Spring 2025 | Mondays 5:00 PM - 8:20 PM | Location: KAP 160
Welcome to TAC 459 - Generative AI and Natural Language Processing (NLP) at the University of Southern California. This course is designed to immerse students in the rapidly evolving fields of Generative AI and NLP, providing hands-on experience with cutting-edge Machine Learning Techniques & LLMs. Throughout the semester, you'll explore how generative models are transforming industries, from text generation to conversational agents. Students will gain hands-on experience with tools such as Hugging Face, TensorFlow, and PyTorch, while learning about applications in conversational agents, text summarization, and machine translation. By the end, students will be prepared to tackle real-world challenges in AI-driven fields.
| Instructor/Course Assistant | Mode | Day | Time Slot | Location | Meeting Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rajeev Singh | Online | Monday | 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM | Zoom | Meeting Link |
| Reza Jafarkhani | Online + Offline (RRB 211) | Tuesday | 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM | Zoom | Meeting Link |
| Allen Bolourchi | Online | Tuesday | 7 PM - 8 PM | Zoom | Email Professor atleast 48 hours before to Schedule(15 minutes meet) |
| Rajeev Singh | Online | Wednesday | 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM | Zoom | Meeting Link |
| Reza Jafarkhani | Online + Offline (RRB 211) | Thursday | 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM | Zoom | Meeting Link |
| Rajeev Singh | Online | Friday | 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM | Zoom | Meeting Link |
| Week | Topics | Deliverables |
|---|---|---|
| Module 1: Introduction to Text Processing, NLP, and AI | ||
| 1 |
Introduction to NLP, Generative AI, and Text Processing
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| 2 | Text Cleaning and Preprocessing
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Assignment 1 Due |
| Module 2: Fundamentals of Machine Learning for NLP | ||
| 3 | Fundamentals of Machine Learning for NLP, Metrics, and Cross-Validation
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Assignment 2 Due |
| 4 | Neural Networks and Deep Learning in NLP
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Assignment 3 Due |
| 5 | Transformer Models and Attention Mechanisms
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Assignment 4 Due |
| Module 3: NLP Techniques and Applications | ||
| 6 | Syntax, Parsing, Word Embeddings, and POS Tagging
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Assignment 5 Due |
| 7 | Semantic Analysis, Language Models, and Question Answering
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Assignment 6 Due |
| 8 | Text Classification and Machine Translation + Midterm Exam
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| Module 4: Specialized Topics and Advanced Techniques in NLP | ||
| 9 | Advanced Topics in Machine Learning and NLP
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Assignment 7 Due |
| 10 | Named Entity Recognition, Information Retrieval and Search
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Assignment 8 Due |
| 11 | Advanced Machine Translation and Summarization
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Assignment 9 Due |
| 12 | Speech Processing and Conversational AI
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Assignment 10 Due |
| Module 5: Generative AI | ||
| 13 | Generative AI, Products, Techniques, APIs, and Ethical Considerations
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Assignment 11 Due |
| 14 | Training and Fine-Tuning LLMs, Hugging Face, LangChain, and RAG
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Assignment 12 Due |
| 15 | Course Review, Future Trends, and Project Presentations + Final Exam
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Final Project Deliverables Due |