CSCI 120

Introduction to Computing

Contents:
[Instructor][ Office Hours][ Teaching Assistants][ Text][ Lecture Times][ Lab Times][ Grading][ Academic Honesty]
[ Topics] [ Labs][ Assignments][ Links]

Instructor

Frederic Green, Mathematics/Computer Science, BP 334, ext. 7410. E-mail: fgreen at black dot clarku dot edu

Office Hours

Tuesdays and Thursdays 1 - 3pm, or by appointment.

Teaching Assistants

Katherine Yap (kyap at clarku dot edu), Mondays 4pm -- 6pm and Wednesdays 4pm -- 5pm in BP310, and by appointment

Daniel Menard (dmenard at clarku dot edu), Mondays 8pm -- 9pm and Wednesdays 8pm -- 10pm in BP310, and by appointment

Texts

Invitation to Computer Science, 3rd Edition (Java Version), by G. Michael Schneider and Judith L. Gersting, and Java Software Solutions -- Foundations of Program Design, Fifth Edition, by John Lewis and William Loftus (Addison-Wesley).

Lecture Times

Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9 - 10:15am in BP326. Note: This section of CSCI120 is an enriched, faster-paced course and is not the same as the 10:25am section. Students are expected to have some background in programming and/or invest considerably more work in this course.

Lab Times

Thursdays 10:25-11:40, in BP310.
Labs will complement lectures via "hands on" demonstrations and programming practice.

Course Work and Grading Policies

There will be a few in-class quizzes, one midterm and one final (to be held during finals week), and various assignments including 6 - 7 graded programs. Labs also entail graded exercises. They are weighted as follows: Unless otherwise stated, homework assignments will be due by the beginning of the class period for which it is due. Homework turned in up to 24 hours late will be marked down 10%, 24-48 hours late, 25%. No homework will be accepted more than 48 hours late.

On Academic Honesty

You can learn a great deal from each other, and we encourage you to study and work together in all aspects of the course, including programs, provided they are not directly related to a graded assignment. Sometimes, working together (even on programs unrelated to an assignment) accounts for some stylistic or even technical similarities in assignments handed in by students. Also, some of the assignments will be built on code that we already give you, or hints given to you in lectures and labs. Again, this leads to certain types of similarities.

However, plagiarism is not allowed. All coding you hand in to be graded must be done by you and you alone. Copying other students' programs, whole or in part (and possibly altering them to look "different"), is an excellent way to get nothing out of this course, and is contrary to the University's principle of academic honesty. For more information on the academic honesty policy at Clark see the web page on Academic Integrity: Clark University Academic Integrity Policy. All instances of plagiarism are, following University policy, reported directly to the Dean of Academic Advising.

Syllabus

This course will cover Chapters 1--3, and miscellaneous topics from later chapters (to be announced) in Schneider and Gersting. In Lewis and Loftus it will cover chapters 1--7, and parts of 8, 9, and 11. More detailed information on course schedule will be posted on this web page as the semester progresses.

Topics are indicated with chapters or sections in brackets [] ("SG" is Schneider and Gersting, "LL" is Lewis and Loftus), along with approximate dates of coverage. This is tentative and subject to change!

Labs

Assignments

Miscellaneous Links