CISC 1600: Computer Science I
CISC 1610: Computer Science I Laboratory

General information

Faculty: Dr. A. G. Werschulz

• Office: Rm 815D.
• Phone: (212) 636-6325

Office hours:

• Mondays 3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.
• Wednesdays 11:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m and 2:30 p.m.-3:00 p.m.
• Thursdays 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
• (or by appointment).

Class meetings:

• CISC 1600: Mondays and Thursdays, 10:00 a.m. to 11:15 p.m., in Room 512.
• CISC 1610 L01: Wednesdays, 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., in Room 812.
• CISC 1610 L02: Mondays, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., in Room 812.
• Note that Tuesday, February 17 is treated as a Monday in the University Calendar.

Class email list: cs1 STRUDEL dsm.fordham.edu (STRUDEL is a thinly-disguised @, to thwart the amount of spam that your instructor receives in his guise of list manager). This can be used for both announcements and discussion.

Text and Readings

• The text for this course is:
  Bjarne Stroustrup, Programming: Principles and Practice Using C++, Second Edition, Addison-Wesley, 2014.
  The author has a website for this text. It has a lot of useful material. For starters, you should consult his style guide.
• In addition, we will spend some time learning about programming on the Departmental machines, which run Linux, a free Unix-like operating system. There are numerous online resources that can help you in this regard:
  • There is an online introduction on using the Linux computer systems at Lincoln Center that belong to the Computer and Information Sciences Department. Please take some time to read this. It has the answers to a lot of questions.
  • Many websites have material on Unix and Linux. I have collected a sample of same. You should especially look at the material for beginners.
  • We strongly encourage you to use the emacs editor for creating programs. Your instructor thinks that it's the best programmer's editor, with many handy features (but not so many as to overwhelm you).

Grading

You will receive the same grade for both components of the course (CISC 1600 and CISC 1610). This grade will be determined as follows:

• programming assignments: 40%, each graded according to the following standards:
  
  

  Documentation (pseudocode and comments)	20%
  Correctness of algorithm	20%
  Correctness of program	20%
  Overall style of the program.	20%
  Quality of output	20%

  
  I have written a guide to getting better grades on programming assignments. Ignore its advice at your peril! (You may find that under the "style" rubric, I have a few minor disagreements with Prof. Stroustrup. In this class, you should follow my guidelines when they clash with his.)
• one midterm exam: 25%
• one final exam: 25%
• class attendance: 10%

Protocol

• Examinations: The midterm exam will be on Monday, March 2, during the usual class period for CISC 1600. The final exam will be on Thursday, May 7, from 9:30 to 11:30, as per the official FCLC final exam schedule.
• Homeworks: Programming assignments (as announced in class). I hope to assign one program for each chapter we cover in class. In addition to handing out the assignments in class, I will also post them on the class website. The earlier programs (being simple) will be due at the next class session; the due dates for the later ones will depend on their complexity.
• Attendance: Attendance for this course is mandatory. You will be granted up to four absences from the class lectures. You must inform be by email in advance for a non-emergency absence.
• Electronica: You may not use laptop computers, tablets, or mobile phones during the lecture or the lab.

Additional Remarks

• This class consists of two components:
  • CISC 1600 (Computer Science I) will be a lecture course, which will be an introduction to computer programming using the C++ language.
  • CISC 1610 (Computer Science I Lab) will be a laboratory class, in which you will learn how to use our Departmental computer systems, as well as work on specific programming assignments; as conditions warrant, we may actually cover lecture material in CISC 1600.
  These courses are corequisite to each other; if you are registered for either of these courses, you must be registered for both of them. Since these courses are so tightly intertwined, you will receive the same grade in both courses.
• Check out the directory /u/sobolev/agw/class/cs1/share on any of the machines in the dsm.fordham.edu domain (such as erdos or the lab machines). This directory contains material that you might find useful, such as support files for programming assignments.
• You might find it useful to look at the source code of the examples found in the text.
• Please read the following documents:
  • Mission statement (what this course is about)
  • An introduction to the Departmental Linux systems.
  • Unix and Linux links.
  • Academic integrity statement
  • Makeup exam policy
  • Course syllabus (most of the information contained therein is on this website).
• This is a "convenience" link for accessing the overhead slides for this course. Given that the slides have white print on a dark background, you probably don't want to print them. So I've put together handout (black on white) versions of these slides, which are printable.

If you believe that you have a disabling condition that may interfere with your ability to participate in the activities, coursework, or assessment of the object of this course, you may be entitled to accommodations. If so, please schedule an appointment to speak with me immediately or you may go to the Office of Disability Services (x6282). Under the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Vocational Rehabilitation Act of 1973, all students, with or without disabilities, are entitled to equal access to the programs and activities of Fordham University.