CSCI 1321 (Principles of Algorithm Design II), Fall 2005:
Syllabus

Course description

This course is the second course for computer science majors, following the guidelines established by the Association for Computing Machinery. It builds on the material of the first course, but with more emphasis on the object-oriented paradigm. This course also partially satisfies common-curriculum requirements (Understanding the World Through Science in the pre-2004 requirements, Understanding Natural Science and Technology in the current requirements).

Course goals

Course topics

Basic information

Class meeting times and location

Prerequisites

Instructor and contact information

Course materials

Textbook

Web page

Most course-related information (this syllabus, homework and reading assignments, etc.) will be made available via the Web. The course Web page is a starting point for Web-accessible course material; you can find it linked from my home page (http://www.cs.trinity.edu/~bmassing) or directly at http://www.cs.trinity.edu/~bmassing/Classes/CS1321_2005fall/.

Other references

Many other books on Java are available. However, there are also many online resources, which together with the textbook will probably be sufficient for this semester and a bit beyond.

Course requirements

Grading

Grades in this course will be determined by the results of two major exams (a midterm and a final), several in-class quizzes, several homework assignments, and class participation, weighted as follows.

Component Maximum points
Midterm exam 100
Final exam 200
Quizzes 50
Homework about 500
Class participation 50

Numeric grades will be calculated as a simple percentage, by dividing total points earned on the above components by total points possible. These numeric grades will then be converted to letter grades based on a curve, but in no case will the resulting letter grades be worse than students would receive based on the following scheme.

Numeric grade Letter grade
90 - 100 A
80 - 89 B
70 - 79 C
60 - 69 D
0 - 59 F

Exams

Exams are comprehensive but will emphasize the most recent material. They are scheduled as follows. Please plan accordingly.

Quizzes

About every other week there will be a short in-class quiz. Dates will be announced via the course Web page. They will usually cover material from recent classes and reading; the questions will be similar in format to those you are likely to see on the major exams. There will be about six quizzes over the course of the semester, and the lowest grade will be dropped.

Homework assignments

Homework (in the form of programming assignments) is a crucial part of this course; much of what you learn will likely be learned in the course of completing the programming assignments. For this course, the assignments will all be based around a single problem. Each assignment will require you to produce a solution to a specific part of the problem so that all can be used together in the end for a single application. Detailed requirements will be provided as part of each assignment; due dates will be announced via the course Web page. You are encouraged to use the department's network of Linux machines, but unless otherwise specified for individual assignments, you may use any other system that provides a suitable environment.

Attendance

Regular class attendance is strongly encouraged; class participation grades will be based largely on attendance.

E-mail

Course-related announcements will sometimes be made by sending e-mail to the Trinity e-mail addresses of all registered students. Students are strongly encouraged to read mail sent to their Trinity addresses frequently. An archive of such announcements will be provided via the course Web page.

Late and missed work

Exams can be made up only in cases of documented conflict with a university-sponsored activity, documented medical emergency, or conflict with a religious holiday. Quizzes cannot be made up, but the lowest quiz score will be dropped, so you can miss one quiz without penalty.

Unless otherwise stated for a particular assignment, homework will be accepted up to one class period late, but no more, at a penalty of 10 percent off per working day. This penalty may be waived or additional time allowed at the instructor's discretion in cases of illness or conflict with a university-sponsored activity or religious holiday.

If you have unusual circumstances (as we all sometimes do), please discuss these with the instructor as far in advance as possible.

Collaboration and academic integrity

Unless otherwise specified, all work submitted for a grade (homework assignments, quizzes, and exams) must represent the student's own individual effort. For students covered by the Academic Honor Code, unless otherwise stated all submitted work (homework, quizzes, and exams) will be considered pledged work. Discussion of homework assignments among students is encouraged, but not to the point where detailed answers are being written collectively. Graded papers and sample solutions from previous years (whether exams, quizzes, or homeworks) are off limits. Answers that are identical beyond coincidence (either to another student's work or to a sample solution from a previous year) will be considered to be in violation of Trinity's Academic Integrity Policy or Academic Honor Code, whichever applies, and will result in disciplinary action. You are responsible for the security of your work, both electronic and hard copy.



Berna Massingill
2005-10-12