Problems in Ontology

PHI 531 Seminar: Problems in Ontology

Up to 4 Credit Hours

Principal faculty: Barry Smith

Mondays, 4-6pm, Fall 2012, Park 141, UB North Campus

The class will consist of a mixture of:

• presentations by ontologists from UB and elsewhere;
• ontology development and planning sessions;
• teaching on specific ontology topics (for a sample see here;
• video presentations (for example from here.

We will cover a variety of topics in theoretical and applied ontology, paying special attention to applications in the areas of biology and medicine on the one hand, and defense and security on the other.

Opening session: August 27, 2012

We will begin with an overview of the course, and provide a basic introduction to ontology by answering questions such as:

What is an ontology?

How are ontologies used?

The remainder of this class will be devoted to the question: What is a musical score?

Future sessions will include:

• September 10: Presentation by Werner Ceusters (Bioinformatics/Psychiatry)
• September 17: Rosh Hashanah (no class)
• TBD Presentation by Ron Rudnicki (CUBRC) on ontology and time
• TBD Presentation by Bill Mandrick (US Army) on military ontology

Grading Requirements for this class will depend on the selected number of credit hours, but will include active class participation and completion of some written work or ontology project.

Literature

Introductory readings are provided here