In the table below, "Communication assignment" refers to the form that the student's written assignment should take. For example, if the assignment refers to "press release," the student's submission should be in the form of a press release. "Communication hors d'oeuvre" refers to the introductory first half hour of class that is spent discussing communication heuristics.
Some assignments may refer to "WRT," which stands for "Winston's Reading Time" – the length of time the professor needed to read the paper, which students can use to estimate their reading time, once they have calibrated themselves against the professor on the first few assignments.
| Assign # | Topics | Communication Assignment | Communication Hors d'Oeuvre |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Winston reflects on the first 50 years (PDF) | ||
| 2 | Turing suggests test for success (PDF) | Broken glass diagram | |
| 3 | Minsky lays out steps toward creating AI (PDF) | Broken glass diagram | Abstracts/Conclusions |
| 4 | Ullman explains streams and counter streams (PDF) | Abstracts/Conclusions | Elevators, Visions, Steps, News |
| 5 | Brooks denies value of representations (PDF) | Abstracts/Conclusions | Fonts and contributions |
| 6 | Feldman and Ballard argue for connectionism (PDF) | Abstracts/Conclusions | Knowledge engineering |
| 7 | Marr speaks to what constitutes good work (PDF) | Breakfast talk | Spider web evaluations |
| 8 | Minsky predicts important role for perception (PDF) | Email critique | Winston's star |
| 9 | Ullman confronts top-down-bottom-up issue (PDF) | Abstract/conclusion | Emulation (Watson, McPherson) |
| 10 | Rao offers explanation for acquisition of visual routines (PDF) | Cover Letter | Helping friends talk |
| 11 | Kirby offers insight into emergence of syntax (PDF) | Slide show | Slide shows heuristics |
| 12 | Borchardt focues on transitions (PDF) | Slide show | Book covers |
| 13 | Jackendoff grounds out in the world (PDF) | Tenure letter | Press Release |
| 14 | Yip and Sussman use sparse spaces to model learning of phonological rules (PDF) | Press Release | How to pick a graduate school |
| 15 | Lenat builds machine accessible encyclopedia (PDF) | Business assessment | Grilling and being grilled |
| 16 | Spelke determines what infants find surprising (PDF) | Trip report | How to run a conference |
| 17 | Borchardt tells all (PDF) | How to run a conference | |
| 18 | Vaina and Greenblatt attack trees; Sutherland calls for courage (PDF) | Journal Review | How to interview on camera; How to write a journal review |
| 19 | Geiger argues that dyslexics see too much; Bizzi explains what the frog's brain tells the frog's leg (PDF) | Letter to author(s) | How to threaten constructively |
| 20 | Spelke demonstrates role of language in reorientation; Wilson demonstrates possible role for sleep (PDF) | Textbook chapter opening | How to write a book |
| 21 | Sur rewires brains (PDF) | Letter proposal to NSF | How to write a proposal |
| 22 | Guest: Jerome Lettvin; Also, Lettvin explains what the frog's eye tells the frog's brain (PDF) | Slides | |
| 23 | Yuret lays a foundation for language semantics (PDF) | Quad chart | How to run a study / Terms of Reference |
| 24 | Gentner recalls the importance of analogy (PDF) | Slides & legends report | Panel discussions |
| 25 |
Assignment (PDF) End Game | Helping a buddy | Boyfriend in a box |
| 26 |
Assignment, part I (PDF) End Game | Helping a buddy | Message to Garcia |
| 27 | Makeup assignment I (PDF) | ||
| 28 | Makeup assignment II (PDF) |