Module 20414.1 (2006)
Syllabus page 2006/2007
06-20414
Language & Information
Level 1/C
Alan Sexton:5
Peter Coxhead:5
Uday Reddy:5
Mark Lee:5
Uday Reddy (coordinator)
Peter Coxhead:5
Uday Reddy:5
Mark Lee:5
Uday Reddy (coordinator)
10+10 credits in Semester 1 and Semester 2
Links | Outline | Aims | Outcomes | Prerequisites | Teaching | Assessment | Books | Detailed Syllabus
The Module Description is a strict subset of this Syllabus Page. (The University module description has not yet been checked against the School's.)
Changes and updates
Detailed Syllabus updated.
Relevant Links
For the Sem1 part of the module, information is available via WebCT; see also the
Web Page for Sem1: Language
Sem2: Alan Sexton's Material, Peter Coxhead's Material
Outline
The module introduces issues relating to the structuring, representation, storage, exchange and presentation of information, and the processing of such information using appropriate tools. Mark-up languages used in the world-wide web are used as examples. The module further provides some of the knowledge and skills necessary for the rigorous communication of information via natural language as well as formal languages.
Aims
The aims of this module are to:
- provide an understanding of the declarative portion of natural language
- show how to analyse the information conveyed through statements
- explain how to formalize this information content using rigorous natural language as well as formal languages such as symbolic logic
- explain the notions of logical consequence, validity and consistency
- show example applications of the rigorous use in Computer Science of natural language and formal languages such as symbolic logic
- provide a foundation for further modules on formalising software requirements, information systems analysis, and information security policies
- give an introduction to issues in natural language processing
- provide a taster and motivation for studying more formal logic and reasoning systems
- use the practical context of the WWW to introduce computer science concepts, such as the separation of content from presentation, type from instance and meta-data from data, and the issues of naming and privacy
- introduce software engineering issues, such as the development, maintenance and management of the storage, exchange and presentation of information
- enable students to present information in a way which is consistent with appropriate computer science principles, e.g. via XHTML web pages with CSS style sheets and basic Javascript support
- enable students to represent, store and query information in XML based formats, in a way which is consistent with appropriate computer science principles
- Present issues relating to formal languages and querying
Learning Outcomes
| On successful completion of this module, the student should be able to: | Assessed by: | |
| 1 | communicate information rigorously in natural language | Examination, Continuous Assessment |
| 2 | analyse the information content of natural language statements by recognizing valid conclusions and identifying consistent collections of statements | Examination, Continuous Assessment |
| 3 | analyse the structure of natural language arguments and identify classical fallacies | Examination, Continuous Assessment |
| 4 | encode natural language statements in symbolic logic and make simple logical inferences | Examination, Continuous Assessment |
| 5 | demonstrate knowledge of the Computer Science applications of rigorous natural language as well as formal languages such as symbolic logic | Examination, Continuous Assessment |
| 6 | explain and discuss computer science and software engineering issues involved in the presentation of information | Examination |
| 7 | describe, explain and use XHTML, CSS and Javascript as techniques for constructing web pages | Continuous Assessment, Examination |
| 8 | explain and discuss computer science and software engineering issues in the representation, storage, exchange and querying of information using XML | Examination |
| 9 | design XML structures to represent information and use appropriate tools to manipulate, transform or query such XML structures | Continuous Assessment, Examination |
Restrictions, Prerequisites and Corequisites
Restrictions:
None
Prerequisites:
None
Co-requisites:
None
Teaching
Teaching Methods:
3 hrs/week lectures, tutorials and exercise classes
Contact Hours:
Assessment
- Sessional: 3 hr examination (80%), continuous assessment (20%).
- Supplementary (where allowed): By examination only with the continuous assessment carried forward.
Recommended Books
| Title | Author(s) | Publisher, Date |
| Understanding Arguments; An Introduction to Informal Logic | Robert J. Fogelin & Walter Sinnott-Armstrong | Wadsworth, 2005 |
| Informal Logic | Irving M. Copi & Keith Burgess-Jackson | MacMillan, 1991 |
| Logic | Wilfrid Hodges | Penguin, 2001 |
| Introduction to Logic | Irving M. Copi & Carl Cohen | Prentice Hall, 2001 |
| Logic and Contemporary Rhetoric: The Use of Reason in Everyday Life | Howard Kahane & Nancy M. Cavender | Wadsworth, 2005 |
| Introduction to Web Design and Programming | Paul Wang & Sanda Katila | Thompson Course Technology, 2003 |
| Learning XML | Erik Ray | O'Reilly, 2001 |
| Programming the World Wide Web | R W Sebesta | Pearson, 2006 |
Detailed Syllabus
- Declarative language; problems due to ambiguity, vagueness, generality, etc.; Computer Science applications, e.g., security policies or software requirements,
- Basics of argument structure: premises, conclusions, evidence,
- Logical connectives and the propositional calculus; simple notions of truth, falsehood, validity, consistency, pro et contra.
- Relations, quantifiers and predicate calculus: just enough to allow predicate calculus representations of simple sentences; awareness of how much natural language is not covered by predicate calculus,
- Valid arguments by example, analogy, authority, causes & fallacies: ad hominem, affirming the consequent, appeal to the majority, argument from ignorance, begging the question, post hoc ergo propter hoc, etc.
- Definitions and meaning; definite descriptions.
- Paradox: A review of various paradoxes such as Sorities, Russell, Zeno's, Choice etc.
- Computing applications of informal and formal language, e.g., software requirements, information requirements, security policies etc.
Last updated: 18 Jan 2007
Source file: /internal/modules/COMSCI/2006/xml/20414.xml
Links | Outline | Aims | Outcomes | Prerequisites | Teaching | Assessment | Books | Detailed Syllabus