Recent ProfessorsNot yet assignedRecent SemestersNo scheduled sections on recordClass SizeNot publishedCredits3PrerequisiteCompletion with a C or better in: AI 5 and; COMPSCI 5 Transfers ToNot transferableDescriptionThis course introduces students to the engineering principles and design methodologies that power Natural Language Processing (NLP) systems. Through a blend of theory, coding labs, and applied projects, students explore how computers understand, interpret, and generate human language. Topics include linguistic foundations, text processing pipelines, tokenization, embeddings, transformers, sentiment analysis, conversational AI, and ethical considerations in language technologies. Students will gain hands-on experience using modern NLP frameworks such as spaCy, Hugging Face Transformers, and OpenAI APIs to design applications for real-world use cases—ranging from chatbots and translation systems to sentiment-aware interfaces and knowledge assistants. The course emphasizes both engineering rigor and creative design, encouraging students to prototype innovative, human-centered NLP systems that address social, cultural, and accessibility needs. By the end of the course, students will understand the computational models behind language, be able to design and implement NLP solutions, and critically assess the societal impacts of these technologies. 