COURSE CREDIT: 3 hrs. credit PREREQUISITES: CSC 402 or CSC 216 w/permission

OFFICE HOURS: MWF 8-9, 10-11; TR 8-9:15, 11-1:00; MF 11-12 *see website for exact times

TEXT: Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach, 2^nd Edition

Stuart Russell & Peter Norvig

OTHER MATERIALS: Access to journals in the library, and access to the Internet.

DESCRIPTION: A study of the fundamental concepts in AI. The focus is upon knowledge representation and search, with emphasis on expert systems. Other topics include machine learning, natural language understanding, perception, specialized data structures such as semantic and neural networks, and open problems in the field of AI. Exercises using the LISP and /or Prolog languages may be used.

RATIONALE: This course is an elective course for all Computer Science and Computing and Information Systems majors.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES: After successfully passing this course,

Students will be able to identify and describe the subareas of AI and how they are related. Students will know a variety of goals of AI.

Students will understand how AI can be used to solve complex problems.

Students will know the limitations and constraints of AI based systems.

Students will be familiar with the AI literature and current research topics.

Students will be prepared for more advanced study in AI.

Students will have prepared a research project in AI.

EVALUATION: The instructor reserves the right to make adjustments as necessary.

Exams: There will be two tests worth 200 points each(400 points total).

Assignments: There will be periodic homework/problem solving assignments worth a total of 200 points.

Readings: There will several journal articles that you will be required to read during the semester and answer questions or write a summary of the article. These will be worth a total of 200 points.

Final Exam: There will be a comprehensive final examination given at the time specified by the college. This examination will be worth 200 points. Tuesday, May 6, 2003, 8:00 - 10:00 a.m.

Research Project: As a graduate student will be required to write a research paper on a current research area in AI. This will be worth 200 points.

Grading Scale: 1080 - 1200 points A 840-899 points C

1056-1079 points B+ 720-839 points D

960-1055 points B 0-719 points F

900-959 points C+

CLASS ATTENDANCE: The student is expected to attend classes. Regulations for class attendance are given in the Class Schedule. Remember in a MWF class 12 absences is an automatic F. Three tardies counts as one absence in this class. (See the Mississippi College catalog). Being more than 10 minutes late counts as an absence.

MAKE-UP WORK & TESTS: Students are expected to take tests on the day they are assigned. However, it is the student's responsibility to contact the instructor in case of an emergency illness or death in the family before the test. At that time the student and instructor will agree on a time for the make-up exam. This time should be within 2 days of the missed test. Assignments are to be turned in on the day they are due!! All work is due at the beginning of the class period. Any work not turned in will lose 10% credit for each school day until the third day. The due date at the beginning of class is day 1. No work will be accepted after the third day. Under no circumstances will work be accepted after the assignment has been graded and handed back in class. Laboratory work will be due at the end of each week's lab at which time a lab quiz will be administered. Exceptions to this may be made at the instructor's discretion.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: This statement on academic honesty in computer science courses is an addendum to the Mississippi College policy 2.19 found at http://www.mc.edu/publications/policies/ 219.html. In a computer science class individual effort is expected. Student misconduct not only includes cheating on tests, but also extends to copying or collaborating on programming assignments, projects, lab work or research unless otherwise specified by the instructor. Using other people's accounts to do your work or having others do your work is prohibited. Close proximity in lab does not mean collaboration is permitted. NOTE: Discussing logical solutions to problems is acceptable, exchange of code, pseudocode, designs, or procuring solutions from the Web, other texts, the Internet or other resources on or off campus is not acceptable.

First offense: grade of 0 for **all** parties involved unless the "guilty" party can be determined as well as any punishment deemed necessary under policy 2.19

Second offense: grade of F in the course as well as any punishment deemed necessary under policy 2.19

SPECIAL ACCOMMODATIONS: If you need special accommodations due to learning, physical, psychological, or other disabilities, please contact Dr. Buddy Wagner in the Counseling and Career Development Center. He may be reached by phone at (601) 925-3354 or by mail at P. O. Box 4016, Clinton, MS 39058.

DROPPING A COURSE: LAST DROP DATE - March 31

Students cannot withdraw after this date with a W (passing) unless the three following criteria are met:

- Extenuating circumstances (clearly outside the student's control)

- Passing the course at the time of withdrawal

- Does not have excessive absences at the time of withdrawal

NOTE: Dropping after the THIRD (3rd) WEEK will result in a grade of W appearing on your

permanent record (transcripts). See http://www.mc.edu/publications/policies/213.html.

INCOMPLETE GRADES: An Incomplete may be given to a student who has been providentially hindered from completing work required in a course, provided that:

1. semester attendance requirements have been met;

2. most of the required work has been done;

3. the student is doing passing work; and

4. the student has made prior arrangements with the professor to complete the remaining work at a later date.

The grade of I must be removed promptly or it becomes an F; it cannot be removed by repeating the course.

All programs should be submitted by e-mail as an attachment. Source code must be submitted as well as all files necessary for the programs execution. The e-mail message should contain the following information:

Author's name

Date completed

Brief problem description

Statement regarding whether the program works or not.

If the program does not work, a brief but concise description of what is wrong and what it will take to "fix" it.

Turing, A. M., "Computing Machinery and Intelligence," Mind, 59:433-460, 1950. (Reprinted in Laplante, Phillip (ed.), Great Papers in Computer Science, pp. 628-646, St. Paul: West Publishing Company, 1996. Available online: http://www.abelard.org/turpap/turpap.htm

An Introduction to the Science of AI. Available online at: http://library.advanced.org/2705/

Russell's AIMA site: http://aima.cs.berkeley.edu/

Discover magazine: http://www.discover.com/

Scientific American magazine: http://www.sciam.com/

AI Resources on the Web: http://www.cs.berkeley.edu/~russell/ai.html