Department of Computer Science
CSU Stanislaus
California State University
CS4960-001:
Seminar in Computer Science
Fall 2025
Instructor: Dr. Xuejun Liang
My Office: DBH 282
Office Hours: TuTh 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. & W 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
ZOOM Meeting ID: 4438930033, Phone: (209) 667-3169, Email: xliang@csustan.edu
Class Information:
Class Days & Times: Tu 3:30 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.
Class Website: https://www.cs.csustan.edu/~xliang/Courses3/CS4960-25F
Class Canvas: Use your class Canvas account to submit homework assignments
Class Modality: Hybrid Online - Synchronous. In-person class
meetings will be on campus at the room, day, and time
listed. Online class meetings will be at the day and
time listed. Students must be available at the class times listed in the Class
Schedule and must attend in person on days indicated as such by the instructor.
Students do not have the option to choose in-person or virtual, nor opt for
asynchronous participation.
Preliminary Topic and Topic Proposal Due Days
Requirement |
Due
day |
|
Preliminary Topic |
One
paragraph |
09/08/2025 |
Topic Proposal |
One-to-three
pages |
09/15/2025 |
Presentation Schedule and
Due days of Paper, PowerPoint Slides, and Feedback
Days of Presentation |
Paper and Presentation Slide for
presenters |
Feedback for non-presenters |
First Presentations: 10/28 |
Due 10/24 |
Due 10/28 |
Second Presentations: 11/04 |
Due 10/31 |
Due 11/04 |
Third Presentations: 11/18 |
Due 11/14 |
Due 11/18 |
Fourth Presentations: 12/02 |
Due 11/82 |
Due 12/02 |
Fifth Presentations: 12/09 |
Due 12/05 |
Due 12/09 |
Catalog Description:
CS4960: Seminar
in Computer Science (1 unit).
Pre-requisites: Senior standing
and consent of instructor and either passage of (strongly recommended) CS 4100,
or co-enrollment in CS 4100. Presentation and discussion of selected
topics in computer science from current literature.
None
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.
· How to select research topic in computer science
· How to write a proposal essay/paper
· How to write a research paper
· 6 tips for giving a fabulous academic presentation
· 14 PowerPoint presentation tips to make more creative slideshows [+ templates]
· Information on citation of sources.
· Research Topic, Writing and Public Speaking Information.
· Oral Presentation Feedback Form
· Course Syllabus and Schedule
Course Requirements
·
Turn in your written
report and your presentation slides one week in advance of your presentation
date in Canvas. All students should review the presentation slides before the
talk. Reports must use a font of size 12 and have 5 to 6 pages with
single space. Your report must include 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 20-25-minute 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.)
Grading
Assuming you fulfill all the requirements listed above, I will base your grade on three components:
1.
your grade on your
written report,
2.
your grade on your
oral presentation, and
3.
your participation
grades.
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
1.
you receive a score of
60 or above in each of the three components, and
2. your average over the three components is 70% or above.
Academic Honesty
The work you do for this course will
be your own, unless otherwise specified. You are not to submit other people's
or machine'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 always expected in this course.
Students with disabilities seeking academic accommodations must first register with the Disability Resource Services (DRS) program, located in MSR 210, ph. (209) 667-3159. Students are encouraged to talk with the instructor regarding their accommodation needs after registering with DRS.
Services Director can be accessed via the link: Student Services | California State University Stanislaus (csustan.edu)