Announcements

September 11

Problem Set 1 has been posted. Please use the assignments link in the left-hand navigation bar to access it.

September 3

Please complete Lab 0 ASAP.

In addition, please purchase the CS 105 coursepack at the FedexKinkos on Cummington Street. It contains all of the lecture notes for the semester, including ones that we will begin on Friday. The cost is approximately $20.

We've made two changes to the schedule for the course:

• We've moved the first quiz to Friday, October 3 to avoid a conflict with Rosh Hashannah.
• We've corrected the listing for the Columbus Day holiday -- which is actually on October 13 -- and for the substitute lecture on Tuesday, October 14, which will be a Monday schedule.

Welcome!

The first lecture will be held on Wednesday, September 3, from 1-2 p.m. in GCB 204.

The key details of the course can be accessed using the links at left. For more information, consult the syllabus or contact Dr. Sullivan. You may also find it helpful to look at the announcement that was used to advertise the course.

Please check this page regularly throughout the semester for announcements and course materials.

There are no labs this week.

Course Information

Description

This course will examine how collections of data are organized, stored, and analyzed. Topics include: relational databases and the SQL query language; the process of writing simple programs to analyze data using the Python programming language; and data-mining techniques for discovering patterns in data. Applications from a variety of domains (including business, medicine, the arts, and the sciences) will be used to illustrate the concepts of the course through lectures and hands-on labs.
This course is a Math/CS divisional studies course.

Prerequisites: none

Instructor

David G. Sullivan, Ph.D.
Lecturer on Computer Science
see the staff page for contact info. and office hours

Lectures

MWF, 1-2 p.m., GCB 204.

Labs

Tuesdays, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Wednesdays, 4-5 p.m.
Labs are held in the CS teaching lab, EMA 304.

Requirements

• Nine problem sets
• A final project, which will involve using the techniques covered in the course to organize and analyze a collection of data that interests you, to draw conclusions based on your analysis, and to present your results in a clear and compelling way
• Three closed-book quizzes
• Closed-book final exam
• Attendance at and participation in both the lectures and labs

Policies

• Policy on collaboration and academic honesty
• Lateness: There will be a 10% deduction for homework that is up to 24 hours late, and a 20% deduction for homework that is 24-48 hours late. We will not accept any homework that is more than 48 hours late. Plan your time carefully, and don't wait until the last minute to begin an assignment. Starting early will give you ample time to ask questions and obtain assistance from members of the course staff.
• Determining the final grade:
  • attendance/participation: 10%
  • assignments: 30%
  • final project: 10%
  • quizzes: 20%
  • final exam: 30%
• Extensions and makeup quizzes/exams will only be given in documented cases of serious illness or other emergencies,
• You cannot redo or complete extra work to improve your grade.
• Incompletes will not be given.
  

Textbooks

We will provide lecture notes that fully cover all of the material you are expected to learn as part of the course. However, you may wish to consider purchasing the following optional textbooks:

• Database Concepts, 3rd edition by David M. Kroenke (Prentice Hall, 2008)
• Python Programming: An Introduction to Computer Science by John Zelle (Franklin Beedle, 2004)

They will be available for purchase at Barnes & Noble. In addition, we will suggest optional readings for the other topics of the course as we cover them.