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University of Arizona, Department of Computer Science

CSc 630

Advanced Topics in Software Systems:
Ergalics, the Science of Computing
Spring 2012

Time and Place Wed/Fri 3:00-4:15pm, Gould-Simpson 919
Description This is a seminar course that asks the question, How can computer science be a science? The course first considers the philosophy and methodology science, then applies that approach to computer science. Along the way, the course also considers whether computer science is a branch of mathematics or of engineering.

The course is a combination of lectures from the instructor, assigned readings, presentations by students, short projects and papers, and an extensive semester-long project, which may involve significant programming.

Pre-requisite None
Instructor Richard T. Snodgrass
rts@cs.arizona.edu
(520) 621-6370
Gould-Simpson 711
Office Hour: Tuesday 1:30-2:30

These are walk-in office hours. Outside of these hours, please make an appointment by email.
Course Textbook A. F. Chalmers, What is this thing called Science?, third edition, Hackett Publishing Company, 1999.
Course Format As befits a research seminar, students will be expected to present papers, to understand the readings, and to perform a research project, write up the results, and present their research.

The list of reading assignments, which is comprised of excerpts from four books as well as seventeen conference and journal articles, may be found here.

In addition to regular lectures, papers from the literature will be assigned for reading. Grades for this course will be influenced by interaction in the classroom, and by your preparation and familiarity with the reading material.

All presentations shall be in PowerPoint, using a provided template.

weight item
10% Participation in class and discussions
25% In-class presentations
15% Daily assignments
50% Semester research project

Course Schedule
date event
Wed Jan 12 First class
Mon Jan 15 Martin Luther King, Jr Holiday - no class
Wed Feb 1 Last add without $250 late charge
Tu Feb 7 Last RSVP/WebReg drop (no W on transcript)
Sat Mar 10 - Sun Mar 18 Spring Recess
Wed May 2 Last class

Policies

All holidays or special events observed by organized religions will be honored for those students who show affiliation with that particular religion. Absences pre-approved by the UA Dean of Students (or Dean's designee) will be honored.

Attendance is recorded, as class participation is part of your grade. Homework is due at the start of class (i.e., by 3:05pm!!) on the due date; late homework is not accepted unless a valid excuse is given to the instructor by the day prior to the due date. Students are responsible for all material discussed in class whether in attendance or not.

Requests for regrading will be accepted only for seven days after the graded assignment has been handled out. There is a significant reading component to this course. We will cover several dozen papers. Students are expected to read and understand this material.

Assignments in this course require individual attention and effort to be of any benefit. Except for the group project, all work is expected to be that of each student alone, without consultation with others, without reference to borrowed solutions, and not the product of team efforts or collaboration with other authors. Plagiarism or the incorporation of another author's words or ideas constitutes theft of intellectual property; it will result in a grade of zero. Copying work from another student, whether currently or formerly enrolled in this course, copying from a book or paper, or copying text from a web page all constitute plagiarism. These and other provisions are governed by the Code of Academic Integrity which applies to all those in this course.

It is a violation of the Code to use another person's solutions as your own, whether those solutions are taken from a student in this course, or taken from solutions obtained from an earlier offering of this course, or from a student who took this course earlier. Students with disabilities, who may require academic adjustments or reasonable accommodations in order to participate fully in course activities or to meet course requirements, must first register with the Disability Resource Center, 1540 E 2nd St, 621-3268, email drc@w3.arizona.edu, URL or with the S.A.L.T. Center. S.A.L.T. and DRC staff will qualify students for services, and provide a letter to the instructor listing accommodations to be made. This letter should be submitted by the student directly to the instructor as soon as possible during the first week of classes. The student should meet as soon as possible with the instructor by appointment or during office hours to discuss accommodations and how course requirements and activities may impact your ability to fully participate.

Assignments in this course require individual attention and effort to be of any benefit; therefore all work is expected to be that of each student alone, without consultation with others. Verbal and informal exchange of ideas is permitted, indeed encouraged. Students are expected to follow all portions of the Code of Academic Integrity. See the Department of Computer Science Course Policy on Collaboration for more information.

University policies against threatening behavior by students will be followed.

Aspects other than the grading and absence policies are subject to change with advance notice, as the instructor deems appropriate.

Other Course Information The following resources are available for keeping current with what is happening in this course.
Acknowledgment

We acknowledge partial support from the National Science Foundation through the Science of Databases project.


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