Computer Science Seminar CS 4960 -- Spring

Instructors:  Dr. Ed Lamie and Dr. John Sarraille

Office Hours: Lamie -- MW 1-2:30, W 3:30-5.
                      Sarraille -- MWF 1:20-2:30

Class Schedule:  4:10 - 5:08 Th, C-122

Course Outline:

This seminar is a readings and presentations course.  Students
will read from the research or applications literature in areas
of interest to them, choosing papers with the assistance of the
course instructor or another faculty member.  The papers read
will then be summarized in a written paper, to be given to the
instructor and to all course members, and in an oral presentation
which will follow a week later.  The oral presentation will
summarize the written paper and allow the presenter to add
personal reactions to the written work, and will allow the other
students to ask questions about aspects of the paper which
interest them.  Grading will be based on the paper, presentation,
and class participation, and there will be no text for the
seminar.  The difficulty with this sort of seminar is the first
month, when there are not yet any student presentations ready.
We have acquired a series of videotapes, described in the
attached sheets, which we will use as a springboard for the
discussions.  We plan to use the tapes by Kay, Lampson or Nelson,
Rattner or Knight, and Mundy to provide a varied and stimulating
introduction and to build an environment of open discussion.  We
will also invite individual faculty to present informal talks on
their own interests.  The schedule for the semester will be
arranged during the first week of classes.  Students will sign up
for their presentation times then, and will arrange the topics
with the instructor as soon as possible.