Assignments and grading

As a seminar-style course, the grading will be based on reading and analyzing the assigned paper readings, engaging with class discussion, and conducting and presenting a research-oriented final project.

Grading

• Participation (30%) - Attend and engage with class meetings (ask and answer questions, provide comments). Also, posting and answering questions on Piazza will count towards your participation as well as contributing (in the Notion pages) with links, code samples/notebooks, and useful commentary on datasets related to the course topics.
• Discussion Lead (20%) - For one class during the semester, prepare and present a 25 minute presentation summarizing the class’s reading, and help lead the class discussion.
• Paper and Dataset Summaries (written) (20%) - For each assigned paper and dataset, submit a brief summary based on a set of standard questions provided by the instructor. In total, 2 summaries can be skipped during the semester (you still need to email the instructor on time stating you skip).
• Final Project (30%) - Semester-long research project. Each group of two students can pick a project related to the course topics.
  • Project Proposal (10%) - Write and present a project proposal (due 3/1).
  • Project Presentation (10%) - Present a talk and/or demo on your final project (due 4/19)
  • Project Writeup (10%) - Submit a research-style paper/notebook on your final project (due 4/29)

Grading Scale

The course will not be graded on a curve. Your final grade will be assigned as a letter grade according to the following scale:

• A 90-100%
• B 80-89%
• C 70-79%
• D 60-69%
• F 0-59%

Extensions & Late Assignments

Assignments are due at the time listed in the schedule. There are no undocumented exceptions. If you have an emergency situation or a school sanctioned exception, please contact me before the due date, so we can adjust your assignment deadlines (some documentation may be needed).