Computer Science

The major and minor in computer science

are administered by the Department of Computer Science: Associate Professors Ballesteros (chair), Lerner (on leave 2013-2014);
Assistant Professors Sheldon (on leave fall
2013), St. John; Visiting Assistant Professor
Fourquet.

Contact Persons
Wendy Queiros, senior administrative
assistant
Lisa Ballesteros, chair
Computer science is an exciting field with applications across many other disciplines, including biology, chemistry, physics,
environmental science, mathematics, economics, sociology, psychology, and art. The
main role of a computer scientist is that of a
problem solver. A degree in the field signifies
formal training in computational and analytical approaches to problem solving as well as
the skills necessary to develop software to
tackle new challenges. These computational
approaches can be applied to a wide spectrum of problems, including protein folding
and flexibility, modeling and forecasting bird
migration, improving on the capabilities of
search engines to retrieve the most relevant
documents, understanding how the connectedness provided by social networks impact
the lives we lead, supporting scientists in the
management and analysis of the data they
collect, developing video games and computer animations, and more. In truth, it is
difficult to think of a scenario in which the
tools acquired in computer science do not
provide a powerful advantage.

201, Advanced Object-Oriented Programming

211, Data Structures
221, Introduction to Computer Systems
312, Algorithms
322, Operating Systems
Three additional computer science
courses (12 credits). Two of these
must be at the 300-level (8 credits).
The third may be at either the 200level or 300-level (4 credits). Independent study courses do not count
as electives.
Mathematics (4 credits):
232, Discrete Mathematics

The skills and abstract reasoning of mathematics are especially important in computer
science. It is strongly recommended that students take additional mathematics courses
(at least through Mathematics 101 and 202).
Mathematics 211, Linear Algebra, is very useful for computer graphics. Computer science
majors who elect a mathematics or statistics
minor may not count Mathematics 232 for
credit in both mathematics or statistics and
computer science.
Students may also count Philosophy 225,
Symbolic Logic as an elective because of its
strong connection to the foundations of
computer science.
Students planning to pursue an advanced degree in computer science should take additional computer science courses and include
independent research leading to a thesis in
their plans.

Requirements for the Major

Requirements for the Minor

Credits

Credits

A minimum of 40 credits

Courses

Computer science (36 credits):

101, Problem Solving and ObjectOriented Programming

A minimum of 20 credits

Courses

Computer science:
101, Problem Solving and ObjectOriented Programming

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201, Advanced Object-Oriented Programming

211, Data Structures
Two additional computer science
courses (8 credits) with one at the
300-level. The second can be at either
the 200-level or 300-level.

Please note that certain 300-level courses also

require CS 221. Students interested in a computer science minor should consult with a
member of the computer science faculty.

Getting Started
The recommended way to begin a study of
computer science is with CS 101. This course
is an introduction to the use of computers as
a problem-solving tool. Students with programming experience may consider beginning with 201. Any member of the computer
science faculty can advise students who have
questions about their course of study. CS101,
201 are offered both semesters.

Honors
To graduate with honors in computer science, a student must complete a project and
write an accompanying thesis. This is often a
full year commitment, during which the student works closely with a faculty member to
explore a topic in depth by reading research
papers, writing programs, and experimenting
with ideas. Preliminary research usually begins in the summer following her junior year,
with the student submitting and defending a
thesis proposal early in the fall of her senior
year. Upon department approval of this proposal, she will complete the research during
her senior year, writing and defending her
thesis in the spring. Some honors students attend conferences and/or coauthor papers
with their mentors.

Programming-Intensive Courses
Courses designed to offer students significant
software design and programming experience are labeled as Programming intensive.

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Course Offerings
100s An Introduction to Computer Science
An introduction to basic computer science
concepts with a focus on Python programming to manipulate images and sounds. Laboratory assignments will provide the main
programming opportunities with Python,
images, and sounds, while lectures will cover
topics such as the origins of computing,
computer architecture, artificial intelligence,
and robotics.
Meets Science and Math II-A requirement
E. Fourquet
students should not take this course after
Computer Science 101; 4 credits
101fs Problem Solving and Object-Oriented
Programming
Computers are used every day for an enormous variety of tasks, from playing games
and chatting with friends to transferring billions of dollars, delivering radiation treatments, and controlling the electrical grid.
Computer programs are an essential ingredient in allowing for this great diversity of applications. In this course, you will learn to
create your own programs, based on core
programming concepts and analytical problem solving approaches. You will develop dynamic programs by first using Adobe Flash
CS4 and AS3 (ActionScript 3), the technology behind many Web applications. The last
portion of the course will teach you Java, a
very popular modern programming language. We assume no prior study of computer science. Programming intensive.
Meets Science and Math II-A requirement
L. Ballesteros
4 credits
105f iDesign Studio
(First-year seminar) Designers are continually innovating ways of incorporating technology into todays world, from projections
of butterflies on Grammy performance
dresses to smart purses that sense when
your wallet is missing. The recent emergence
of low-cost, user-friendly components is
making this new world of design accessible to
a broad community. In this course, students
will think critically about products already in
the marketplace and will be given the tools to
create their own designs. A sequence of

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hands-on workshops on electronics basics

and microcontroller programming will provide the surprisingly minimal level of comfort and background in technology required
to produce prototypes of these designs.
Meets Science and Math II-A requirement
A. St. John
Prereq. fy; 4 credits
*106s Introduction to Scientific Computing
The matrix-based programming language
Matlab will be used to introduce students to
programming and fundamental computing
methodologies such as top-down design and
objects. Course work will involve vectors,
matrices, numerical integration and differentiation, curve-fitting and graphics. The
course is programming intensive.
Does not meet a distribution requirement
P. Dobosh
Prereq. Mathematics 101; 2 credits
201fs Advanced Object-Oriented
Programming
This course builds on the basic programming
concepts learned in Computer Science 101.
Emphasis is on developing the skills needed
to write more sophisticated programs. This
includes strategies to aid in assuring the correctness of programs through the use of assertions and unit testing as well as advanced
Java features such as inheritance, polymorphism, and network programming. We will
also introduce some widely used data structures such as vectors and linked lists. This
course is programming-intensive.
Meets Science and Math II-A requirement
A. St. John
Prereq. Computer Science 101 with a grade of
C or better or permission of instructor; 4 credits
211fs Data Structures
Using Java. Solving problems with computers
is accomplished by writing programs that operate on data to produce a desired result. The
way data is organized and presented to the
program can significantly affect its efficiency
and simplicity and can sometimes determine
whether or not a program can be written to
solve the problem at all. This course presents
ways of organizing data into data structures
and analyzes how structuring the data can
improve program performance.This course is
programming intensive.

Meets Science and Math II-A requirement

E. Fourquet
Prereq. Computer Science 201; 4 credits
*215f Software Design
Building large software systems introduces
new challenges to software development. Appropriate design decisions early in the development of large software can make a major
difference in developing software that is correct and maintainable. In this course, students will learn techniques and tools to help
them address these problems and develop
larger software projects, improving their
skills in designing, writing, debugging, and
testing software. Topics include design patterns, UML, designing for maintainability,
software architecture, and designing concurrent and fault tolerant systems. Programming
intensive.
Meets Science and Math II-A requirement
The department
Prereq. Computer Science 201; 4 credits
221s Introduction to Computing Systems
This course looks at the inner workings of a
computer and computer systems. It is an introduction to computer architecture. Specific
topics include assembly language programming, memory, and parallelism. This course
is programming intensive.
Meets Science and Math II-A requirement
L. Ballesteros
Prereq. Computer Science 201; 4 credits
*241s Topics: Programming Language
Design and Implementation
Ever wonder why there are so many semicolons in Java programs, or what it would
mean for a language to not be object-oriented? In this course, we will explore issues
related to the design and implementation of
programming languages. Along the way, we
will discover answers to these questions and
more. Topics will include syntax, semantics,
runtime support for languages as well as an
introduction to functional programming.
Meets Science and Math II-A requirement
The department
Prereq. Computer Science 211; 4 credits
295fs Independent Study
Does not meet a distribution requirement
The department

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Prereq. soph, permission of instructor; 1-4

credits
311s Theory of Computation
Are there any limits to what computers can
do? Does the answer to this question depend
on whether you use a PC or a Mac? Is C more
powerful than PASCAL? This seminar explores these questions by investigating several
models of computation, illustrating the
power and limitations of each of these models, and relating them to computational
problems and applications. Topics include finite state automata, pushdown automata,
grammars, Turing machines, the Universal
Turing Machine, and computability.
Meets Science and Math II-A requirement
A. St. John
Prereq. Computer Science 201 and
Mathematics 232; 4 credits
312s Algorithms
How does Mapquest find the best route between two locations? How do computers help
to decode the human genome? At the heart of
these and other complex computer applications are nontrivial algorithms. While algorithms must be specialized to an application,
there are some standard ways of approaching
algorithmic problems that tend to be useful
in many applications. Among other topics,
we will explore graph algorithms, greedy algorithms, divide-and-conquer, dynamic programming, and network flow. We will learn
to recognize when to apply each of these
strategies as well as to evaluate the expected
runtime costs of the algorithms we design.
Meets Science and Math II-A requirement
D. Sheldon
Prereq. Computer Science 211 and
Mathematics 232; 4 credits
*316s Software Practicum
Tired of writing programs that nobody ever
uses? Then, this is the course for you. Software enables enterprises to carry out previously tedious or impossible tasks, but many
organizations lack the resources to develop
needed software. You will apply your programming skills to develop and deliver software to meet the requirements of a client
from the community. You will learn critical
communication skills required to work with
a client, work as a team with classmates, and
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experience the software lifecycle from requirements elicitation through delivery. You
will synthesize many topics learned in
courses as well as new technologies required
to complete the project. Programming intensive.
Meets Science and Math II-A requirement
B. Lerner
Prereq. Computer Science 215; 4 credits
322f Operating Systems
An introduction to the issues involved in orchestrating the use of computer resources.
Topics include operating system evolution,
file-handling systems, memory management,
virtual memory, resource scheduling, multiprogramming, deadlocks, concurrent
processes, protection, and design principles.
Course emphasis: understanding the effects
of operating system design on computer system performance. This course is programming intensive.
Meets Science and Math II-A requirement
E. Fourquet
Prereq. Computer Science 211 and 221; 4
credits
*331s Computer Graphics
The creation of pictorial images using a computer. Topics include drawing of two- and
three-dimensional scenes using OpenGL and
other graphical environments; transformations of objects (translations, scalings, rotations, shearings) using homogeneous
coordinates; creating perspective in three-dimensional drawing; algorithms for enhancing realism and visual effect; and the
mathematical underpinnings of graphic design. Students will complete a number of
graphics projects based on readings and class
discussion. This course is programming intensive.
Meets Science and Math II-A requirement
The department
Prereq. Computer Science 201, 211 (may be
taken concurrently), and at least one of
Mathematics 203, Mathematics 211,
Mathematics 232, or permission of instructor;
4 credits
334f Artificial Intelligence
An introduction to AI research issues in fields
such as Natural Language Processing and

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Machine Learning. This course is programming intensive.

Meets Science and Math II-A requirement
L. Ballesteros
Prereq. Computer Science 211 and
Mathematics 232; 4 credits
*341s Topics
Spring 2014
*341s(1) Programming Language Design and
Implementation
Ever wonder why there are so many semicolons in Java programs, or what it would
mean for a language to not be object-oriented? In this course, we will explore issues
related to the design and implementation of
programming languages. Along the way, we
will discover answers to these questions and
more. Topics will include syntax, semantics,
runtime support for languages as well as an
introduction to functional programming.
Meets Science and Math II-A requirement
The department
Prereq. Computer Science 211; 4 credits
*341s(3) Robotics and HCI
This is a seminar-based course, drawing on a
combination of traditional lectures, student
presentations and projects. We will cover core
robotics and HCI (Human Computer Interaction) concepts, with additional topics directed by student interest.
Meets Science and Math II-A requirement
A. St. John
Prereq. Computer Science 211 Data Structures,
Mathematics 232 Recommended: Computer
Science 312 Algorithms, Mathematics 211
Linear Algebra; 4 credits
395fs Independent Study
Does not meet a distribution requirement
The department
Prereq. jr, sr, permission of instructor; 1-8
credits

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