University Catalog 2024-2025

Philosophy & Religious Studies

Faculty

Assistant Professors

  • Veljko Dubljevic
  • Nevin Johnson
  • Levi McLaughlin
  • Xinhe Wu

Instructor

  • Ronald Endicott

Courses

Computer Science

CSC 520  Artificial Intelligence I  (3 credit hours)  

Introduction to and overview of artificial intelligence. Study of AI programming language such as LISP or PROLOG. Elements of AI problem-solving technique. State spaces and search techniques. Logic, theorem proving and associative databases. Introduction to knowledge representation, expert systems and selected topics including natural language processing, vision and robotics.

Prerequisite: CSC 316 and either CSC 226 or LOG 201 or LOG 335 or background in symbolic logic

Typically offered in Fall and Spring

CSC 522/CSC 422  Automated Learning and Data Analysis  (3 credit hours)  

This course provides an introduction to concepts and methods for extracting knowledge or other useful forms of information from data. This activity, also known under names including data mining, knowledge discovery, and exploratory data analysis, plays an important role in modern science, engineering, medicine, business, and government. Students will apply supervised and unsupervised automated learning methods to extract patterns, make predictions and identify groups from data. Students will also learn about the overall process of data collection and analysis that provides the setting for knowledge discovery, and concomitant issues of privacy and security. Examples and projects introduce the students to application areas including electronic commerce, information security, biology, and medicine. Students cannot get credit for both CSC 422 and CSC 522.

Prerequisite: CSC 226 or LOG 201, ST 370, MA 305 or MA 405

Typically offered in Fall and Spring

CSC 707  Automata, Languages and Computability Theory  (3 credit hours)  

Formal models of language and computation; finite automata and regular languages, pushdown automata and context-free languages, Turing machines. Relative power of models, Chomsky hierarchy. Inherent complexity of problems: undecidability, computational complexity, intractable problems.

Prerequisite: CSC 226 required, CSC 333 recommended

Typically offered in Fall only

CSC 720  Artificial Intelligence II  (3 credit hours)  

A second course in artificial intelligence emphasizing advanced concepts of AI including logic programming, automatic programming, natural language understanding, visual perception by machine, learning and inference, intelligent computer-aided instruction, knowledge representation, robotics and other topics to be chosen by instructor. Students asked to write programs in AI programming language such as LISP and PROLOG.

Prerequisite: CSC 520

Typically offered in Spring only

eNGLISH

ENG 524  Introduction to Linguistics  (3 credit hours)  

Introduction to theoretical linguistics, especially for students in language, writing and literature curricula. Phonology, syntax, semantics, history of linguistics; relation of linguistics to philosophy, sociology and psychology; application of theory to analysis of texts.

Prerequisite: Graduate standing or 12 hrs. in ENG

Typically offered in Fall only

ENG 584  Studies In Linguistics  (3 credit hours)  

Variation in content. Selected problems and issues in linguistics.

Prerequisite: Graduate standing

Typically offered in Fall and Spring

Philosophy/Psychology

PHI 525/PSY 525  Introduction To Cognitive Science  (3 credit hours)  

Philosophical foundations and empirical fundamentals of cognitive science, an interdisciplinary approach to human cognition. Topics include: the computational model of mind, mental representation, cognitive architecture, the acquisition and use of language. Students cannot receive credit for both PHI/PSY 425 and PHI/PSY 525.

Prerequisite: Graduate standing. Credit is not allowed for PHI 525 and PHI/PSY 425.

Typically offered in Spring only

PHI 540  The Scientific Method  (3 credit hours)  

Detailed examination of core issues in the philosophy of science: the confirmation of scientific theories, falsification, projectibility, the nature of scientific explanation, laws of nature, and causation. Students cannot receive credit for both PHI 440 and PHI 540.

Prerequisite: Graduate standing. Credit is not allowed for both PHI 540 and PHI 440.

Typically offered in Fall only

PSY 500  Visual Perception  (3 credit hours)  

Detailed consideration of anatomy and physiology of visual system (both peripheral and central components). Modern quantitative approaches to psychophysical problems of detection, discrimination, scaling. Examination of chief determinants of visual perception, including both stimulus variables and such organismic variables as learning, motivation and attention. Discussion of perceptual theory and processes emphasizes several topics in two- and three-dimensional spatial perception.

Prerequisite: Graduate standing

Typically offered in Fall only

PSY 502  Physiological Psychology  (3 credit hours)  

Physiological foundations of behavior, basic vertebrate neuroanatomy and neurophysiology.

Prerequisite: Twelve hours of PSY including PSY 200, 400,410

Typically offered in Spring only

PSY 508  Cognitive Processes  (3 credit hours)  

Emphasis upon the results from research on a number of complex processes (e.g., remembering, concept learning, problem solving, acquisition and use of language) and the theories that have been proposed to explain these results.

Prerequisite: Graduate standing or PBS status

Typically offered in Fall only