CS159 - Administrivia
Course description
An introduction to fundamental concepts in natural language processing and computational linguistics. The course will explore these ideas through a range of applications including language modeling, parsing, text similarity, translation and machine learning and will examine text and language at the word, sentence and semantic level. The assignments are programming-oriented and will use existing corpora and real-world data.
Online Format
Class will be held during the scheduled time via zoom (check either piazza or sakai for the zoom link). Class will mostly be slide driven, though there will also be regular class participation through a variety of formats. If possible, I encourage you to attend class synchronously. I do understand that attending class live may not be possible. I will record all lectures and make then available to the class. Given the nature of the class, these video recording should still be a good way to engage with the material.
Techology support
With the move online, the college is fully dedicated to make sure that all students can effectively engage with their courses in this online format. As part of this, the college has a wide range of additional support for students ranging from laptop loans to wifi hotspots. If you find that you are not able to engage with your coursework because of technological limiations, please reach out to myself or ITS to figure out how we can resolve things!
Handouts, announcements, etc.
All handouts will be distributed on the course web page. This will include lecture notes/slides, assignments and other handouts. You are responsible for all material and announcements posted on the class web page, so please check it regularly.
Coursework
- Grade calculation
- 45% Assignments
- 40% Quizzes (4 total)
- 15% Final project
- Assignments -
There will be 7-8 assignments, approximately every 1.5-2 weeks. Assignments will mostly focus around coding up material we've discussed in class, however, some will also include short written questions and possibly a short write-up. Early on assignments will be in Java, though later in the semester you will be allowed to choose the language (as long as it is installed on the lab machines).
- Quizzes -
There will be four quizzes throughout the semester. The first three will not be comprehensive, though some of the material in the course inherently builds on previous concepts. The fourth will be comprehensive. The first three will be during the normal semester and the fouth during during "finals". Quizzes will generally take around 30 minutes, though the final quiz will be an hour. See the class schedule for exact dates.
- Final project -
During the last few weeks of the semester, you will complete a final project in pairs or triplets. You will propose a project related to something covered in the course. The project will require implementation, experimentation, a final paper discussing your solution and related literature in the area and a final presentation at the end of the semester.
Late policy
I understand that sometimes things get busy, things come up, you get sick, etc. To help in these situations, you may submit two assignments late by up 24 hours. If you're going to turn an assignment in late, please e-mail me to let me know. Beyond this, except under very extenuating circumstantces, I will not accept late assignments.
Academic honesty and collaboration
I take academic honesty very seriously.
You are encouraged to get together in small groups to discuss material from the lectures and text. However, the work that you turn in must be done independently, unless an assignment is explicitly designated as one in which collaboration is allowed.
In particular, your work must not be based on information obtained from sources other than those approved for the course (i.e., the text, web pages linked from the course web page, and materials provided in lecture). You should never copy another students code or solutions, exchange computer files, or share your code or solutions with anyone else in the class until after an assignment is due. You may, however, use any code that we provide to you or that comes from the textbook, as long as you acknowledge the source. Additionally, the tutors are allowed to help you with your code.
If you are ever unsure about what constitutes acceptable collaboration, please ask!
For more information see the Computer Science Department's Academic Honesty Policy and the college's policy.
Disability accomodations
Pomona College is committed to providing equal opportunity for participation
in all programs, services and activities. Requests for accommodations may be made by contacting the
Disability Coordinator on your home campus. At Pomona College, that person is Associate Dean of
Students Jan Collins-Eaglin. Pomona College's policy on disability accommodations can be found at the
Dean of Student's website.
Due to the nature of this course, extensions on assignments will not be allowed.
If you have any accomodations, please come talk to me in the first two weeks of class.
Other resources beyond the class
The college has many support structures to help support you both academically and non-academically. ASPC has put together a list of all of the resources available to you:
ASPC Online Resources Fall 2020
These range from academic support, such as the writing center and the QSC, to physical and mental health support. If you have questions or need additional support, please feel free to also reach out to me.
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