CSCI 140 Introduction to Computer Science

Time/Place

This section of the course (Fall 2008) meets Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 1:10PM to 2:00PM in Ritter Hall 121 (the Linux lab).

General Description

The first two or three courses taken by Computer Science majors have traditionally been "programming" courses in languages like C, C++, and Java, or in the more distant past, Pascal or Fortran. At SLU we believe that it is valuable to provide first-year students with a broad introduction to the entire discipline of Computer Science, which, after all, involves much much more than just software development. This is the purpose of CSCI 140.

A detailed list of topics to be covered can be found on the course schedule page; as advertised, there is a bit of everything: units on hardware, algorithms, various programming paradigms, operating systems, networking, and some theoretical topics. On the course schedule page you will also find announcements of exams, homework assignments, and other date-sensitive material.

The course prerequisite is three years of high school mathematics.

Textbook Information

The required textbook for the course is Computer Science Illuminated by Nell Dale and John Lewis. It is available from the SLU Bookstore, or from amazon.com.

Computer Accounts

At the first class meeting you will be given an account (the username is the same as your SLU email username, plus a randomly chosen password) for the server turing.slu.edu. The easiest way to log into this machine is directly from the computers in the Linux Lab where class is held. Alternatively, if you'd like to log in from somewhere else on campus, e.g. your dorm room, you can install a program on your computer called the NX Client and use that to connect to turing. The NX Client should be available from other computer labs on campus as well. Here are some instructions supplied by the Math and CS department web site.

It is a good idea to change your password to something a bit easier to remember the first time you log in. You can do this by opening a terminal and using the "passwd" command. You'll need to enter your old password first followed by your new password, and again for confirmation.

Homework and Exams

There will be homework and reading assignments every week. It is essential to keep up with the reading since there is a lot of material to cover, and only a limited amount of time we're able to spend together in class.

There will be an in-class midterm exam given Monday, October 13th which accounts for 20% of your final grade. The final exam is scheduled for Friday, December 12th from 12:00-1:50PM; it is comprehensive and is worth 30% of your final grade. Class participation and homework assignments count for 50%, and so it essential to get your homeworks done, and attendance at every class meeting is mandatory. Make-up exams will not be given. The College of Arts and Sciences has a policy concerning academic honesty with which you should be familiar.