| Course Title: Topics in Philosophy: 'From Computation to Comprehension: Understanding Large Language Models' |
| Start Date: 01/27/2026 End Date: 05/12/2026 |
| Term: Spring Semester 2026 |
| Description: The release of ChatGPT and other Large Language Models (LLMs) has sparked conversations about what, if anything, LLMs `understand' and whether they `mean what they say'. These discussions recapitulate debates in philosophy and linguistics that go back centuries, about the nature and source of ideas in the mind, the development of language and how linguistic items represent things in the world, and whether true meaning and understanding are possible in non-human entities such as artificial intelligences. We will examine these debates and use them to better understand the linguistic capacities of LLMs and our shifting conceptions of them as tools or sources of meaning and understanding. |
| Distribution(s): III - Social Sciences , TP - Topics Course |
| Academic Level Of Course: Undergraduate | Credits:4.00 |
| Faculty | Phone | Email address |
| Laura Sizer | lsizer@mtholyoke.edu | |
| Mara Breen | mbreen@mtholyoke.edu |
| Meeting Dates | Method | Meeting days | Meeting times | Building name | Room | Frequency |
| 01/27/2026 - 05/12/2026 | Seminar | Wednesday | 01:30PM - 04:20PM | SKNR - Skinner Hall | 210 | Weekly |
| Requisite Courses | ||
| Prereq: 8 credits in Philosophy, Psychology, or Neuroscience and Behavior. | Take previously | Required |
| Comments |
| Additional Comments |
| Course Tags | ||
| PRI0001 | Used to identify primary sides of crosslisted courses for Workday conversion |
| Cross-listed Sections |
| PHIL-350MU-01 Understanding Lrg Lang.Models |
| PSYCH-349MU-01 Understanding Lrg Lang.Models |
| Course Availability | ||||
| Section status: Open | Capacity: 18 | Enrollment: 17 | Available: 1 | Waitlist: 0 |
BOOK INFORMATION
| Book List | Required | Publisher Full Price |
| To be determined. |
| Additional Book Comments |
| This is NOT the complete book list for this class. |