• Textbooks
• Instructor Information
• Course Description
• Course Objectives
• Course Procedures
• Grading Procedures
• Course Schedule

COURSE DESCRIPTION: Students research and present (orally and in writing) an advanced topic of their choice in computer science.

COURSE OBJECTIVES: The objectives for this course include:

• Students will learn to independently research a topic in computer science using the library and online resources.
• Students will learn to quickly skim-read an article to determine the articles purpose and usefulness to the reader.
• Students will learn to read articles in depth in order to achieve a deep undertstanding of the article so that they can talk about the article with others.
• Students will develop critical listening skills as they listen to several presentations througout the semester
• Students will develop written and oral presentation skills through the development of a paper and presentation to the seminar on a topic of their choice.

COURSE PROCEDURES: The beginning of this course will provide time for students to research and find a topic of their choice and to develop a presentation and paper about the topic.

The second half of the course will focus on developing the presentation which will be presented to the seminar and writing a paper on the topic. Students are also expected to attend all other seminar presentations and to critique those presentations.

GRADING PROCEDURES: Students will be evaluated on the development of their communication and research skills as well as their participation in ALL class activities.

The final grade will be determined by the following distribution:

Attendance is REQUIRED. Your active involvement in classroom discussions and activities is vital to the success of this course. Excused absences will not count against you, but must be approved prior to class if at all possible. Unexcused absences will result in loss of points for attendance that day, as well as a 0 for any homework, summary, etc, that is due that day. Homework and exercises will be due at class the day they are due. Late work must be completed, but will be given a score of 0.

Plagiarism and Other Academic Honesty.
Plagiarism and cheating of any form are serious offenses and may result in an F for the assignment, the course, or expulsion from the college. The details of Central's Academic Integrity policy are found in the Student Handbook, on the web. A copy will be sent to you via e-mail during the first week of the semester. It is your responsibility to read and understand the contents of that policy before you submit work to be graded. Questions regarding the policies and enforcement of the policies may be addressed to me during class or during office hours.

Disabilities
Central College abides by interpretations of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 that stipulates no student shall be denied the benefits of an education “solely by reason of a handicap.” Disabilities covered by law include, but are not limited to, learning disabilities, hearing, sight or mobility impairments, and other health related impairments. If you have a documented disability that may have some impact on your work in this class and for which you may require accommodations, please see me and Nancy Kroese, Director of Student Support Services and Disability Services Coordinator, (x5247) so that such accommodations may be arranged.

Notification of Participation in College Sanctioned Events
Mock Trail participants, choir tour participants, athletes, and others who must miss a class for participating in a college sanctioned event are expected to notify me in advance and complete work including tests in advance of the absence. It is the student's responsibility to communicate with me in advance regarding their absences and determine a schedule for make up work.

COURSE SCHEDULE: Note: Seniors who are presenting each week will be expected to give a practice presentation at noon on Monday to the junior seminar. Please notify me if you have a scheduling conflict with noon on Monday.

Week	Date	Class Activity	Homework for Next Meeting
1	Aug 26	Introduction. Picking a topic. What pieces are typically in a seminar - getting the right level Searching for articles How to read and summarize Seminar Schedule	Find 2-3 potential "articles" and bring the articles to class Write a summary paragraph of each article and be prepared to present the article. The articles may be based on a single topic or multiple topics.
2	Sep 2	Discuss articles and choose a topic Sr: present articles JR: present library searches What is a good outline?	Find other supporting articles for the topic prepare an outline of a paper and a presentation.
3	Sep 9	Analytical Wrap writing exercise Introductions vs. Abstracts	Write Introduction to paper Update outlines
4	Sep 16	Terminology speaking and writing exercise Review SR intros	Continue work on First Draft and Presentation
5	Sep 23	SR give over of their presentations	Continue work on first draft and presentation
6	Sep 30	Seminar Presentations Begin Math and CS senior seminars
7	Oct 7	2 CS senior presentations	Paper First Draft Due
8	Oct 14	Math and CS senior seminars
9	Oct 21	2 CS senior presentations
10	Oct 28	Math Junior Seminar presentation
11	Nov 4	CS Junior Seminar presentation
12	Nov 11	Math Junior Seminar presentation	Second Draft Due
13	Nov 18	CS Junior Seminar presentations
14	Nov 25	Math Junior Seminar presentation
15	Dec 2	Math and CS Senior Seminar presentations	Final Draft Due
16	Dec 9	Math Junior Seminar Presentation