CIS 5545.001 / CIS 4203.001
Artificial General Intelligence
Syllabus (Spring 2027)
Instructor
Dr. Pei Wang
Email: pei.wang@temple.edu
Office: Room 347, Science Education and Research Center (SERC)
Office Hours: Tuesday 5:00 - 6:00 pm, Zoom (by appointment)
Time and Location
Lecture time: Thursday 5:30 - 8:00 PM
Classroom: Wachman Hall 407
Course Description
This course on will cover the major topics in Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), including
- Objectives and definitions,
- Theoretical fundations,
- Strategies and techniques,
- Limitations and social impacts.
Given the current diversity in opinion and practice in the field, the course will be organized around the instructor’s own AGI project, NARS (Non-Axiomatic Reasoning System). While the aspects of NARS are introduced, the related AGI problems will be analyzed, as well as the alternative solutions proposed by other researchers. The lectures will be accompanied by reading, discussion, and projects. With the help of the instructor, each student will select a topic for a course project, which can be
- Experiments on a particular AGI model,
- Evaluation of the cognitive capabilities of AGI systems,
- Theoretical analysis of an important problem in AGI.
This is a graduate-level elective course (CIS 5545) that is cross-listed as a seminar for undergraduate students (CIS 4203).
Course Objective
- To give students a broad understanding of the basic problems and the proposed solutions in AGI.
- To give students a detailed understanding of NARS and the related AGI problems.
- To give students research experience in AGI by exploring selected topics in depth.
Schedule
See course website at http://www.cis.temple.edu/~pwang/5545-AGI/5545-index.htm
Prerequisites for CIS 5545
- CIS 1166 and 2166 (Mathematical Concepts in Computing)
- CIS 2033 (Computational Probability and Statistics)
- CIS 1068 and 2168 and 3223 (Programming, Data Structure, and Algorithms)
- CIS 2229 or 3207 (Operating System)
- CIS 3203 or 4526 (Artificial Intelligence or Machines Learning)
Students who do not fully satisfy the above requirements need the permission of the instructor to enroll.
Prerequisites for CIS 4203
- CIS 2168, minimum grade of C-. May not be taken concurrently.
Reference Materials [This course has no required course materials that must be purchased]
Grading
- Assignments: 40% (weekly, with late penalty)
- Project: 40% (individual or group)
- Participation: 20% (attendence and discussion)
The problems and grading creteria are different for students enrolled in CIS 5545 and CIS 4203.
Policies and Rules
- The use of AI tools should be acknowledged.
- To achieve course learning goals, students must attend and participate in classes, according
to the course requirements. However, if you have tested positive for or are experiencing
symptoms of a contagious illness, you should not come to campus or attend in-person
classes or activities. It is the student’s responsibility to contact me to create a plan for
participation and engagement in the course as soon as you are able to do so, and to make a
plan to complete all assignments in a timely fashion.
- No eating, talking, sleeping during the lectures. Late arrival or early leaving are not allowed except in special situations.
- Students should be familiar with the Student Conduct Code of the university.
- Temple University has a statement on the Student and Faculty Academic Rights and Responsibilities
Policy, such as: Freedom to teach and freedom to learn are
inseparable facets of academic freedom.
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