Perhaps you are wondering how to pick a good topic for your paper/project. It is not yet time to panic, but it is good to be thinking about it. Tonight we start on syntax and parsing, and these will provide some good possibilities.

Make a preliminary suggestion and I will try to respond so as to move you in the direction of something appropriate. Problems at the ends of chapters can sometimes be suggestive, and you may find ideas in other books, proceedings or journals or by websurfing.

The sooner you are in communication with me, the better, which is why I have put milestones with deadlines in the syllabus. You should aim to meet those deadlines and change direction later on if you need to.

Starting early may bias you toward topics early in the course. If one of the later topics intrigues you, I suggest reading its chapter now.

If questions remain, don't hesitate to ask them.