ISC 2026 Summer School - Knowledge, Reasoning, and Decision-Making

***Message to the students about registration fees.

To obtain the credits for this ISC Summer School, students must register for an ISC summer course offered by UQAM according to the level of study cycle:

Bachelors: ISC100S
Masters: ISC800S
Ph.D: ISC900S

Description: Knowledge plays a crucial role in effective decision-making. This is why humans devote a significant portion of their cognitive activity to reasoning and decision-making, mobilizing and transforming their knowledge through both implicit and explicit reasoning strategies. Thus, recent advances in computer science and artificial intelligence are now significantly expanding these human capabilities by offering new tools for knowledge representation, reasoning modeling, and decision support. The 2026 summer school aims to present several major areas of contemporary research on knowledge, reasoning, and decision-making, adopting a resolutely interdisciplinary perspective that draws on cognitive science, philosophy, psychology, linguistics, logic, and artificial intelligence.

Some of the topics covered :

How can non classical logics model human reasoning?
What are the mechanisms of creative reasoning in humans (induction, abduction, analogy)?
How can data-driven abduction mechanisms be integrated at the architectural level without sacrificing the consistency of symbolic reasoning models?
Can hybrid neuro-symbolic architectures provide a unified representation of knowledge that is both logically manipulable and suitable for statistical learning under uncertainty?
Is human reasoning logic? Is it probabilistic?
Can we inhibit our cognitive biases? If so, how?
Why are we susceptible to belief in fake news or to conspiracy theories?
Which role do formal ontologies play in reasoning and decision-making and what is their relation to Large Language Models?
How do modern methods of constraint resolution extend human capacities? To which tasks, reasoning strategies, and decisions can they be applied to?
In which contexts do we see an influence from contextual information (discursive, enunciative, situational, social, etc.) on the use and understanding of linguistic phenomena?
How do different knowledge bases interact to generate inferences and guide decision-making during linguistic production and perception?

Schedule: This is a 9 school days (sessions) spread over 3 weeks that corresponds to a three-credit course. The 36 sessions and 9 panels sessions will take place from May 27 to June 10, 2026 (specifically from May 27 to 29; June 2 to 4; and June 8 to 10) and attendance is mandatory.

Assessment: The evaluation details modulated according to the course of study will be available in the syllabus. Registered students will be required to attend the 36 conferences, the 9 panels and at either of the two sessions poster; to participate actively during question periods and to submit a final paper. Students will be able to interact and submit their paper in English or French.

Professors:

Elizabeth Allyn Smith, Professeure, dép. de linguistique, UQAM
Janie Brisson, Professeure, dép. d'éducation et pédagogie, UQAM
Pierre Poirier, Directeur, Institut des sciences cognitives (ISC) et Professeur, dép. de philosophie, UQAM
Serge Robert, Professeur, dép. de philosophie, UQAM
Roger Villemaire, Professeur, dép. d'informatique, UQAM

To register to the course, you must follow the procedure applicable to your situation:

a) UQAM students
b) Students from Quebec universities via the BCI
c) French students
d) Canadians, Independent and international students

a) UQAM students

If you are a student at UQAM, you must register for one of the courses according to your level of study cycle ISC100S (Bachelor), ISC800S (Master) or ISC900S (Ph.D.) through the UQAM website: https://portailetudiant.uqam.ca/. If you can’t register online, you might need permission from your program director. Contact your department's program officer to register for this course. You will have to pay the registration fees for the course credited to UQAM.

b) Other Students from Quebec Universities via the BCI (Bureau de la coopération interuniversitaire formerly CREPUQ)

To be able to obtain credits, you must be registered in a program at your home university, obtain authorization from your department director to register for the course. You will have to pay the registration fees for this course at your home university.

Please follow the procedures below for an authorization to transfer credits:

Go to the website (https://www.bci-qc.ca)

c) French students
To earn credits, you must be enrolled in a BCI-France (formerly CREPUQ) exchange program and have your enrollment validated by your home university. If applicable, you must pay the registration fees for the ISC100S (Bachelors), ISC800S (Masters), or ISC900S (Ph.D.) course at UQAM or your home university.

d) Canadians, Independent and international students

You must apply for admission to UQAM as an “étudiant libre” (independent student) https://etudier.uqam.ca/etudiants-libres/admission, then you have to register for one of the courses according to your level of study cycle ISC100Q (Bachelors), ISC800Q (Masters) or ISC900Q (Ph.D.). You will have to pay admission fees to UQAM, plus registration fees as an independent student for the credited course to UQAM.

Another possibility for international students

It is possible to make an arrangement with your home university to grant you the credits. Your university must agree to give you the credits for the course taken at UQAM and agree to evaluate the final work following the ISC 2026 Summer School. The steps to obtain this arrangement must be made by the student. To do so, you must complete the form(available on-demand by email at isc@uqam.ca) and obtain the authorizations from your program director and your home university. You will have to pay the credits obtained at your home university. Please note that you will not receive any credit from UQAM or official letter issued by UQAM confirming that this course has been taken. The Institut des sciences cognitives will ONLY provide a certificate of participation AFTER the event. If you do not obtain the authorization from your home university, it is possible to attend the ISC 2026 Summer School without obtaining the credits, by registering as a participant.

***Message to the students about registration fees.To obtain the credits for this ISC Summer School, students must register for an ISC summer course offered by UQAM according to the level of study cycle:  <ul><li>Bachelors: ISC100S</li><li>Masters: ISC800S</li><li>Ph.D: ISC900S</li></ul>Description: Knowledge plays a crucial role in effective decision-making. This is why humans devote a significant portion of their cognitive activity to reasoning and decision-making, mobilizing and transforming their knowledge through both implicit and explicit reasoning strategies. Thus, recent advances in computer science and artificial intelligence are now significantly expanding these human capabilities by offering new tools for knowledge representation, reasoning modeling, and decision support. The 2026 summer school aims to present several major areas of contemporary research on knowledge, reasoning, and decision-making, adopting a resolutely interdisciplinary perspective that draws on cognitive science, philosophy, psychology, linguistics, logic, and artificial intelligence. Some of the topics covered : <ul><li>How can non classical logics model human reasoning?</li><li>What are the mechanisms of creative reasoning in humans (induction, abduction, analogy)?</li><li>How can data-driven abduction mechanisms be integrated at the architectural level without sacrificing the consistency of symbolic reasoning models?</li><li>Can hybrid neuro-symbolic architectures provide a unified representation of knowledge that is both logically manipulable and suitable for statistical learning under uncertainty?</li><li>Is human reasoning logic? Is it probabilistic?</li><li>Can we inhibit our cognitive biases? If so, how?</li><li>Why are we susceptible to belief in fake news or to conspiracy theories?</li><li>Which role do formal ontologies play in reasoning and decision-making and what is their relation to Large Language Models?</li><li>How do modern methods of constraint resolution extend human capacities? To which tasks, reasoning strategies, and decisions can they be applied to?</li><li>In which contexts do we see an influence from contextual information (discursive, enunciative, situational, social, etc.) on the use and understanding of linguistic phenomena?</li><li>How do different knowledge bases interact to generate inferences and guide decision-making during linguistic production and perception?</li></ul>Schedule: This is a 9 school days (sessions) spread over 3 weeks that corresponds to a three-credit course. The 36 sessions and 9 panels sessions will take place from May 27 to June 10, 2026 (specifically from May 27 to 29; June 2 to 4; and June 8 to 10) and attendance is mandatory.Assessment: The evaluation details modulated according to the course of study will be available in the syllabus. Registered students will be required to attend the 36 conferences, the 9 panels and at either of the two sessions poster; to participate actively during question periods and to submit a final paper. Students will be able to interact and submit their paper in English or French.Professors:<ul><li>Elizabeth Allyn Smith, Professeure, dép. de linguistique, UQAM</li><li>Janie Brisson, Professeure, dép. d'éducation et pédagogie, UQAM</li><li>Pierre Poirier, Directeur, Institut des sciences cognitives (ISC)  et Professeur, dép. de philosophie, UQAM</li><li>Serge Robert, Professeur, dép. de philosophie, UQAM</li><li>Roger Villemaire, Professeur, dép. d'informatique, UQAM</li></ul> To register to the course, you must follow the procedure applicable to your situation:a) UQAM students b) Students from Quebec universities via the BCI c) French students d) Canadians, Independent and international students a) UQAM studentsIf you are a student at UQAM, you must register for one of the courses according to your level of study cycle ISC100S (Bachelor), ISC800S (Master) or ISC900S (Ph.D.) through the UQAM website: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://portailetudiant.uqam.ca/">https://portailetudiant.uqam.ca/</a>. If you can’t register online, you might need permission from your program director. Contact your department's program officer to register for this course. You will have to pay the registration fees for the course credited to UQAM.b) Other Students from Quebec Universities via the BCI (Bureau de la coopération interuniversitaire formerly CREPUQ)To be able to obtain credits, you must be registered in a program at your home university, obtain authorization from your department director to register for the course. You will have to pay the registration fees for this course at your home university.Please follow the procedures below for an authorization to transfer credits:<ul><li>Go to the website (<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.bci-qc.ca">https://www.bci-qc.ca</a>)</li></ul>c) French students To earn credits, you must be enrolled in a BCI-France (formerly CREPUQ) exchange program and have your enrollment validated by your home university. If applicable, you must pay the registration fees for the ISC100S (Bachelors), ISC800S (Masters), or ISC900S (Ph.D.) course at UQAM or your home university.d) Canadians, Independent and international studentsYou must apply for admission to UQAM as an “étudiant libre” (independent student) <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://etudier.uqam.ca/etudiants-libres/admission">https://etudier.uqam.ca/etudiants-libres/admission</a>, then you have to register for one of the courses according to your level of study cycle <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://etudier.uqam.ca/cours?sigle=ISC100Q#20202">ISC100Q</a> (Bachelors), <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://etudier.uqam.ca/cours?sigle=ISC800Q#20202">ISC800Q</a> (Masters) or <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://etudier.uqam.ca/cours?sigle=ISC900Q#20202">ISC900Q</a> (Ph.D.). You will have to pay admission fees to UQAM, plus registration fees as an independent student for the credited course to UQAM.Another possibility for international studentsIt is possible to make an arrangement with your home university to grant you the credits. Your university must agree to give you the credits for the course taken at UQAM and agree to evaluate the final work following the ISC 2026 Summer School. The steps to obtain this arrangement must be made by the student. To do so, you must complete the form(available on-demand by email at isc@uqam.ca) and obtain the authorizations from your program director and your home university. You will have to pay the credits obtained at your home university. Please note that you will not receive any credit from UQAM or official letter issued by UQAM confirming that this course has been taken. The Institut des sciences cognitives will ONLY provide a certificate of participation AFTER the event. If you do not obtain the authorization from your home university, it is possible to attend the ISC 2026 Summer School without obtaining the credits, by registering as a participant.

***Message aux étudiantes et étudiants concernant les frais d'inscription. Pour obtenir les crédits dans le cadre de cette école d'été ISC, les étudiantes et étudiants doivent obligatoirement s’inscrire à un des cours d’été ISC offerts par l’UQAM en fonction de leur cycle d’étude:  <ul><li>1er cycle : ISC100S</li><li>2e cycle : ISC800S</li><li>3e cycle : ISC900S</li></ul>Descriptif du cours: La connaissance joue un rôle déterminant dans la prise de décision efficace. C’est pourquoi les êtres humains consacrent une part considérable de leur activité cognitive à raisonner et à décider, en mobilisant et en transformant leurs connaissances au moyen de stratégies de raisonnement tant implicites qu’explicites. Ainsi, les développements récents en informatique et en intelligence artificielle étendent aujourd’hui de manière significative ces capacités humaines, en offrant de nouveaux outils de représentation des connaissances, de modélisation du raisonnement et de soutien à la prise de décision. Dans ce contexte, l’école d’été 2026 se propose de présenter plusieurs axes majeurs de la recherche contemporaine sur la connaissance, le raisonnement et la décision, en adoptant une perspective résolument interdisciplinaire mobilisant notamment les sciences cognitives, la philosophie, la psychologie, la linguistique, la logique et l’intelligence artificielle. Parmi les questions qui nous allons abordées :  Comment les logiques non classiques permettent-elles de modéliser le raisonnement humain; Comment intégrer, au niveau architectural, des mécanismes d’abduction guidées par les données sans sacrifier la cohérence des modèles symboliques du raisonnement; Le raisonnement humain est-il logique, probabiliste; Pourquoi sommes-nous sensibles aux fausses nouvelles? Aux croyances conspirationnistes;  Comment est-ce que les différentes bases de connaissances interagissent-elles pour générer des inférences et sous-tendre la prise de décision dans la production et la perception linguistiques.Horaire : Il s’agit d’un cours de 9 jours (sessions) étalés sur 3 semaines qui correspond à un cours de trois crédits. Les 36 conférences et plénières se déroulent du 27 mai au 10 juin 2026 (plus précisément du 27 au 29 mai; du 2 au 4 juin et du 8 au 10 juin) et la participation est obligatoire. Évaluation: Les détails de l’évaluation, modulées en fonction du cycle d’études, seront disponibles dans le plan de cours. Les étudiantes et les étudiants inscrits doivent: assister aux 36 conférences, aux 9 plénières et à l'une ou l'autre des deux séances de présentations par affichages; participer activement aux périodes de questions et remettre un travail de session. Les étudiantes et étudiants pourront rédiger le travail de session en français ou en anglais.Professeures et professeurs:<ul><li>Elizabeth Allyn Smith, Professeure, dép. de linguistique, UQAM</li><li>Janie Brisson, Professeure, dép. d'éducation et pédagogie, UQAM</li><li>Pierre Poirier, Directeur, Institut des sciences cognitives (ISC)  et Professeur, dép. de philosophie, UQAM</li><li>Serge Robert, Professeur, dép. de philosophie, UQAM</li><li>Roger Villemaire, Professeur, dép. d'informatique, UQAM</li></ul>Pour vous inscrire, vous devez suivre la procédure applicable à votre situation :a) Étudiantes et étudiants de l’UQAM b) Étudiantes et étudiants des universités du Québec via le BCI c) Étudiantes et étudiants français d) Étudiantes et étudiants libres et internationaux  a) Étudiantes et étudiants de l’UQAMSi vous étudiez déjà à l’UQAM, vous devez vous inscrire à un des cours selon votre cycle d’étude ISC100S (1er cycle), ISC800S (Maîtrise) ou ISC900S (Doctorat) par l’entremise du site de l’UQAM <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://portailetudiant.uqam.ca/">https://portailetudiant.uqam.ca/</a>. Si vous n’arrivez pas à vous inscrire en ligne, il est possible que vous ayez besoin de l’autorisation de la direction de votre programme. Contactez l’agent de gestion de programme de votre département pour vous inscrire. Vous devrez payer les frais d'inscription du cours à l'UQAM.b) Étudiantes et étudiants des universités du Québec via le BCI (Bureau de la coopération interuniversitaire anciennement CREPUQ)Pour pouvoir obtenir des crédits, vous devez être inscrits à un programme dans votre université d’attache, obtenir l’autorisation auprès de l’agent de gestion de programme de votre département pour vous inscrire au cours. Vous devrez payer les frais d’inscription pour ce cours à votre université d’attache.Procédures à suivre :<ul><li>Rendez-vous sur le site du BCI : <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://bci-qc.ca/">https://bci-qc.ca/</a></li></ul>c) Étudiantes et étudiants françaisPour obtenir des crédits, vous devez être inscrit dans un programme d’échange BCI-France (anciennement CREPUQ) et faire valider votre inscription dans votre université d’attache. S’il y a lieu, vous devez payer les frais d’inscription pour le cours ISC100S (1er cycle), ISC800S (Maîtrise) ou ISC900S (Doctorat) à l’UQAM ou à votre université d’attache.d) Étudiantes et étudiants libres, canadiens et internationauxVous devez faire une demande d’admission à l’UQAM comme “étudiant libre” <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://etudier.uqam.ca/etudiants-libres/admission">https://etudier.uqam.ca/etudiants-libres/admission</a>, puis vous inscrire à un des cours ISC100S (1er cycle), ISC800S (Maîtrise) ou ISC900S (Doctorat). Vous devrez payer des frais d’admission à l’UQAM, plus les frais d’inscription au cours crédité à l’UQAM en tant qu’étudiant libre.  Autre possibilité pour les étudiantes et étudiants internationauxIl est possible de prendre un arrangement avec votre université d’attache. Celle-ci doit accepter de vous remettre les crédits pour le cours suivi à l’UQAM et s’engager à évaluer le travail final fait suite à l’École d’été ISC 2026. Les démarches pour obtenir cet arrangement doivent être faites par l’étudiant. Pour ce faire, vous devez remplir le formulaire (disponible sur demande par courriel à : isc at uqam.ca) et obtenir les autorisations de la direction de votre programme et de votre université d’attache. Vous devrez payer les crédits obtenus à votre université d’attache. Veuillez noter que vous n’obtiendrez aucun crédit de l’UQAM ou de lettre officielle émise par l’UQAM confirmant que ce cours a été suivi. L’Institut des sciences cognitives fournira SEULEMENT une attestation de participation APRÈS l’événement. Si vous n’obtenez pas l’autorisation de votre université d’attache, il est possible d’assister à l’École d’été ISC 2026 sans obtenir les crédits, en vous inscrivant seulement comme participant.

Summer Course with credits at UQAM