Welcome to CS 4960, Seminar in Computer Science
Course Description:
Presentation and discussion of
selected topics in computer science from current literature.
Course Objectives:
- To explore aspects of computer science beyond what you have
encountered in your previous course work,
- To benefit from similar research done by your fellow students,
and
- To present an important body of work in both written and oral
form.
Announcements and Upcoming Events
9/4/08
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Welcome to CS 4960!
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ACM
Digital Library
http://library.csustan.edu/databases/
Follow link above and scroll down to ACM Digital Library
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9/29/09
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Wednesday
and Thursday Office
Hours this week are cancelled due to RSCA Week - please contact me for
an appointment if you need to see me.
Come see the posters at the event center on Wednesday and Thursday! |
Basic Information
Textbook: None.
Instructor: Dr. Melanie Martin
Office: Demergasso-Bava
Hall 276
Email: mmartin@cs.csustan.edu
Office Phone:
(209) 667-3787
Web
Page:
www.cs.csustan.edu/~mmartin
Office Hours:
Monday
12:15 – 1:00 PM and 4:35 – 5:35 PM
Wednesday
4:35 – 5:35 PM
Thursday
6:00 – 6:30 PM
Friday
12:15 – 1:00 PM
and by appointment.
Best way to contact Dr. Martin:
Email mmartin@cs.csustan.edu Please put "CS4960" in the subject
line of the email.
Prerequisite: Senior
standing and consent of the instructor. (This course is for senior
Computer Science majors.)
Warning: I reserve the right to make changes to the syllabus
at any
time during the term by announcing them in class and on my web page.
Course Email list: There is
an email list set up for this course. Please join it at your earliest
convenience, since class announcements and discussion may take place on
the list.
To sign up, go to: http://majord.csustan.edu
Enter your email address and cs4960-1 as the name of the list.
Grading and Policies
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
- Accept a presentation date assigned by the instructor at the
beginning of the semester.
- Choose a computer science topic to research and present to an
audience. The audience will include, but not be limited to, the other
members of the class.
- The topic must have significant scholarly, as
opposed to merely technological, content.
- The research must draw on multiple sources, and
embody concepts that may be expected to endure beyond any particular
current technology.
- Propose the topic to the instructor (e-mail). The proposal must
specify multiple reliable sources (at least two) from which you intend
to draw. Include full citations in bibliograpic form: for details about
the required form for citations see "Your List of References"
and "When You Make Direct Use of a Source" below. Your proposal
must also describe the nature of the scholarly content you
will include in your presentation.
- To pass the course, you must turn in a satisfactory
proposal. You must get the instructor's formal approval of the
proposal by working out an agreement with the instructor. Your
presentation must correspond to the agreed-upon proposal.
- Create a balanced and unbiased written report on your topic.
Base it on a variety of solid sources, including the ones you listed in
your approved proposal. Synthesize and summarize the knowledge you
gained from the research. Infuse the exposition of the report with
freshness and originality. The report must tell what you
learned about the subject matter - what you think, feel, and wonder
about it. What interesting questions did your research answer? What
interesting questions remain unanswered?
- Turn in your written report one week in advance of your
presentation date. Give a copy to the instructor and a copy to each
member of the class so that all members can review the information
before the talk. Reports must have wide margins, be double
spaced, and use a font of size 12 or greater. Your report must inlude a reference page citing
your sources, at least two of which must be books or peer-reviewed
journal articles. More information on proper
citation of sources.
- On your assigned date deliver a one-hour oral presentation of
the content of your written report. (Seminar presentations will be
publicly announced and will be open to visitors who may wish to
attend.)
- Attend all the presentations of the other members of the class,
and react to them by asking questions and by writing a short critique
which will be collected and given to the presenter.
GRADING:
Assuming you fulfill all the requirements listed above, I will base
your grade
on three components:
- your grade on your written report,
- your grade on your oral presentation, and
- your participation grade.
Each of the components above will get equal weight.
I'll grade your paper and oral presentation based on the thoroughness
and
depth with which you address your topic as well as the clarity,
accuracy and
style of your presentation. You'll get a grade between 0 and 100 for
each.
You'll get one participation credit for each time you attend a
presentation
and turn in an acceptable critique sheet. I'll compute your number of
satisfactory critiques as a percentage of the number of possible
critiques,
and this percentage will be your participation grade.
You will receive credit (a grade of "CR") for the course if
- you receive a a score of 60 or above in each of the three
components, and
- your average over the three components is 70% or above.
Otherwise you will receive no credit ("NC").
(The above "course requirements" and "grading" are borrowed liberally
from Dr. John Sarraille's CS
4960 course description, with permission.)
Academic Honesty: The work you do for this course will be
your own,
unless otherwise specified.
You are not to submit other people's
work and represent it as your own. I consider academic
honesty to be at the core of the University's activities in education
and
research. Academic honesty is expected at all times in this course.
Cell Phone Policy: During class time, your cell phone is to be
turned
off and out of sight. Any use of a cell phone during class will result
in confiscation
of the phone until that day's class has ended or your removal from the
class
for that day. If you attempt to use your cell phone or leave it on
during an
exam, you will be considered to have finished your test, and I will
collect
your exam at that time. Exceptions may be made only if you
discuss your
situation with me prior to the start of that day's class, in this case,
your cell
phone must be set to vibrate/silence.
Important dates:
(See Schedule of
Courses or
Academic Calendar)
Last day to add a
class:
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Sept 17;
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Last day to drop a
class: |
Oct 1;
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Last day to change grade options
(CR/NC):
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Nov. 22; |
No classes:
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Oct 13, Nov 11, Nov 27, Nov 28, Dec 10.
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