While the field of AI is too large to give a thorough picture of its evolution in only one semester, I do hope to present something of a picture of how it's evolved over the years. We'll look at how people's thoughts about how to represent and solve AI problems have changed by reading and comparing ``classic'' and ``modern'' papers on topics like game playing, planning, theorem proving, etc.
The readings will be announced in class and on the web at least a week in advance. Near the start of the term, the class will be divided into reading groups, each of which will be responsible for reading and discussing the designated papers in advance and producing a short (roughly one page) written critique of the readings (due at the beginning of the corresponding class). In addition, each group should produce a list of questions and/or observations on the readings that will serve as a basis for class discussion. The written critiques and questions will contribute to the participation part of your grade. Each group will contain both undergrad and grad students; my hope is that each will be able to offer different insights to the other.
Last note on readings: I have a number of target topics and papers in mind, but I'll welcome suggestions. If there's a topic that you're curious about (and especially if you have a suggested paper or two), I'll be happy to consider it.