| When | Where | |
|---|---|---|
| Lecture | TTh 5:30p-7:30p | Cupples II 217 |
| Lab | T 7:30p-9:30p | Lopata 400 |
| Name | Office Location | Office/Consulting Hours | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Instructor | Yan Zhou | zy@cs.wustl.edu | Jolley 535 | TBA |
| Assistant | James Ma | jinma6@hotmail.com | Lopata 408 (Graders' Office) | TBA |
It is expected that your education to this point has taught you the value of critical thinking, problem solving, and creativity. However, there is a body of core knowledge that you will be expected to have at your command in any dealing within computer science. This course aims to give you a good grasp of the core disciplines of computer science. There is a definite theoretical bent to the course, but a fair amount of computer architecture and real-world applications will be present to provide balance and perspective.
This course is fast-paced, and, as a result, can be quite unforgiving. However, we will always be on call (either in person or by e-mail) and ready to answer your questions about whatever may arise. Although the main goal is concept mastery, an ancillary concern is self-discovery and self-discipline. We hope that in taking this course, you will not just bolster your knowledge, but that you will hone your thinking about machines, algorithms, and the frontiers to which they have brought us and will bring us.
Attendance is not mandatory in lecture or lab; however, you may miss unannounced quizzes (see below). The lecture notes provided are merely outlines and are not intended to be complete, so you will be missing a lot of material if you do not come to class. Also, keep in mind that you cannot be guaranteed computer time if you miss lab.
The grades for the class will be assigned according to a "partial curve". The following absolute cutoffs are guaranteed:
If this curve fails to adequately reflect the performance of the class relative to the instructor's learning expectations, the instructor reserves the right to adjust these cutoffs in a downward direction based on the performance of the class. For example, last semester's curve was highly weighted towards the A's and B's (the class performed extremely well; almost 90% of the class received a B- or higher!). Let us worry about the grades -- you worry about the material.
Each of the major components of the class is weighted as follows:
There is NO collaboration allowed on any graded work, EXCEPT as directed by the instructor. Instances of illegal collaboration will result in loss of credit for the assignments and parties involved. As well, the instructor agrees fully with Prof. Stan Kwasny's statement on cheating:
Cheating is the willful misrepresentation of someone else's work as your own and will not be tolerated in this course. Specific examples include (but are not limited to) submitting work identical to someone else's, submitting part or all of an assignment identical to someone else's, or using unapproved sources of information during a quiz or exam (e.g., your neighbor's exam, notes, textbook, etc). This is a serious matter. Anyone found cheating will receive an F for the course and the matter will be referred to the academic discipline board in the School of Engineering. Further action may be taken in extreme cases.
There is ONE free late for your WRITTEN homework assignments. You can turn in one homework assignment at your choice late without any penalty. You have an extra week to work on it. Let the instructor know when you are using your free late. All other written work is due at the start of class on the due date for the assignment. Work must be turned in to the instructor's CS department mailbox in Bryan 509 by 5:15 pm, or to the instructor at the start of class at 5:37 pm. Any labs for which e-mail is the means of submission must arrive in the CS514 e-mail account by midnight on the day the lab is due. Work received after these deadlines is late and will not receive any credit!
The instructor may grant ad-hoc extensions on assignments in extreme circumstances; otherwise, no late work is accepted. When in doubt, contact the instructor. In the case of extended unavailability of CEC facilities, short blanket extensions may be granted; however, brief outages are part of the game and you should plan ahead to avoid victimization. No extension is granted without the instructor's express permission.
For emergency absences (such as medical emergencies involving you or your family), and all other absences accompanied by a SEAS Dean's note, you can always make up all missed work, quizzes, and exams. When such absences occur, we will work out a make-up plan individually. No make-ups will be granted for unexcused absences under any circumstances, and all missed work results in zero credit for those assignments.
If you have a conflict with any of the exams or quizzes for any reason, you must make arrangements no later than one week before the exam or quiz in conflict to take it at a different time.
If you have a documented need for special testing conditions (such as extra time), you should inform the instructor no later than the University course drop deadline so appropriate arrangements can be made. You must provide documentation justifying your request.