Synopsis

Empirical Methods in Natural Language Processing ("ENLP")
Lectures: Tu/Th 11:00am-12:15pm (Eastern Time) @ STM 111

Systems of communication that come naturally to humans are thoroughly unnatural for computers. For truly robust information technologies, we need to teach computers to unpack our language. Natural language processing (NLP) technologies facilitate semi-intelligent artificial processing of human language text. In particular, techniques for analyzing the grammar and meaning of words and sentences can be used as components within applications such as web search, question answering, and machine translation.

This course introduces fundamental NLP concepts and algorithms, emphasizing the marriage of linguistic corpus resources with statistical and machine learning methods. As such, the course combines elements of linguistics, computer science, and data science. Coursework will consist of lectures, programming assignments (in Python), and a final team project. The course is intended for students who are already comfortable with programming and have some familiarity with probability theory.

Credits: 3

Prerequisites: Linguistics students who have not completed NLP with Advanced Python (LING-4401) should consult with the instructor before enrolling in this course.

(For administrative reasons, registration is divided into two sections: LING-5402 and COSC-5402. The content and requirements within the course do not differ by registration section.)

Course Staff and Office Hours

Nathan Schneider
nathan.schneider@georgetown.edu
Office Hour: Mondays 4:00–5:00, STM 315H

TAs:

  • Xiulin Yang
    xy236@georgetown.edu
  • Blake Wang
    bw669@georgetown.edu
  • TA Office Hour: Thursdays 2:00–3:00, Lauinger Library 2nd floor

Course Modality & Health Precautions

Course sessions are expected to take place in person unless there is a change in university policy. Your attendance is important for the class to operate smoothly, including discussions and activities (the policy regarding absences is discussed below).

Please familiarize yourself with Georgetown's policies for being on campus and health resources, starting with this FAQ. Of particular note:

  • Consider wearing a mask in class even if not required, especially during periods of high transmission of COVID and other respiratory illnesses on campus.
  • If you are sick, do not come to class. If you have slight symptoms (e.g., the sniffles) and it may be something contagious, but you are feeling well enough to participate, notify the instructors that you wish to join class via Zoom. (Also get tested.)

Textbook

You do not need to purchase a textbook. We will use PDF drafts from Speech and Language Processing (3nd ed.) by Dan Jurafsky and James H. Martin ("SLP").

Assessments

Homework Assignments (30%)

These are focused exercises that reinforce the concepts and algorithms presented in lecture. They will involve some Python coding, some data analysis, and answering some written questions.

Exams (25%)

These will test your understanding of theoretical concepts. The exams are listed (tentatively) in the schedule. The modality (in-class vs. online) is subject to change.

Team Project (30%)

A substantial interdisciplinary team project, defined and executed by the team members with guidance from the course staff, will serve as an opportunity to put the ideas from the course into practice. Details will be forthcoming at a later date.

Participation (15%)

This credit comes from activities such as:

  • Short pop quizzes in class.
  • Speaking up in class.
  • Giving a small presentation in one class session (details TBA).

Communication

A public course website will be maintained with the syllabus, schedule, and lecture slides: http://people.cs.georgetown.edu/cosc5402/

The Canvas platform will be used to host content accessible only to members of the course. It provides a discussion forum, a way to submit coursework, and other tools. Log into Canvas at https://georgetown.instructure.com/ using your NetID. Students are automatically added when they are enrolled in the course. (The course name in Canvas is displayed as "COSC-5402-01", but it actually includes all sections of the course, including LING-5402.)

Some course meetings will take place virtually via Zoom, via the link provided in Canvas. Some of these sessions may be recorded by instructors for use within the course. Please do not make your own recordings/transcripts unless you have permission from the instructor or authorization from ARC as part of a disability accommodation. Recordings/transcripts should not be shared without the instructor's permission.

The Canvas discussion forum is the recommended virtual venue for asking and answering course-related questions. Instructors will monitor the forum and post replies from time to time, but we cannot promise immediate attention to every question.

To promote the highest degree of education possible, we ask each student to respect the opinions, thoughts, and identity of other students and be courteous in the way that you choose to express yourself, in line with the university's Speech and Expression Policy. We should all be respectful and considerate of all opinions.

The most direct way to contact instructors is through email. For most inquiries, including the main instructor and TAs in the email will elicit the fastest response.

Computing Resources

Students will be granted remote login (SSH) access to a Unix server with the Anaconda distribution of Python 3.5 installed. If you wish to run Python code on your own machine, you are strongly encouraged to install the same Anaconda distribution to avoid compatibility hassles. It is available for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux machines.

Attendance and Late Policy

In general, students are expected to attend all classes and to complete all assignments on time. Absences may have an adverse effect on grades in a course, up to and including failure.

That being said, we understand that circumstances may arise preventing you from attending class. In light of COVID, we will make every effort to accommodate student needs that are communicated to the instructors, for example, providing for asynchronous participation in the course by students whose circumstances prevent synchronous attendance over Zoom. Please email the instructors ASAP to communicate any expected absences. For example, inform us at the beginning of the semester about planned religious observances or athletic travel.

Late assignments are subject to a penalty of 15% of the grade for each day past the deadline. At the discretion of the instructors, a deadline may be adjusted for a student if there are special circumstances communicated to the instructors well in advance. 11th-hour requests for an extension to an assignment are unlikely to be granted absent truly exceptional circumstances.

Students who miss multiple classes due to prolonged illness should seek medical care and provide documentation of such to the Dean’s Office, which will communicate with the student’s professors. A prolonged absence may necessitate the student’s withdrawal from the course or from the University for the semester.

More information and resources:

Academic Integrity

In this course, you will be asked to participate at times as an individual and at times working in a group. Exams should be completed entirely on your own. Exam questions should not be posted online or disclosed to other students who have not yet taken the exam (and the same goes for solutions to homework assignments).

For homework assignments, you are expected to write code/text and perform analyses yourself unless directed otherwise. I.e., don't copy solutions from other students or share yours with them. But you are encouraged to discuss concepts and implementation stumbling blocks with fellow students, within reason. The online discussion forum and office hours are good opportunities for this.

Part of treating others with respect is giving appropriate credit for ideas and scholarly works (including code). If you consult with other students on an assignment, report this in the work that you turn in. If in your code you use a library or implementation from another source, indicate that as well (minimally by including a URL in a comment). Do not generate new content with prompt-based AI tools like ChatGPT or CodePilot without permission from instructors unless specifically allowed by the assignment. (Using, for example, Grammarly as a language aid is OK.) Instructors reserve the right to request an oral explanation of answers.

Course projects are intended to be highly collaborative, and the final project writeup should include a synopsis of who has contributed what. Version control software should be used in development for the final project. (Version control can also be used for homework assignments, provided that you ensure that other students do not have access to your solutions.)

In research writing, it is important to give credit to other research that provides specific foundations to your work, as well as to published work that is closely related. If you discuss ideas/information from a publication, be sure to cite it; if you reuse the specific phrasing of other work, use quotation marks. Knowing when and how to give credit can be tricky at times, so when in doubt, ask!

For more information:

Support Services

Many students struggle or get overwhelmed at some point in their studies. In general, if you feel like you are running into difficulties that impact your performance in the course, reaching out to the instructor or TA is a good starting point. There are also experienced academic staff members (e.g. advising dean, graduate program administrator, or director of graduate studies) who are prepared to advise students facing challenges: they can offer skills and resources to troubleshoot the situation.

In particular, Georgetown recognizes that COVID-19 has a significant impact on everyone in the Georgetown community. Georgetown offers a variety of support services for students that can be accessed online and has put together this newsletter which aims to provide you with information about well-being resources and virtual meetings that can connect you with mental health professionals on and off campus during this time. Below are some resources available to you at the university level:

  • Academic Resource Center (ARC)
    202-687-8354 | arc@georgetown.edu
  • Counseling and Psychiatric Services (CAPS)
    202-687-6985
  • Institutional Diversity, Equity & Affirmative Action (IDEAA)
    202-687-4798
  • Office of the Student Ombuds (OSO)
    • 202-784-1081 | studentombuds@georgetown.edu

Title IX/Sexual Misconduct

Georgetown University and its faculty are committed to supporting survivors and those impacted by sexual misconduct, which includes sexual assault, sexual harassment, relationship violence, and stalking. Georgetown requires faculty members, unless otherwise designated as confidential, to report all disclosures of sexual misconduct to the University Title IX Coordinator or a Deputy Title IX Coordinator. If you disclose an incident of sexual misconduct to a professor in or outside of the classroom (with the exception of disclosures in papers), that faculty member must report the incident to the Title IX Coordinator, or Deputy Title IX Coordinator. The coordinator will, in turn, reach out to the student to provide support, resources, and the option to meet. [Please note that the student is not required to meet with the Title IX coordinator.] More information about reporting options and resources can be found on the Sexual Misconduct Website: https://sexualassault.georgetown.edu/resourcecenter

If you would prefer to speak to someone confidentially, Georgetown has a number of fully confidential professional resources that can provide support and assistance. These resources include:

  • Health Education Services for Sexual Assault Response and Prevention: confidential email sarp@georgetown.edu
  • Counseling and Psychiatric Services (CAPS): 202.687.6985 or after hours, call (833) 960-3006 to reach Fonemed, a telehealth service; individuals may ask for the on-call CAPS clinician

More information about reporting options and resources can be found on the Sexual Misconduct Website.

Title IX/Pregnancy and Parenting Accommodations

Georgetown University is committed to creating an accessible and inclusive environment for pregnant and parenting students. Students may request adjustments based on general pregnancy needs or accommodations based on a pregnancy-related complication. Specific adjustments will be handled on a case by case basis and will depend on medical needs and academic requirements. Students seeking a pregnancy adjustment or accommodation should follow the process laid out on the Title IX website.

Learning Resources

The Writing Center offers peer tutoring by trained graduate and undergraduate students who can assist you at any point in the writing process. They help at any stage of your writing process, from brainstorming to revision. Tutors can offer advice on thesis development, use of evidence, organization, flow, sentence structure, grammar, and more. The Writing Center will not proofread or edit papers; rather, they will help to improve your proofreading and editing skills to become a better writer. Appointments can be booked online through their website.

Useful Software and Technical Guides

See the resources page.