The goal of this course is to become familiar with some of the great ideas which have arisen from the science of computation, including (but not limited to):
Some things we will study and do during class:
When you finish the course, you will be able to:
In a nutshell, here's what you'll need to do to be successful in this course:
There is one required textbook for this course:
YOU WILL NEED ACCESS TO THIS BOOK FOR THE CLASS!
The book is available from the LMU Bookstore. It is also available at many other fine retail outlets, both online and brick-and-mortar. It appears the LMU library does not have a copy, but it is available from several other libraries through LINK+. If you are not buying the book from the bookstore, please pay attention to the edition information. We are using the eleventh edition.
The book provides a large amount of information, which presents a very complete introduction to many of the core concepts of computer science. Although we won't be reading the entire book for this class, we will be using the book as a primary resource. There will be assigned readings from the text, and the homework problems will also be assigned from this book.
There is also a large number of other resources which can be used to "mine the gold" for related information about computer science. The topic is a very broad field, touching almost every aspect of modern life. Any google search on "computer science" will turn up at least ten millions links. Many of these will be shared during class, and you will be required to find some information about specific topics on your own. You may even be asked to use the new Hannon library so be prepared!
We will NOT be reading the book in the order of the chapters, so take note. Readings will be done in the following order and will be discussed on the dates indicated.
BTW, I normally present dates as "yyyy-mm-dd" so "2012-02-14" corresponds to Valentines' Day and "2012-08-28" is the first day of class. I habitually also use the 24-hour clock, so 14:00 is 2:00 PM. I use these as a matter of course, so if you get confused, please ask for clarification. Lots of computer scientists do this.
Here's the reading list:
There will be several written assignments from the text and possibly from other sources, at the rate of about one per week. Normally, textbook assignments are to be handed in at the start of class on the due date. Deviation from this process requires prior consent of the instructor. "I left my homework at home" is not a valid reason for late work. This is college, and you can be responsible for remembering what you need to remember. Every effort is made to ensure assignments, required deliverables, and due dates are prominently posted on these pages; it is your responsibility to make sure you know what is due and when it is due.
You may certainly turn assignments in late; I will happily accept them, but they will be reduced in grade by one letter for each day they are late. "Day" means "day", not "workday" or "class day"; an "A+" homework due on Thursday which is not turned in until the following Tuesday will get a failing grade, unless prior arrangements are made with the instructor due to illness or some major schedule conflict.
All assignments must be printed on a printer. All assignments must use proper American English spelling and grammar. Failure to do so will cost you a letter grade, so get a spell-checker and a grammar checker, or find a friend to proofread your work before it is submitted.
Other than these simple rules, there are no requirements for formatting, fonts, colors, diagrams, or anything else with respect to your weekly homework assignments. Feel free to experiment with these things or not, to your heart's content.
There will be a mid-term exam, scheduled for Tuesday 2012-10-09.
There will be a final exam, which will be scheduled per the university's official exam schedule. At this writing, the final is scheduled for 08:00 on Thursday of finals week. It would be a good idea to double-check this date and time as the semester end approaches. This schedule is available here.
There will be a term paper. This paper will be due at the end of the semester, at the beginning of the class period for the final exam. The topic should be picked from one of the set of questions which I've extracted from the "Social Issues" questions in the book. These questions are listed on the paper questions page for your convenience. Alternatively, in a brazen attempt to keep your interest, you may select a topic of your own about which you would rather write; in this case, though, I'd appreciate it if you'd let me know what your topic is so we can work together to make sure it is relevant.
The paper has the following constraints:
Lest you think these are capricious settings, the intent is to produce a paper which I can read easily and which will give you the space to expound on your ideas and back them up with some citations. The intent of the on-line reference limitation is to get you to use the library or some other resource, so you don't just look everything up on Wikipedia. Nothing against Wikipedia, I use it all the time for social stuff, but it isn't really a valid academic resource. What I'd encourage instead is to use the fine resources that we have available to us through the various journal databases. If you need help to get this going, let me know and I'll walk you through it. This kind of academic research is really a good thing to know, even after you graduate, so learning it now can help you later!
A common question I get asked is "If I am using the library online facility to get a reference, is that an online resource?" The answer is, no. If you use the library to find an article, and the article is in an academic or peer-reviewed journal (like the "Proceedings of the ACM" for example) you are actually using a printable resource. (You can download the full text of the article just as if you were reading the actual journal; sometimes you can even go to the library and find the hardcopy in the shelves.) What I mean by "one online resource" is a reference that you would cite in your bibliography as "from http://whatever.whatever.com, accessed 2012-09-32". Only one of those will be allowed. I hope that makes it clear.
You will need access to a computer of some variety. It doesn't matter whether it is a Windows, Mac, Linux, or other machine, as long as it has a browser and some sort of text-only editing facility. (Don't worry if you don't know what that is, it will be explained on the first day of class.) You will also need access to the internet.
If you don't have a computer available, or if you just don't want to carry it around, there are plenty of computers of all types in the Keck Lab, Doolan 112. You will need an account, which may be obtained for free from the Keck Lab Manager, Masao, by simply filling out a form. All of the Keck Lab computers have internet access, text editors, and browsers. They also have word processors and are connected to both B&W and color laser printers.
Although attendance is not mandatory, it is in your own interest to attend every class. Much of the material will be discussed in class, so counting on the book for all information which appears on tests will not provide you with complete information.
Obviously, if you skip too many classes, you will fail; this is a simple and self-fulfilling prophecy.
The class participation rubric appears with the grading stuff in the tables below.
There will be no extra credit given in this course.
Grades for the course are assigned according to the weighting factors shown in the tables below.
Final letter grades will be assigned based on the following scale:
| Percent | Letter | Rating and Achievement |
|---|---|---|
| 91 - 100% | A / A- | Professional work; outstanding |
| 81 - 90% | B+ / B / B- | Entry level work; above average, shows extra effort and interest |
| 71 - 80% | C+ / C / C- | Satisfactory work; expected with reasonable effort |
| 61 - 70% | D | Substandard work; minimal effort shown |
| 60 or less | F | Thank you for playing; see you next semester |
| Evaluation Item | Weight |
|---|---|
| Homework (total) | 25% |
| Midterm Exam | 30% |
| Final Exam | 35% |
| Class Participation | 10% |
| Class Participation Criteria | Value |
|---|---|
| Absent without prior notification/agreement of professor | 0 |
| Present, not disruptive. Tries to respond when called on but does not offer much. | 1-2 |
| Demonstrates adequate preparation. Knows basic reading facts, but does not show evidence of trying to interpret or analyze them; demonstrates sporadic class involvement. | 3 |
| Demonstrates good preparation. Knows reading facts well, has thought through implications of them; offers interpretations of material (more than just facts) to class. | 4 |
| Demonstrates excellent preparation to readings and other material. Offers analysis, synthesis, and evaluation; puts together pieces of the discussion to develop new approaches that take the class further. | 5 |
An incomplete will be granted only when the student requesting the incomplete has completed at least 80% of the coursework, and has at least a B average in the course work completed.
All work is evaluated for both technical merit and quality of written and/or oral presentation.
Find yourself a good spelling and grammar checker, or a trusted human editor, if you are having any
difficulty with the rules of standard English language usage. Another excellent resource is the
Academic Resource Center,
located on the south side of Daum Hall. The center takes appointments, and also allows
drop-in consultation sessions, and they have a number of good benefits. Call (310) 338-2847
to schedule an appointment. (For those that don't know, Daum Hall is the building where the
LMU Security and Parking office used to be. ARC is on the secon floor.)
FAIR WARNING!!! FAIR WARNING!!! DANGER WILL ROBINSON!!! FAIR WARNING!!! FAIR WARNING!!!
In this class, documentation which is not of professional quality is no
longer acceptable. Spelling, grammar, and internal document consistency
all count and will cost you big-time if not correct! I will not hesitate to knock
off a full letter grade on an otherwise perfectly correct assignment or deliverable if there are
egregious and/or numerous spelling/grammar errors. This includes errors such as not having page
numbers in the document sections or on the Table of Contents page.
In addition, coding style will play a large part in determining the grade on the code for the
project. It is inherent on the student to properly structure, comment, and indent, to select
proper names for variables, and to not "hard-code" values.
I have put together a page of common errors which should help.
FAIR WARNING!!! FAIR WARNING!!! DANGER WILL ROBINSON!!! FAIR WARNING!!! FAIR WARNING!!!
Academic dishonesty will be treated as an extremely serious matter, with serious consequences that can range from receiving no credit for assignments/tests to expulsion. It is never permissible to turn in any work that has been copied from another student or copied from a source (including the Internet) without properly acknowledging the source. It is your responsibility to make sure that your work meets the standard of academic honesty set forth in the "LMU Honor Code and Process" which appears in the LMU Bulletin 2012-2013 (see http://www.lmu.edu/about/services/registrar/Bulletin/Bulletins_in_PDF_Format.htm.)
Cheating on assignments, plagiarism, falsification of data, and other similar or related violations of LMU standards of honesty and integrity ARE NOT TOLERATED. Any student or students who commit such offences will receive a failing grade for that assignment, possibly a failing grade for the course, and probably further disciplinary action. It is acceptable to use code from textbooks, friends, coworkers, or other sources, as long as the source of the code is cited/acknowledged in all reports and source file headers.
This does not mean that collaboration is discouraged; in fact, the "pair programming" paradigm is encouraged. However, this does mean that exact duplicates of reviews and write-ups turned in by more than one student as individual work, or uncited copying from the Internet or any other source, will not be allowed. Such a situation will be dealt with in the manner outlined above. In short, if you are responsible for your own work, do your own work.
Repeat: failure to follow this simple guideline will result in a failing grade on that assignment, likely failing grade in the course, and probable further disciplinary action.
Students with special needs as addressed by the Americans with Disabilities Act who need reasonable modifications, special assistance, or accommodations in this course should promptly direct their request to the Disability Support Services Office. Any student who currently has a documented disability (physical, learning, or psychological) needing academic accommodations should contact the Disability Services Office (Daum Hall Room 224, 310-338-4535) as early in the semester as possible. All discussions will remain confidential. Please visit http://www.lmu.edu/dss for additional information.
As an LMU Lion, by the Lion's code, you are pledged to join the discourse of the academy with honesty of voice and integrity of scholarship and to show respect for staff, professors, and other students.
For more information on this or any other conduct issues, please refer to the Student Codes and Policies page on the Student Affairs Division Home Page. The Lion's Code, Student Conduct Code, Honor Code and Process, and information on many other policies are available from that link.
Disruptive behavior which is persistent or significantly interferes with classroom activities may be subject to disciplinary action. A student may be referred to the Office of Student Judicial Affairs if their behavior constitutes a violation of the conduct code.
Without being totalitarian about it, I would prefer that you turn off your cell phone ringer during class. Cell phone ring tones and text message tones can become disruptive. If you have a laptop, I don't mind if you want to IM with your friends or surf the web during class time, but be aware that will not be accepted as a valid excuse if you are called on and don't know what we're talking about — this could be a contributing factor for a low class participation grade.
I have office hours in the morning before each class, starting at 08:15 (8:15 AM), in the normal classroom. I'm also available by appointment in the evenings, but I need at least 24 hour notice. These are expected to be "sit-down" sessions if you have questions or are having some difficulty. Also, I'll be dropping by the Keck Lab in Doolan in the evenings occasionally to answer questions, and provide whatever help I can.
I am also always available by e-mail at either of the following addresses:
I check email at both these addresses at least twice a day, usually three times a day. In addition I am frequently on line for AIM and/or gmail IM chat sessions after about 9:00 PM; my screen name is "NanoBeej" if AIM is your preferred IM client.
YOU SHOULD CHECK YOUR LION EMAIL ADDRESS OF RECORD. I will start by sending all email messages to the class to everyone's "lion.lmu.edu" email addresses. If you have specifically provided me with a preferred alternative email to use I will be happy to oblige. I create a distribution list to which I send all general communications, so it is important for me to have an email address which you will check on a regular basis.
If necessary, this syllabus and its contents are subject to revision; students are responsible for any changes or modifications distributed in class. Important note: Students will be notified of any syllabus revisions in the same manner in which the original syllabus was distributed, namely via email.