Instructor:
Constance Royden
Office: Swords 318
Extension: 2472
Email: croyden@mathcs.holycross.edu
Office Hours: TBA

Lecture times
Mon, Wed, Fri 12:00 - 12:50 p.m.

Course Web Page
If you are reading this on the web, you are already there! Otherwise, the course web page can be found by going to: http://mathcs.holycross.edu/~croyden/csci110
Lecture Notes, Labs, homeworks, solutions and announcements will be posted on this page. If you desire a hard copy of any of these, it is your responsibility to print it out.

Course description
This course is intended for students who are not planning to take further courses in Computer Science, but who would like a basic introduction to computers and programming. Students who are thinking of majoring or minoring in Computer Science or majoring in Mathematics or one of the sciences are strongly advised to take CSCI 131 instead of CSCI 110.

This course provides an overview of some fundamental concepts in Computer Science. Topics include basic programming in the computer language Pascal, the digital building blocks of computers, computer networks, infeasible and impossible calculations. This is not a computer literacy course. We will not be covering how to use specific computer applications, such as web-browsers, spreadsheets or word processors.

Professor Stephen Taylor describes this course as follows: "When you finish the course, you should be in approximately the position of an aspiring house carpenter who has finished a course in plane geometry and the use of a jackknife. That is, you'll know the basic principles, and given enough time you could in theory make the computer do anything--but a professional would want more practical knowledge and better tools."

Textbook
Computer Science Illuminated, and accompanying insert on Pascal, by Nell Dale & John Lewis, 2002.

Grading

Lab worksheets	10%
Homework and Projects	30%
Midterm exam 1	20%
Midterm exam 2	20%
Final exam	20%

Examinations
There will be two evening midterm exams and one final exam.

Midterm exams:

Wednesday, October 6, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Wednesday, November 10, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Final exam:

Tuesday, December 14, 2:30 - 5:30 p.m.

Please write these dates on your calendar now. There will be no regular lecture on the days of the midterm exams.

Late Policy
Assignments are due at the beginning of class on the assigned due date. Late assignments will be marked down 10% for each day late. That is, assignments turned in after the time they are due will be marked down 10%, assignments turned between 24 and 48 hours after the due date will be marked down 20%, and so on. The penalty will be determined when the assignment is physically transferred to the instructor or signed in by any Math/CS faculty member or the department secretary. Late work will not be accepted after the graded assignment is returned to the class.

Collaboration Policy
You are allowed to discuss strategies for solving Homework problems with other students, however any work you turn in must be your own work (i.e. you may not simply copy another student's answers and turn them in as your own). In addition you must clearly indicate the names of any students you work with on each assignment.

You may consult public literature (books, articles, etc) for information, but you must cite each source of ideas you adopt.

Please refer to the math and CS department honor code policy

Make-up Policies
When you know in advance that you will have to miss a scheduled class, it is better to make up any work before the actual class session. Arrange this with your instructor. This is particularly important for scheduled lab sessions.

There will be 2 midterms during the semester. If special circumstances (e.g. you are confined to bed in the infirmary or there is a death in your family) prevent you from taking the midterm during the scheduled time you must contact your instructor as soon as possible to discuss your situation. Any makeup exams require an official excuse from the student's Dean.

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