CS 371 - Introduction to Artificial Intelligence

Course Information

Course Overview

A most fascinating research field, I like to describe Artificial Intelligence (AI) as the interesting "miscellaneous pile" of computer science.  For example, more expressive, computationally-complex database research finds its home in AI as "knowledge representation and reasoning".  The inverse of computer graphics is machine vision.  Where do you think the object-oriented paradigm reached its maturity?  Many interesting, cutting-edge problems and developments find their birthplace and first home in this ambitious and visionary research community.

Presented with the unifying theme of constructing intelligent software agents, we survey an interesting variety of research problems and modern problem solving techniques.  Among the topics we cover are: search, game-tree search, constraint satisfaction, knowledge representation and reasoning, reasoning under uncertainty, planning, machine learning, robotics, machine vision, natural language processing, and philosophical foundations.
 

Text

 
Stuart J. Russell, Peter Norvig
Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach
Prentice Hall; ISBN: 0131038052

Instructor

Todd Neller
Lecture: Glatfelter 212, T,Th 10-11:15AM
Office: Glatfelter 209
Office Hours: M,W,F 9-10AM; Tu, Th 8:30-9:30AM or by appointment. Note:  Generally, feel free to drop in if my office door is open.  If it is closed, I'm desperately seeking to keep on top of things and rabid attack ferrets may drop from the ceiling in my defense.
Phone: 337-6643
E-mail: 

Grading

80% Assignments
10% In-Class Quizzes (unannounced)
10% Class Participation

You are responsible to know the material from each lecture and reading assignment before the start of the next class.  For this reason, it is very important to avoid getting behind in your assignment.  One class meeting late incurs a grading penalty of 50%.  No credit will be given for work two or more class meetings late.

Approximately 10 in-class quizzes will be given in the course of the semester.  Quizzes cannot be made up if one is late or absent without good reason.  They are not intended to be overly challenging or require speed.  Rather, these quizzes are intended to serve as (1) a diagnostic of your progress, and (2) a tool for accountability.  We care about how you're learning all the time (not just at mid-term or semester's end).

Class attendance and participation is required.  If you're attending class and willing to participate, you'll get 100% for this part of your grade.
 

Honor Code

Honesty, Integrity, Honor.  These are more important than anything we will cover in this class.  Students can and are encouraged to help each other understand course concepts, but all graded work must be done independently unless otherwise stated.  In group work, great care must be given to "giving credit where credit is due".  For detailed information about the honor code, see http://www.gettysburg.edu/college_life/orgs/honor_code/index.html.