Lab Assistant: Jon Martinez
E-mail: martinez@cs.swarthmore.edu

This course will introduce a number of fundamental ideas in computer science. Special emphasis will be placed on applications, theory of computation, artificial intelligence, and the social implications of computing. Additional topics to be covered include: the history of computers, the basic design of a digital computer, and the programming process. Students will contribute to and modify the emphasis of the course by writing and presenting projects in the last third of the semester. The course is designed for students from all disciplines and assumes no previous computing experience. Programming will not be emphasized in this course. Nonetheless, it is a part of the course as is significant computer interaction. Two and a half hours per week will be spent in combined lecture-lab and 50 minutes per week will be devoted to discussion. Students who complete CS10 will be prepared to continue with the next course in the CS sequence.

This course is a Science Primary Distribution Course. As a PDC, we will be paying explicit attention to writing, especially with regard to programs, documentation, and your final project. There will be homework exercises illustrating the concepts presented.

TEXT: The Analytical Engine by Decker and Hirshfield, (Second Edition)

GRADING:

• 10% Discussion Participation
• 15% Lab
• 20% Homework
• 10% Practical Test
• 15% Written Test
• 25% Final Project
• 5% Summaries and critiques of other's projects

• Because the lecture/labs play a crucial role in the course, any more than two missed classes will lower your final grade.

DISCUSSION SECTIONS:

Readings and/or video viewings will be assigned as a basis for each discussion section. Each student will be expected to hand in a short (one-page) reaction to the assigned material.

PROJECTS:

The final project will be completed by teams of 2 or 3. Your project may be a computer application with accompanying documentation, a research paper, or a combination of the two. In all cases the projects will be presented to the class by the team members. Projects can be on a topic of your choice and must be approved by the instructor. All students will be expected to attend all project presentations. Each student will be required to hand in a one-page summary/critique of each project (except their own).

HOMEWORK:

Homework assignments will be due at the beginning of class and will be docked 10% for each day late. All written work for discussion sessions, homework, or project papers and critiques must be written using a word processor.

Assignments which require creating or modifying hypercard stacks can be completed either individually or in pairs. If you choose to work with someone on a homework assignment, hand in one copy of the assignment with both students' names on it. Academic honesty requires acknowledging all those who contributed to an assignment. I encourage you to work in pairs, as you can often learn more from each other than you can from a professor or textbook.