Overview: FS22k is a discussion-based course concerning the philosophical, linguistic, and computational issues surrounding the question of machine intelligence and the possibility of natural-language interaction with computers.
Instructors: Stuart Shieber (email), MD 245, DEAS, Harvard
Teaching fellows: Ezra Keshet (last name [at] post dot harvard dot edu)
Location and time: Thursdays 2:30-5:30 in Maxwell Dworkin 223 and Tuesdays 2:30-3:30 in Maxwell Dworkin 221.
Prerequisites: None. The course is appropriate for students from all fields.
Web site: http://www.courses.fas.harvard.edu/~fs22k/
Required texts: Readings will be distributed online through the web site and in class.
Course work: Course work includes participation in class discussions, exercises, and a final paper. Details and schedule are provided in the Assignments section of the web site.
Grading: As with all freshman seminars, the courses is graded on a Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (SAT/UNS) basis. Your grade in the course will be based on your performance in class, on the exercises, and on the final paper, which will count very roughly equally.
Students are encouraged to discuss the exercises with each other; talking together can be a useful method for working out difficulties in solving the problems. However, all assignments should be completed individually. It goes without saying that all individually submitted work should be the student's own. Please see the section on Plagiarism and Collaboration in Chapter 2 of the Handbook for Students. If in doubt about where the line is between appropriate discussion and undue collaboration or appropriation of others' work, please talk to a member of the instructional staff.