Course: LIN313, Language and Computers, 40120
Semester: Spring 2016
Time: TTH 930am-1100am
Location: CLA 0.104
Website: http://utcompling.github.io/language_and_computers_s16
| Instructor | Information |
|---|---|
| name | Jason Baldridge |
| office hours | TTh 11-12:30 |
| office | CLA 4.738 |
| jbaldrid@mail.utexas.edu |
None.
This page serves as the syllabus for this course.
The course book is:
Additional readings are provided via hyperlinks on the schedule page.
There will be one mid-term exam and one final exam. The midterm will consist of the material covered in the first half of the class, and the final will be comprehensive, but with a greater emphasis on the contents covered in the second half of the class.
Assignments will be updated on the assignments page. A tentative schedule for the entire semester is posted on the schedule page. Readings and exercises may change up one week in advance of their due dates.
Given that homeworks and the exams address the material covered in class, good attendance is essential for doing well in this class.
In the past decades, the widening use of computers has had a profound influence on the way ordinary people communicate, search and store information. For the overwhelming majority of people and situations, the natural vehicle for such information is natural language. Text and to a lesser extent speech are crucial encoding formats for the information revolution.
In this course, you will be given insight into the fundamentals of how computers are used to represent, process and organize textual and spoken information, as well as tips on how to effectively integrate this knowledge into working practice. We will cover the theory and practice of human language technology. Topics include text encoding, search technology, tools for writing support, machine translation, dialog systems, computer aided language learning and the social context of language technology.
This course uses natural language systems to motivate students to exercise and develop a range of basic skills in formal and computational analysis. The course philosophy is to ground abstract concepts in real world examples. We introduce strings, regular expressions, finite-state and context-free grammars, as well as algorithms defined over these structures and techniques for probing and evaluating systems that rely on these algorithms. The course goes beyond merely subjective evaluation of systems, emphasizing analysis and reasoning to draw and argue for valid conclusions about the design, capabilities and behavior of natural language systems.
Evaluation will be based on the exams, homeworks, and the essay.
Topics include:
There will be seven assessed assignments, one essay, and two exams.
The course will use plus-minus grading, using the following scale:
| Grade | Percentage |
|---|---|
| A | ≥ 93.3% |
| A- | ≥ 90.0% |
| B+ | ≥ 86.6% |
| B | ≥ 83.3% |
| B- | ≥ 80.0% |
| C+ | ≥ 76.6% |
| C | ≥ 73.3% |
| C- | ≥ 70.0% |
| D+ | ≥ 66.6% |
| D | ≥ 63.3% |
| D- | ≥ 60.0% |
Attendance is not required, and it is not used as part of determining the grade.
Note: This course carries the Quantitative Reasoning flag. Quantitative Reasoning courses are designed to equip you with skills that are necessary for understanding the types of quantitative arguments you will regularly encounter in your adult and professional life. You should therefore expect a substantial portion of your grade to come from your use of quantitative skills to analyze real-world problems.
Extensions will be considered on a case-by-case basis, but in most cases they will not be granted. Points will be deducted for lateness (unless an extension has been granted). By default, 10 points (out of 100) will be deducted for lateness, plus an additional 5 points for every 24-hour period beyond 2 that the assignment is late. For example, an assignment due at 11am on Tuesday will have 10 points deducted if it is turned in late but before 11am on Thursday. It will have 15 points deducted if it is turned in by 11am Friday, etc.
Late submissions will not be accepted if they are more than one week past the deadline. No points will be received in this case.
The greater the advance notice of a need for an extension, the greater the likelihood of leniency.
You are encouraged to discuss assignments with classmates. But all written work must be your own. If in doubt, ask the instructor.
Students who violate University rules on academic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary penalties, including the possibility of failure in the course and/or dismissal from the University. Since such dishonesty harms the individual, all students, and the integrity of the University, policies on academic dishonesty will be strictly enforced. For further information please visit the Student Judicial Services Web site. Also, see the University Honor Code.
Students with disabilities may request appropriate academic accommodations from the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement, Services for Students with Disabilities at 471-6259.
By UT Austin policy, you must notify me of your pending absence at least fourteen days prior to the date of observance of a religious holy day. If you must miss a class, an examination, a work assignment, or a project in order to observe a religious holy day, I will give you an opportunity to complete the missed work within a reasonable time after the absence.
Please follow these recommendations regarding emergency evacuation (provided by the Office Campus Safety and Security, 512-471-5767).