CS 117: Introduction to Computer Science, Winter 2002
Syllabus

Instructor Information

• Instructor: Dave Musicant
• Office: CMC 326
• Email: dmusican _AT_ carleton.edu
• Office phone: (507)646-4369
• Home phone: (952)882-8571 (before 10 pm, please)
• Office hours: Tuesdays, 9 AM-11 AM; Wednesdays, 2 PM-3 PM; Wednesdays, 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM

Textbook

• An Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming with Java, by C. Thomas Wu. Published by Jones and Bartlett, 2001.

Important Dates

• Exam 1: Friday, 2/1/02
• Exam 2: Monday, 3/4/02
• Final project due: Saturday, 3/16/02, 5 PM

Class Website

• http://www.mathcs.carleton.edu/faculty/dmusican/cs117w02

Your Grade

• Assignments: 45%
• Exam 1: 20%
• Exam 2: 20%
• Final Project: 15%

Working from Home

• We will be programming in Java, using the BlueJ programming environment. This will be set up for use in the Computer Science labs. You may install Java, BlueJ, and other tools that we use on your own machine. PCs running Windows or Linux, and Macs should all work. I'm glad to informally provide whatever advice I can to help you get the software running on your own machine, but home use is technically "unsupported."

Homework Policy

• Each assignment will have a specific time for which it will be due, and your electronic submissions are timestamped. A program turned in late within one day of the due time will be docked 25%. A program turned in later than one day of the due date but within two days will be docked 50%. This policy is to protect the grader, but also to encourage you to begin your work as early as possible.

Getting Help

• If you need help with a project, you can consult with other students, talk to the prefector, ask a lab assistant, or come to me. I am happy to answer your questions either in person or via email.

Collaboration, Cheating, and the Difference Between the Two

Collaborating

• Collaborating is good.
• You are encouraged to collaborate on ideas and program design.
• Programming is often a social effort, and there is much you can learn by talking out the ideas in this class with each other.
• You can by all means talk to each other, look at each others' programs to help fix problems, and share ideas.

Cheating

• Cheating is bad. DON'T DO IT!
• Any programs that you turn in should be your work.
• Even if you work with someone else and share ideas, you must still write your own program.
• If a piece of your program utilizes someone else's idea, you must make sure to give that person credit in program comments.

• Taking someone else's program changing the name of the programmer at the top, and turning it in.
• Taking someone else's program, changing the variables and comments around, and turning it in.
• Finding a similar program on the internet, putting your name at the top, and turning it in.
• Finding a similar program on the internet, changing the variables and comments around, and turning it in.