Course Content: Overview
Unlike a "traditional" CS class, the work load will be focused on reading, non-programming assignments, and analysis instead of programming. The workload in this course consists of five components: reading, participating in class discussion, completing assignments or “investigations” and one final exam.
Each piece of work in this class is relatively small, but you must take care to manage your time as the different pieces of work will be carried out simultaneously.
Reading
Readings will be taken from the two required texts as well as from recent literature. It is essential that you do the required reading for each class and come to class prepared to discuss it.
In-Class Participation
You should come to class prepared to discuss the readings that have been assigned for that day. You will be expected to actively participate in the discussion, contributing thoughtful and original comments.
Investigations
Finally, there will be 5 short assignments, that I will call “investigations”, that will ask you to experiment with or think more critically about the topics covered in each section of the course.
Exam
There will be one final exam in this course. It will be a take-home exam, due at the course's scheduled exam time (non-seniors) or at the end of the senior exam period (seniors).Expected Time Commitment
My expectation of the hours you will spend on this class is the following:
- Reading: 2-3 hours/week
- Investigations/other assignments: 4-6 hours/week (more in the beginning of the class, less once we start reading research papers)
If you find you are spending significantly more time than this, please let me know!