscience and cognitive science departments in our breadth, and in the scope of our ambition. We span a very large range of inquiry into the brain and mind, and our work bridges many different levels of analysis including molecular, cellular, systems, computational and cognitive approaches.
Since the field of brain and cognitive sciences is relatively young and extremely dynamic, there is no single text that encompasses the subject matter covered in most of the classes offered by the department. To educate and train future scientists, readings are from primary journal articles or research papers. This approach provides broad coverage, as well as the depth needed, so that students are exposed to cutting-edge knowledge in the various specialties of neuroscience and cognitive science. Browsing the course materials in MIT OpenCourseWare, the jewels are revealed in the detailed reading lists that provide a window on the current thinking in each subject.
Central to our mission is the training of graduate students in the brain and cognitive sciences, and the education of undergraduate students. Our graduate students benefit from the comprehensiveness of our program as well as by conducting research with individual faculty members who are on the cutting edge of their fields. The Department recently expanded its undergraduate program to include both neuroscience and cognitive science and our major is now one of the fastest growing in the institute.
For more information, go tohttp://web.mit.edu/bcs/
朱注：IAP（自由活动月）是麻省理工学院从一月第一周至当月结束的四周期间，这个期间大家可以参与或举办各种有趣的活动。(请见：http://web.mit.edu/iap/overview.html)。
《脑与认知科学》领域译文感谢谢怡玲老师协助校阅
谢怡玲老师
伊利诺大学口语传播研究所博士候选人
主修：医疗传播、人际传播、跨文化传播
美国蒙特瑞国际研究学院笔译暨口译研究所口笔译硕士
