Emotional intelligence is a topic widely analysed and there are many definitions offered. Emotions, cultural values and moral considerations play a vital role in every intelligent behavior. When there is a discussion about emotional intelligence there is always a discussion about   social intelligence also. watch the following video's, Daniel Goleman offeres his views about Emotional Intelligence.What is 1. Emotional Intelligence?
2.Social Intelligence

Dear students, analyzing a work dominated by postmodern themes demands integration of various information. The text itself is a complex entity and analyzing it requires a great deal of understanding about the characteristics and directions of a postmodern text. The novel ' Sense of an Ending' deals much with memory, death, social and environmental interaction and creation of identities. Like many other texts this also delves into the study of human existence and the organisation of human knowledge structures. Few articles given here for your reference will help you comprehend the complex  text.
“What you end up remembering isn't always the same as what you have witnessed.”  - is a quote from the book which states that any incident or information that is stored in our memory is a conceptualization of us.  It has the influence of likes and dislikes, preferences and choices of individual. The environment around us plays a vital role in developing cognitive processes of individuals. It is the understanding of the environment that helps a person to acquire a better meaning making process.

“We live in time - it holds us and molds us"

Character formation in human being is a continuous process which is influenced by elements like emotional and environmental interaction, reading and language development. Reading most of the time contributes to enhancement of knowledge and thereby guiding an individual to intelligent behavior.

“Does character develop over time? In novels, of course it does: otherwise there wouldn't be much of a story. But in life? I sometimes wonder. Our attitudes and opinions change, we develop new habits and eccentricities; but that's something different, more like decoration. Perhaps character resembles intelligence, except that character peaks a little later: between twenty and thirty, say. And after that, we're just stuck with what we've got.

you can analyse the characters, the theme and narrative. The novels states one clear point that learning is not only academic learning but a thorough understanding of things around you.

“The more you learn, the less you fear. "Learn" not in the sense of academic study, but in the practical understanding of life.” 

The novel like many other texts is abundant with thoughtful utterances created out of chaotic situations of youth. There were thought provoking words often expressed by characters though they were not convincingly sure about it. An understanding of life that it involves lots of predictions by means of intelligent behavior is stated in the text .
“Life seemed even more of a guessing game than usual.” 

Intelligent behavior always attracts others and they begin to admire others. as 
“There's nothing wrong with being a genius who can fascinate the young. Rather, there's something wrong with the young who can't be fascinated by a genius.”

A human being uses his social perception and background knowledge to analyse and comprehend anything  that he encounters. Information processed will help to associate it with other relative aspects and to arrive at a intelligent behavior.

 Follow the links below to have a better understanding of the novel and try to present in the class in best possible way. however the links given here are only suggestions and you are free to use any source that you find informative and effective.

1. Quotes from Goodreads
2.Maricel Oró Piqueras - article 
3.Memory and self deception
4.Memory in the novel
5.A philosophical suicide — Julian Barnes’ The Sense of an Ending 
6.Edited or imagined memory
7.Meaning making and the self

Important Works

Some of the works which influenced the field of cognitive science are given below. They contributed significantly to the complex study of human nature and human knowledge organisation. How things are perceived , how an information is processed , how personal traits and attributes influence knowledge generation are all discussed from different perspectives. The articles provided here attempt to view from linguistic, biological , anthropological and from evolutionary perspectives.  Since it is an interdisciplinary study contributions from various fields poured in and made it a unique branch of study about the most complex phenomenon : the working of human mind.
Here you can find the details of some important contributors to the field of Cognitive Science.
1. Contributors to Cognitive Science
2. Important Works
3.important works
4.Important Books
5.Popular Cognitive Science Books
6.Books on Cognitive Science
        Familiarising with these books and authors will give us necessary information related to our course.Try to get important information from these links. 

Language and Cognitive Science

Linguistics contributed enormously to the development of cognitive science, linguistic theories of Ferdinand De Sassurre , Noam Chomsky have revolutionized the   way in which linguistic elements were analysed. There were linguistic concepts that contribute extensively to the study of human knowledge structure. As language is the major source of transmitting knowledge, understanding the concepts of language structure and acquisition helps to understand the organisation of human knowledge.Reading and listening help people to acquire knowledge and to transmit it. Cognitive linguistics attempts to answer the intricate questions about the complex systems of  language and cognition. Steven Pinker, the acclaimed professor of cognitive linguistics provided some significant concepts to this branch of study. 

Try to read the following articles for a better understanding

1.Language and Cognition

2.spark notes

3.Cognitive Pragmatics

4.chomsky on Cognitive Science

5.Chomsky on AI

6.Cognitive Development theory

7.Chomsky on Language and Cognitive Science- Video

8. Steven Pinker- How the Mind Works

Try to bring out different perspectives on language and cognitive sciences.  Attempt to analyse how differrent linguistic theories contribute to the study of human knowledge system.

Introduction to Cognitive Science

It is essential to understand why there is so much talk about cognitive science in the present age. The last few decades have seen an unprecedented development of interest into understanding the functions of human brain. Lot of people have shown interest in the study of human knowledge acquisition and intelligent behavior. This gave rise a question that will an intelligent behavior be morally acceptable one. Search for this answer lead to the questions of  functions and purpose of art and its utility value. Those who follow evolutionary theories argue that the primary function of art is survival value or to convey to a particular ethnic group some strategies that will enable them to exist in the world. Those groups which do not have a medium to pass their survival strategies lost to the ever changing nature of existence. Try to understand the following which are very much essential to understand what is cognitive science and why it is occupying such an important place in the present academic scenario. From the following links you can acquire some basic information about cognitive science and its emergence as a significant academic discipline.
Cognitive Science is defined as
Cognitive science is the scientific study of the human mind. The field is highly interdisciplinary, combining ideas and methods from psychology, computer science, linguistics, philosophy, and neuroscience. Broadly speaking, the goal is to characterize the nature of human knowledge -- its forms and content -- and how that knowledge is used, processed, and acquired
by the Brain and Cognitive Science Research Centre of MIT.
let us have some more references to understand clearly what is cognitive science and what it is doing in English class rooms?

  What is cognitive Science

1. Stanford Encyclopeadia
2. Indiana University article
3.An article by Zennon
4.Article by Lynn Nadel

History of Cognitive Science  

1.history
2.history of Cognitive Science
3.Emergence of Cognitive Science

Watch this useful video here

Try to understand why this interdisciplinary study has such an influence all over the world. A study which is so much complex in nature attempts to unravel mysteriously complex activities of human brain and by which it attempts to find answers to intelligent behaviours and human knowledge systems. 

Students welcome to the new course
Literature and Cognitive Science, one of the most fascinating, most promising interdisciplinary studies that  has attempted to answer some intriguing questions about human mind, human behavior
and knowledge systems. The emergence of cognitive science has proved some of the established concepts wrong. There is a strong belief prevailing that the study of  human behavior and knowledge systems will take the human civilization to unprecedented levels of understanding the circumstances prevailing around. A psychological probe into human mind and memory offers many interpretations about belief systems and moral aspects that work around us and most of the time bound us.Since this is an introductory one lets examine some books and videos which throw light on this new area of study
1. cognitive science and literature
2. neurohumanities
3.New York Times article
4.Introduction to cognitive literary studies
5. Blog on Literary interpretation
6. Video introduction
7.introduction to intelligent systems
 Go through the above links and acquaint yourself with the emerging area of study.
All the best.

Literary Analysis - Novels

Dear Students
    Its great to analyse a profound literary work. I hope you might have done that from your undergraduate studies. Here lets make an attempt to explore the possible avenues of Literary analysis.
References are not restricted to any particular book. Make use of study material available in the internet. Make an attempt to study how literature presents the life experiences of others in a way that educates us, empowers us and  refines us.
  In our syllabus we have the books which are considered as classics in their particular genre. try to understand the the greatness of language employed by Charles Dickens in his Bleak House, his art of characterization and social satire.
Joseph Conrad's criticism of colonial rule and criticism against him by Chinua Achbe are thought provoking.
Virginia Wolf's narrative technique and her feminist theme offer a lot to discuss.
So I want all of you to write a short review of the parts of  these novels which are prescribed.
You may write about
1. Theme
2. Characterization
3.Language
4.Narrative Technique
5. Point of View
6. Atmosphere
7.Setting
For example To the light house has some feminist elements in its theme, Heart of darkness has a unique technique, the setting of Bleak House is as any Dickens Novel, London.
 try to make use of comments offered by eminent critics.

You may make use of the following links if needed.
1. On Heart of darkness 
2.  review of Heart of Darkness
3. Presentation of To the Light house
4. Notes for Heart of Darkness
5. Summary of Bleak House
6. Significance of Fog in Bleak House
7. Presentation  To The Lighthouse
The above are all video links. Further You may use these articles
1.To the light house
2. Fog in Bleak House
3. Analysis of Heart of Darkness

Dear students these are only suggestive reading you may find better source somewhere else too. It is expected that you will submit your analysis before 10.02.2015. what is expected is a 300 word write up.  Your analysis to be given here as comments.