Over the course of the semester, you will develop an in-depth project. The project is an opportunity for you to apply the analysis framework and tools from class to a problem of your choosing.

Goal

The goal of the project is for you to extend your understanding of communication theory beyond the specific examples and frameworks we use in class. This is a chance for you to demonstrate how you can apply in-class analysis tools to outside problems, discuss the challenges of using analysis tools in your specific problem context, and become an expert on a topic of your choice.

Motivation

The project is a big undertaking. I am asking you to extend yourself beyond the CS91 classroom and develop an idea in the liberal arts tradition: to connect subjects and build insights from the relationships between many disparate disciplines and concepts. This is more than just searching for academic papers as resources; I encourage you to brainstorm a variety of resources for information that will be useful and interesting for your project.

These skills are useful beyond the classroom! Making connections, looking up resources in different disciplines, and drawing on your own expertise are exactly the same skills that grad schools and employers will ask you to do. A project like this one can be used in a portfolio, mentioned on a resumé, explained in a cover letter, or discussed in an interview to highlight the skills you bring to a job, internship, or research opportunity.

Checkpoints

There will be five checkpoints throughout the semester. The checkpoints are an opportunity for feedback, to refine your ideas, and to keep your project on-track.

  1. (October 10) Preliminary topic proposals

  2. (October 31) Final topic proposal

  3. (November 14) Outline

  4. (December 3) Written paper due

  5. (December 8) Presentations

Checkpoint guidelines

Preliminary topic proposals

You will brainstorm three potential project topics. For each topic, you should write a brief summary description of the topic, accompanied by a communication-related question about that topic.

For example,

In psychology, the concept of an in-group/out-group is an idea where members of a group can identify and preferentially interact with each other. I’d like to study the question of how in-group members use specific clothing to send a message (e.g., "I’m in the group") to other in-group members, while also simultaneously sending different messages (e.g., "stay away") to out-group members. Can one message send two different meanings to two different observers?

Many people communicate despite having no shared language. But how is communication possible across language barriers? What are some methods of communicating when you have no shared language? What sort of misunderstandings happen, and how can they be corrected?

Final topic proposal

You will pick a single topic as the focus of your project. This can be one of your preliminary proposals, or a different proposal entirely. The final topic proposal should include at least a one-paragraph description of your topic, several questions for analysis, and a brief list brainstorming source material. (Where will you get information about the context in which your problem arises? Will you find it in books, in direct observation, by interviewing people on-campus, by looking in articles, by writing and running a code experiment, or something else entirely?)

Outline

This checkpoint is to touch base on the progress and development of your project. Depending on your particular topic, an "outline" might look different. For example, it might be a list outlining each section of your paper with a topic heading for each problem, some preliminary analysis, a draft of how you will describe and approach the particulars of communication in your chosen setting. By the time you reach this checkpoint, you should have identified many of the sources you will cite in your final paper, and have a plan for when/where you will find the rest.

Written paper

This will be a finished product. The paper should be a complete and self-contained, readable summary of your investigations. There is no specific length or word count requirement, but see the evaluation ranks below. If you wrote code, conducted interviews, or developed some other artifact while working on your project, you should include it as an appendix to your paper.

Presentation

This will be a finished product. You will deliver a 20 minute presentation on your project to the class. Because of the time limit, your presentation will not be as detailed as your written paper, but you should be able to give an overview of your topic and analysis, and answer questions.

Evaluation

Projects will be evaluated based on meeting the following criteria:

A "satisfactory" project will

  • choose a communication problem not discussed in class

  • explain how to frame it as an information/coding theory problem

  • present a simple solution and analyze it completely (using terms we’ve used this semester in CS91t, for example: correctness, decodability, optimality, entropy, expected word length, errors, …​)

  • explain how/whether this is a good abstract model for the real-world application

  • turn in checkpoints on-time

  • write a stand-alone paper which fully describes and explains the problem, its background, and your original analysis

  • include appropriate citations (in the written paper) for explanatory/historical/academic material that supports the description and characterization of the problem

  • include code, interviews, or other relevant original project supporting information (if any) in an appendix to the written paper

  • provide a coherent 20 minute presentation, including answering questions

A "good" project will

  • meet the expectations for a "satisfactory" project

  • present an explanation and motivation for the proposed project idea in a broader context

  • discuss specific details of the context that add challenges to representing it as a coding problem

  • present at least one additional analysis of a more sophisticated code model of the problem incorporating details beyond the simple version

  • explore how solutions/analysis from the original problem context can (or cannot!) be explained in terms of coding theory

  • draw some broader conclusions from how coding theory and your problem give insight into each other

  • written paper and presentation both meet a high standard for presentation (spelling, readability, flow)

An "excellent" project will

  • meet the expectations for a "good" project

  • use resources in a creative and interesting way to expand/improve the proposed idea

  • present a third (or more!) version of a coding theory model and analysis, using additional details and specifics of the original problem context

  • written paper and presentation are thorough, clear, and compelling (sense of curiosity and wonder are a bonus!)

An "unsatisfactory" project is any project not meeting the criteria for any other category.

Example topic ideas

  • international relations --- how do countries send signals to each other about international relations issues? Do newspaper headlines carry meaningful signals of international intent?

  • art critique --- how art students in class develop and communicate messages through art critique

  • literature and film awards --- are books/movies sending the same message to audiences/critics? do they target different audiences differently?

  • advertising --- how do advertising messages influence behavior? how are they received/distorted/reinterpreted? how do advertisers adjust their message scheme over time?

  • protest --- who is sending a message by political protest? who is receiving it?

  • economics and behavior --- there is a huge wealth of questions here about signals and behavior

  • campus clubs --- since students join and leave every year, how do campus clubs transfer institutional knowledge over many years?

I encourage you to brainstorm examples from another class/club/hobby/area of your personal expertise or curiosity!

Resources

You should look for high-quality sources of reliable information, and cite them appropriately. It is not appropriate to use AI for research or writing support (see the course academic integrity policy for details). Good sources include:

F. A. Q.

  1. Can I study X?

    • Before October 10: sure, write up your idea for X briefly and include it as one of your proposals! I will give you feedback about X and let you know if it seems like a reasonable project idea. You don’t have to know everything about X before you start your project; some of the project should be discovery and learning.

    • Before October 31: sure, write up your idea for X in some detail and make it be your proposal. I will give you feedback to let you know if it is reasonable, and what things you might need to change/expand/consider to make it a suitable idea.

    • After October 31: if you are planning a sudden change of topic, be aware that you have limited time to develop your entire project. You should certainly ask for feedback, but you might not have enough time to develop an entirely new idea that is different from anything you proposed earlier.

  2. How can I come up with a good idea?
    You can think about interesting communication-related questions from another class, a hobby, a non-academic interest, or anything else. In order to be a "good" idea it should be interesting to you first, and then you can figure out if it has enough depth to be an entire project.

  3. I don’t know what to do and feel stuck!
    Please come talk to me! I can help you get unstuck and figure out some good next steps.

  4. I’m worried my project will miss some of the requirements for my desired evaluation level, what should I do?
    Take advantage of the checkpoints to get feedback. Come talk to me early and often. It’s totally fine with me if you say "I want to make sure I am achieving [bullet point requirement], can you help me with that?" You can also visit the Writing Center to get general writing help, and have another person look over your project and help you. The Writing Center can also help you plan and practice your presentation.

  5. I have come up with a coding theory model for my project. How can I tell if it is formal and rigorous enough?
    You should look over your notes from CS91T for the semester and see if you have used the tools from our class. We are developing a substantial set of analysis and construction tools, so you should try to use them in your project! You might find that they are useful (or not), depending on the situation where you are trying to apply them.
    And of course you can always ask me. Your project has a lot of checkpoints for a reason! I want to give feedback and help you improve and refine your ideas as you develop your project. You do not need to come up with a perfectly-executed project out of the blue.

Back to main course page