CS 115: Programming I, Spring 2012

Links: [Course Home] [Course Info] [Schedule] [Resources] [Moodle] [CS 115W]

Instructor	Dr. Suzanne Rivoire
Meeting times	Lecture:	TTh 9:20-10:35, Darwin 29
	Lab (T):	T 4:00-6:50, Darwin 25
	Lab (W):	W 10:00-12:50, Darwin 25
	Workshop:	M 4:00-5:50, Darwin 25
Textbook	John Zelle, Python Programming: An Introduction to Computer Science, 2nd edition (ISBN-13: 978-1-59028-241-0) It is very important to get the correct edition of this book!

Catalog Description

(4 units) Lecture, 3 hours; laboratory, 3 hours. An overview of computer organization; arithmetic and logical expressions, decision and iteration, simple I/O; subprograms; principles of good programming style, readability, documentation, structured programming concepts; top-down design and refinements; techniques of debugging and testing. Use of the above concepts will be implemented in a standard high-level programming language.

Prerequisite: GE Math eligibility (satisfaction of ELM requirement). Students who do not meet this prerequisite will be dropped from the class unless they obtain instructor consent to take CS 115.

This course is currently taught using Python.

GE Information

This class satisfies the General Education category B3 requirement (Specific Emphasis in Natural Sciences). As of May 2008, the GE B3 objectives are

Improve understanding of the concepts and theories of science and technology
Understand the interconnected and ever-changing relationships among the natural, physical, and technological sciences
Critically assess the social and ethical implications of science and technology in relations to their daily lives
Improve problem solving and critical thinking skills through application of scientific knowledge using hands-on activities

More information can be found on the SSU GE homepage.

Course Goals and Objectives

Develop algorithmic procedures for solving problems.
- Write programs that interact with the user textually and graphically.
- Write programs that perform calculations using arithmetic expressions.
- Write programs that choose what actions to perform using control structures.
- Apply, program, and evaluate common algorithms for searching and sorting data.
Understand strategies for approaching complex problems.
- Design programs that are readable and maintainable.
- Decompose a complex problem into smaller parts through the use and design of functions.
- Write programs that take advantage of built-in data structures (e.g. lists, strings, files).
- Use and implement classes.

Consolidated Syllabus

You may download the course description, objectives, syllabus, and schedule in a consolidated pdf:
http://rivoire.cs.sonoma.edu/cs115/syllabus_consolidated.pdf