CSC490 Syllabus
- J-Term 2004
- Gene Rohrbaugh PhD
- www.tigerRam.com
- 166 Boyer 766-2511 x7028
- grohrbau@messiah.edu
Course Description
Survey of tools and methods of computational linguistics, including speech recognition, natural language understanding and generation, speech synthesis, information retrieval and extraction, knowledge representation and inference. Of special interest to students who would like to develop applications for machine translation, natural language interfaces, computer assisted language learning, and information management.
Prerequisite
CSC 282 Data Structures and Algorithms
Text
Jurafsky & Martin Speech and Language Processing. Prentice Hall 2000.
Grading
Grading for this course will be based on the following work:
| 50% | Exams |
| 30% | Labs |
| 10% | Group presentations |
| 10% | Participation |
| 100% | Total |
| A >93% | A- > 90% | |
| B+ > 87% | B > 83% | B- > 80% |
| C+ > 77% | C > 73% | C- > 70% |
| D+ > 67% | D > 60% | |
| F < 60% | ||
Exams
There will be three exams covering the course material. See tentative calendar for exam dates. Do not miss exams, as no make-up exams will be given. The only exceptions to this policy will if you have made arrangements to take the exam in advance or for documented emergencies.
Labs
A significant portion of your grade will be based on in-class lab assignments. Some of these will be completed individually, and others in pairs or small groups. In-class time allocated for lab work must be spent doing the assigned lab. After you have turned in your lab assignment, you are free to use remaining time checking email, etc. Unless otherwise noted, all labs are due at the beginning of class on the next class day.
Group Presentations
During the semester you will work in groups of 2-3 to research some particular area related to computational linguistics and natural language processing. The groups will present the results of this research during the last two days of class, along with an html document with resources related to your project. More details will be provided in the project link.
Participation
Your participation grade includes (1) posts to the class blog, (2) homework assignments, and (3)in-class participation. Expectations in these areas are as follows:
- You are expected to contribute approximately 8 posts (one for every two class days) to the class blog. See blog instructions for more info.
- Homework assignments are due at the beginning of class on their due date. No late homework will be accepted for credit, since the purpose is to demostrate your preparedness to participate in class on that particular day. Nevertheless it is still worthwhile for you to complete missed assignments in preparation for the exams.
- The grade for in-class participation is somewhat subjective, taking into account such factors as timeliness, attitude, engagement, collaboration, attention, etc. Please treat your colleagues with respect.
For more information contact grohrbau@messiah.edu
Americans with Disabilities Act
Messiah College welcomes students with disabilities. If you have a documented disability and wish to discuss needed academic accommodations for this specific course, please speak with the instructor as soon as possible. Campus policy states that disability accommodations must be pre approved through the Office of Disability Services, located now in 101/102 Hoffman (phone: 5358).
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is taken very seriously. Violations will result in severe consequences, including failing the course. The following exerpt is from the 2003-04 Student Handbook (available online at http://www.messiah.edu/handbook/resources/0304hb.pdf):
Personal integrity is a behavioral expectation for all members of the Messiah community: administration, faculty, staff, and students. Violations of academic integrity are not consistent with the community standards of Messiah College. These violations include:
- Plagiarism: Submitting as one’s own work part or all of any assignment (oral or written) which is copied, paraphrased, or purchased from another source, including online sources, without the proper acknowledgment of that source. Examples: failing to cite a reference, failing to use quotation marks where appropriate, misrepresenting another’s work as your own, etc.
- Cheating: Attempting to use or using unauthorized material or study aids for personal assistance in examinations or other academic work. Examples: using a cheat sheet, altering a graded exam, looking at a peer’s exam.
- Fabrication: Submitting altered or contrived information in any academic exercise. Examples: falsifying sources and/or data, etc.
- Misrepresentation of Academic Records: Tampering with any portion of a student’s record. Example: forging a signature on a registration form or change of grade form.
- Facilitating Academic Dishonesty: Helping another individual violate this policy. Examples: working together on an assignment where collaboration is not allowed, doing work for another student, allowing one’s own work to be copied.
- Computer Offenses: Altering or damaging computer programs without permission. Examples: software piracy, constructing viruses, introducing viruses into a system, copying copyrighted programs, etc.
- Unfair Advantage: Attempting to gain advantage over fellow students in an academic exercise. Examples: lying about the need for an extension on a paper, destroying or removing library materials, etc.