CSE 595 - Syllabus - Spring 2018

Semantic Web

http://www.cs.stonybrook.edu/~pfodor/courses/cse595.html


Course Description

Semantic Web is an extension of the World Wide Web through standards by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). The standards promote common data formats and exchange protocols on the Web, most fundamentally the Resource Description Framework (RDF). According to the W3C, "The Semantic Web provides a common framework that allows data to be shared and reused across application, enterprise, and community boundaries". The term was coined by Tim Berners-Lee for a web of data that can be processed by machines — that is, one in which much of the meaning is machine-readable. In 2013, more than four million Web domains contained Semantic Web markup. In this course we will these W3C standard languages and research directions.

Major Topics Covered in Course

  • The Semantic Web Activity of W3C: Overview of techniques and standards
  • XML with Document Type Definitions and Schemas
  • RDF—The Basis of the Semantic Web
  • Metadata with RDF (Resource Description Framework)
  • Metadata taxonomies with RDF Schema
  • Transformation/Inference rules in XSLT, RuleML and RIF
  • The W3C ontology language OWL
  • Integrating these techniques for ontology/rule-based multi-agent systems
  • Semantic Modeling
  • Semantic Web Applications
  • Logic for the Semantic Web

Staff

Instructor: Dr. Paul Fodor
214 New Computer Science Department, Stony Brook University
Office hours: Thursdays 10:00-11:30am and Fridays 11:30am-1:00pm
Phone: 1 (631) 632-9820
Email: paul.fodor@stonybrook.edu


Class Time/Place

  • Lectures: TuTh 2:30PM - 3:50PM, Melville E4315.

Textbooks

We will use material from:

  • A Semantic Web Primer, by Grigoris Antoniou, Paul Groth, Frank van Harmelen and Rinke Hoekstra, Publisher: MIT Press; 3rd edition (September, 2012).
  • Foundations of Semantic Web Technologies, by Pascal Hitzler, Markus Krötzsch, Sebastian Rudolph, Publisher: Chapman and Hall; 1st edition (August 6, 2009).
  • Semantic Web for the Working Ontologist, Second Edition: Effective Modeling in RDFS and OWL, by Dean Allemang, and James Hendler. Publisher: Morgan Kaufmann; 2nd edition (June 3, 2011).
  • Semantic Web Programming, by John Hebeler, Matthew Fisher, Ryan Blace, Andrew Perez-Lopez, and Mike Dean (Foreword). Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (April 13, 2009).
  • Linked Data: Structured Data on the Web, by David Wood, Marsha Zaidman, Luke Ruth, and Michael Hausenblas. Publisher: Manning Publications; 1 edition (January 24, 2014).
  • Learning SPARQL: Querying and Updating with SPARQL 1.1, by Bob DuCharme Publisher: O'Reilly Media; 2 edition (July 18, 2013).
  • Programming the Semantic Web, Build Flexible Applications with Graph Data, by Web Toby Segaran, Colin Evans, and Jamie Taylor. Publisher: O'Reilly Media; 2 edition (July, 2009).

Conferences

Journals


Resources


Grading Schema

Grades will be based on homework and exams according to the following formula:
  • Homework assignments = 20%
  • Project phase 1 = 10%
  • Project phase 2 = 10%
  • Project phase 3 (final) = 25%
  • Quizzes = 5%
  • Midterm exam = 15%
  • Final exam = 15%

Do not miss the exam. Make-up exams will be given only in extenuating circumstances (e.g., doctor's note stating that you were ill and unfit to take the exam). Students who miss an exam for a valid reason may need to take a make-up exam; specific arrangements will be made on a case-by-case basis.

Exam dates:

The Pass/No Credit (P/NC) option is not available for this course.

This policy applies to all CSE/ISE undergraduate courses used to satisfy the graduation requirements for the major.

Grade Cutoffs

A [93-100], A- [90-93), B+ [87-90), B [83-87), B- [80-83), C+ [77-80), C [73-77), C- [70-73), D+ [65-70), D [60-65), F [0-60)

SPECIAL RULE: If all your grades, including homework assignments, quizzes, recitation and your three exam grades are above the respective class averages, you're guaranteed to receive a grade of C or higher for this class.

There will be extra credit problems as a part of quizzes and homework assignments which values to an increase of less than 4% in the final grade.

There will be in-class quizzes / brief assessments used to practice the class material and measure growth in knowledge, abilities, and skills. They will be solved in class and they are valued 2 points each.

The grades will be posted on Blackboard: http://blackboard.stonybrook.edu for privacy reasons.

The final grade you receive in this class will reflect, as far as possible, the extent to which you have mastered the concepts and their applications. How much someone needs a grade, or how close they are to the next higher grade, will have no effect on grade. As the instructor, I want everyone to do well in this course, and will make every reasonable effort to help you understand the material taught. However, the grades provided at the end of the semester are final, except for rare situations involving grading errors. They will not be altered for any reason, so please do not ask me to do so.


Programming homework assignments

There will be regular programming assignments which must be submitted electronically on Blackboard (http://blackboard.stonybrook.edu) by the announced due date and time. All code must compile. Code that does not compile will not be graded. Assignments will be graded based on program performance and documentation. You may not submit any programming assignment late. Late programming work will not be graded. All program code that is submitted electronically must have the following information listed clearly in documentation (comments in your program code) at the beginning of each file: your name, the course (CSE 595), your section, the programming assignment number, the lab/recitation date and your section's graduate TA's name. There is also a programming project before the end of the semester.

  • Code that does not compile will not receive any credit.
  • Submissions that are no submitted as requested in the assignment will not receive any credit. That is, if the submission requires a Test.java file, any submissions of test.java, test.text, test, etc. will not receive any credit. Similarly, if the requirements say that a method computeBalance with 2 paramenters is required, any submission that defined methods like compute_balance, computer_Balance, etc. will also not receive any credit.

Re-grading

For re-grading of an assignment or exam, please meet with the person (instructor or teaching assistant) responsible for the grading. Please arrange a re-evaluation within one week of receiving the graded work. All such requests that are later than one week from the date the graded work is returned to the class will not be entertained. To promote consistency of grading, questions and concerns about grading should be addressed first to the TA and then, if that does not resolve the issue, to the instructor. You are welcome to contact the TA by email or come to his office hour. If you would like to speak with the TA in person, and have a schedule conflict with his office hour, you are welcome to make an appointment to meet the TA at another time.

Tentative Class Schedule

Week Lecture Topics
1 Introduction to Semantic Web
2 Semantic Modeling
3 RDF—The Basis of the Semantic Web
4 Semantic Web Applications
5 RDF Schema
6 OWL
7 Logic for the Semantic Web
8 Spring Break
9 Logic languages for the Semantic Web (cont.)
10 Logic languages for the Semantic Web (cont.)
11 Logic languages for the Semantic Web (cont.)
12 Logic languages for the Semantic Web (cont.)
13 Logic languages for the Semantic Web (cont.)
14 Logic languages for the Semantic Web (cont.)
15 Logic languages for the Semantic Web (cont.)

Piazza

The Piazza discussion board should be used for all communication with the teaching staff for questions about the course assignments and material. Piazza is a forum for additional learning and assistance. The following are not appropriate uses of Piazza:

  • cyber-bullying
  • posting memes
  • complaining about a grade
  • airing concerns/comments/criticisms about the course
  • posting more than a few lines of source code from an attempt at a homework problem
  • posting the solution to a homework problem or a link to a website containing the solution
  • in general, anything unrelated to the course material and student learning

Therefore, you are expected to use the Piazza forum for all non-personal, course-related communication. Questions about what a homework problem is asking, technical problems that need troubleshooting, or other questions that might be of interest to other students must be posted to Piazza and not emailed to the instructor or a TA. Piazza is a luxury, and if used inappropriately it will be closed/removed for you. We will not tolerate cyber-bullying. Anonymous posting is turned off, so we can see who you are. Improper conduct will be reported to the Dean of Students Office.


Email Etiquette

When emailing your instructor about the course, use the following guidelines to ensure a timely response:

  • use your official @stonybrook.edu email account (we cannot respond to an other email due to FERPA regulations)
  • use a descriptive subject line that includes "CSE595" and a brief note on the topic
  • begin with a proper greeting, such as "Hi Prof. Fodor"
  • briefly explain your question or concern or request including the course (we are teaching several courses)
  • end with a proper closing that includes your full name, Net ID and SBU ID number

Disability Support Services (DSS) Statement:

If you have a physical, psychological, medical or learning disability that may impact your course work, please contact Disability Support Services, ECC(Educational Communications Center) Building, Room 128, (631)632-6748. They will determine with you what accommodations, if any, are necessary and appropriate. All information and documentation is confidential.
Students who require assistance during emergency evacuation are encouraged to discuss their needs with their professors and Disability Support Services. For procedures and information go to the following website: http://www.stonybrook.edu/ehs/fire/disabilities

Academic Integrity Statement:

Each student must pursue his or her academic goals honestly and be personally accountable for all submitted work. Representing another person's work as your own is always wrong. Faculty is required to report any suspected instances of academic dishonesty to the Academic Judiciary. Faculty in the Health Sciences Center (School of Health Technology & Management, Nursing, Social Welfare, Dental Medicine) and School of Medicine are required to follow their school-specific procedures. For more comprehensive information on academic integrity, including categories of academic dishonesty please refer to the academic judiciary website at http://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/academic_integrity/index.html

Critical Incident Management Statement:

Stony Brook University expects students to respect the rights, privileges, and property of other people. Faculty are required to report to the Office of University Community Standards any disruptive behavior that interrupts their ability to teach, compromises the safety of the learning environment, or inhibits students' ability to learn. Faculty in the HSC Schools and the School of Medicine are required to follow their school-specific procedures. Further information about most academic matters can be found in the Undergraduate Bulletin, the Undergraduate Class Schedule, and the Faculty-Employee Handbook.

Page maintained by Paul Fodor