Syllabus for First-Year Seminar (Section 37):

The Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence

 

Dickinson College, Fall 2009

Instructor: John MacCormick

 

 

Text in green has been added since the start of the semester.

Strike through text in purple has been deleted since the start of the semester.

The date of any change is given in parentheses. (Added 8/31/09.)

 

Objectives

 

·        Acquire writing skills.

·        Acquire reading skills, research skills and summarization skills.

·        Learn about, and adapt to, life in college.

·        Learn and critique some answers to the question, "Can machines think?"

·        Have fun discussing some very cool ideas.

 

Books

 

·        Required: Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid, by Douglas R. Hofstadter.  Any edition is fine.  Abbreviated as “GEB” in the schedule.

·        Required: A Writer's Reference (sixth edition), by Diana Hacker. Abbreviated as “WR” in the schedule.

·        Optional: The Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence, edited by Margaret A. Boden (1990).   Abbreviated as “PAI” in the schedule.

 

 

Library liaison

 

Amelia Brunskill (brunskia@dickinson.edu), phone 245-1601, office in library.

(Added 9/14/09.)

 

 

Class meeting details and office hours

 

Class takes place 1:30-2:45 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays, in Tome 232.

Please see the instructor's website for contact details and office hours.

Please see the class schedule for a detailed listing of class contents.

 

Grading

 

Grades will be determined according to the following weighting system:

 

Summarization homework

15%

Library assignments

5%

Writing assignment 1

20%

Writing assignment 2

20%

Writing assignment 3

40%

 

The summarization homework and assignments are described in more detail below.

 

Teaching methods

 

·        Readings and discussions:  In many classes, we will discuss a required reading.  Readings are listed on the class schedule; you must read and understand (to the best of your ability) each reading before the class in which it is discussed.  For some of the readings, you are required to provide a written summary of the reading in a particular format.  This “summarization homework” is described in a separate section below.

·        Lectures: In a few classes, the instructor will lecture on specific topics in artificial intelligence.

·        Other: A few classes will be devoted to other activities, such as external speakers, movies and library sessions.

 

Summarization homework

 

We will learn and practice three different ways of summarizing readings: (i) paragraph, (ii) bullet points, and (iii) slides.  For each reading that requires summarization homework, the schedule will specify one of the three summarization methods, and students must use this method to summarize the reading.  Details of the summarization methods are provided on the course web pages. 

 

Summarization homework is due at the start of the class in which the summarized reading is discussed.  Summarization homework need not be turned in, but students must be prepared to present their summarization in class.  Grading will be mostly by an honor system: students who have completed the homework check a box on a sheet provided by the instructor before class begins.  Summarization homework must be submitted electronically to Moodle.  For the most part, summarization homework will not be graded, and any reasonable submission will receive full credit.  However, submissions of work that do not represent an honest attempt at the summarization will receive serious penalties, and possibly disciplinary action. Students will also often be called on to present their summarization to the class, and the instructor may make adjustments to the grade based on such presentations.  Any violation of the honor system will result in disciplinary action.  Late summarization homework will earn no credit. (Changed 8/31/09.)

 

Writing assignments

 

There will be three writing assignments due at the following times, with the given word limits:

 

 

due

word count

Writing assignment 1

12:01 a.m., Thursday, October 8

2000-2500

Writing assignment 2

12:01 a.m., Thursday, October 29

2000-3000

Writing assignment 3

12:01 a.m., Thursday, December 3

2500-4000

 

Assignments must be submitted electronically to Moodle in PDF format.  Double spacing is not necessary.  Each assignment must include suitable citations and bibliography, following APA style.  All text, including headings, titles and the bibliography, is included in the word count.  Late writing assignments will generally be penalized by one letter grade for every day or part-day of lateness, except that each student is permitted up to 3 days of penalty-free lateness over the semester (for example, one assignment could be three days late, or all three assignments could be one day late).  Assignments that are too short or too long will generally be penalized by one letter grade for every 500 words outside the word count range.  Details of the assignments are given on the course webpages.

 

Library assignments

 

There will be two library assignments to follow up on our library sessions.  The assignments are due at 5pm on Thursday, September 17, and Thursday, October 22, respectively.

 

Plagiarism and copying

 

The College's policy on plagiarism applies and you should be familiar with it.  Violations will lead to disciplinary action.  In addition, all students must attend the academic integrity session on Wednesday, September 16, 6:00-6:45pm, in the Information Commons Classroom, lower level of the library.

 

Accommodations

 

The instructor will follow college policy for students with a documented need for an accommodation.