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Dr. Suzanne Rivoire (suzanne.rivoire@sonoma.edu)
| Website: | http://rivoire.cs.sonoma.edu | |
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| Office Phone: | 707-664-3337 | |
| Office Hours: | M 1:00-3:00 PM | Darwin 116H |
| T 11:00 AM-noon | Darwin 116H | |
| W 1:00-3:00 PM | Darwin 116H | |
| Or by appointment. |
| Lecture: | MW 10:00-11:50 AM | Darwin 31 | Dr. Rivoire |
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CS 215 or consent of instructor.
| Midterm 1: | March 9 (Mon.) | In lecture |
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| Midterm 2: | April 8 (Wed.) | In lecture |
| Final Exam: | May 18 (Mon.) | 11:00 AM-12:50 PM |
Students who have scheduling conflicts on these dates should not take this class.
Ullman and Widom, A First Course in Database Systems, third edition. ISBN-13: 978-0-13-699647-4.
(4 units) Lecture, 4 hours. This course focuses on the theoretical as well as the practical aspects of modern database systems. Topics include the study of the entity-relationship (E/R) model, relational algebra, data normalization, XML as a semi-structured data model, data integrity, and database administration. Current tools and technology are used to create and manipulate sample databases.
Lecture: The tentative course schedule shows the topics to be covered. Students are expected to attend all lectures and to get the notes from another student if absent. Students are also expected to skim the assigned reading material before each lecture and read more fully after the lecture.
Projects: Several programming assignments will be assigned throughout the semester. The collaboration policy will be strictly enforced.
In-class activities: In-class activities, including quizzes, will be given almost every lecture. Students' lowest 5 scores on these activities will be dropped from the grade calculation. These activities cannot be made up.
Take-home activities: Short SQL practice activities will be assigned periodically throughout the semester.
Midterms and final exam: The exams cover the material from lecture, projects, and the textbook. Exams are cumulative, although they will emphasize recent material. You may bring one 8.5 by 11-inch handwritten sheet of notes (front and back); no other aid will be permitted. Makeup exams will be given only for extraordinary circumstances, and the instructor MUST be notified in advance.
Grade breakdown:
| Projects | 30% |
| Class activities | 25% |
| Exams | 45% |
Grading scale:
| 93-100% | 90-92% | 87-89% | 83-86% | 80-82% | 77-79% | 73-76% | 70-72% | 67-69% | 63-66% | 60-62% | Below 60% |
| A | A- | B+ | B | B- | C+ | C | C- | D+ | D | D- | F |
Late projects and extensions: Each student may take up to one 24-hour extension per semester on a project of their choice without penalty. No other late work will be accepted.
Regrades: Regrade requests will be accepted for up to 7 days after an assignment or exam is returned. The reason for the regrade request must be explained in writing and submitted as a hard copy along with the assignment or exam to be regraded. Note that all regrade requests, except for those pointing out mistakes in the totaling of points, will cause the entire assignment or exam to be regraded. The adjusted grade may therefore be higher or lower than the initial grade.
You are encouraged to discuss course material with other students. Don't be shy about consulting with anyone, but please understand that you, and only you, bear the responsibility for solving the problems associated with producing a successful project or solving a lab assignment.
All material turned in for credit must be your own work. You may discuss ideas and approaches but you should work out all details and write up all solutions on your own. Copying part or all of another student's assignment, with or without the student's knowledge, is prohibited. Similarly, copying old or published solutions is prohibited.
Receive help with care. Avoid working too closely with another student. Otherwise, you can unwittingly become dependent on that student's help and fool yourself into thinking that you understand things better than you really do. Always attempt to do as much as you can on your own. If your program matches another student's program too closely, you will be penalized for academic dishonesty.
Give help with care. Don't help too much. When you understand something, you may be tempted to show someone too much help. However, if you do this, you will rob them of the learning experience of reaching the solution on their own. Try giving a hint that will help them get "unstuck." Although you are allowed to help other students, you are never under any obligation to do so. If your program matches another student's program too closely, you will be penalized for academic dishonesty.
Summary:
If you are a student with a disability and you think you may require accommodations, please register with the campus office of Disability Services for Students (DSS), located in Salazar Hall - Room 1049, Phone: (707) 664-2677, TTY/TDD: (707) 664-2958. DSS will provide you with written confirmation of your verified disability and authorize recommended accommodations. This authorization must be presented to the instructor before any accommodations can be made. Visit http://www.sonoma.edu/dss for more information.