COSC 511 Course Requirements, Fall 2001

Weekly Readings, Reports, and Class Participation

The schedule includes the reading assignments. The readings should be completed before the class for which they are assigned.  You are encouraged to supplement these with other readings. If you find a particularly good resource, feel free to post it or the URL to the CS511-L list (see below).

Each week you will be given a set of questions to address. These will be posted on the Web site at least one week in advance and are due at the class for that week. You should be prepared to discuss all of the questions in class. In addition, you should prepare a written (typed) response to the questions of at least 600 words that covers at least 3 of the questions. This should be brought to class and turned in by the end of class. If for some reason you cannot attend class, you may submit it by e-mail as ASCII unformatted text in the body of the message. No attachments and no word processor formats. All work must be turned in on time for full credit.

Your responses will be handed back. Save these in case there is any question about whether you did an assignment.

You are expected to attend class, ask questions, and participate in discussions.  You may have one unexcused absence.  There will be a signup sheet at each class.

Term Project

You are to write a term paper of about 5,000 words on any topic related to the course. The paper can be a research paper, a business plan, or description of a hands-on computer project. You may do your project for a "customer," for example, an organization with which your are employed or working as an intern. The paper can be prepared with any word processor or in HTML format, with links to on-line references, but you must turn in a hardcopy. You may team with one or two others in order to do a project larger than any of you could do alone.

You should discuss your project with Professor Denning by October 15. This can be done in person or via e-mail. You should have a first draft or your paper completed by November 19. You should give your draft to two other students for review. In exchange, you should review the papers of two other students. Reviews should be returned to authors within a week. When you turn in your final paper, indicate who the reviewers were and whose papers you reviewed. Your final paper is due by Noon on December 7.  Bring it to Professor Denning's office (Reiss 240).

Grading

Your weekly assignments and class participation count 50% of your grade. The term paper counts the remaining 50%.

To get an A, you will need to come to every class, write exceptional responses to the questions, contribute to class discussions, and submit your work on time. Your term paper will have to be original, thoughtful, engaging, well-organized, and free of typos and spelling errors. Opinions should be supported by evidence and you should cite all sources in the text of your paper using footnotes or endnotes.

E-Mail Account and Class Distribution List

You must have an e-mail account and subscribe to the class distribution list CS511-L. This must be done immediately. To join, send a message to
listproc@listproc.georgetown.edu
with the message body:
SUBSCRIBE CS511-L your-name
After you subscribe, you can send messages to everyone in class by sending to
CS511-L@listproc.georgetown.edu
At the end of the semester, you can unsubscribe by sending a message to listproc@listproc.georgetown.edu with the message body:
UNSUBSCRIBE CS511-L
For help on listproc commands, send a message to listproc@listproc.georgetown.edu with the message body:
HELP
You are encouraged to post relevant articles you find to the list, but be sure to abide by any copyright restrictions.