CS 4960: Seminar in Computer Science

Spring, 2016

Instructor: Dr. Tom Carter
DBH-287       667-3175
tom@csustan.csustan.edu
http://csustan.csustan.edu/~tom

Texts:
There are no texts for this class.

• To explore aspects of computer science beyond what you have encountered in your previous course work,
  
  
• To benefit from similar research done by your fellow students, and
  
  
• To present an important body of work in both written and oral form.

Alert: I reserve the right to make changes to the syllabus at any time during the term by announcing them on the class web page(s).

• A written report on your topic
• A 20 minute presentation on your topic to an audience including members of the class (your presentation must be at least 20 minutes for you to pass the class). We will be planning for two presentations on each of the presentation days, so be sure not to exceed 25 minutes.
  Your presentation needs to be something beyond simply reading your "report" to the class (e.g., a PowerPoint presentation).
• Audience participation for other students' presentations, including review/evaluation of other students' presentations.
  

• Agree with the instructor on a presentation date.
  
  
• Choose a computer science topic to research and present to an audience. The audience will include, but not be limited to, the other members of the class.
  
  
  • Select a topic for your research, report, and presentation from a scholarly Computer Science journal, such as Communications of the ACM, or comparable.
    
    
  • Your topic must have significant scholarly, as opposed to merely technological, content.
    
    
  • Your research must draw on multiple sources, and embody concepts that may be expected to endure beyond any particular current technology.
  
  
• Propose the topic to the instructor (e-mail). The proposal must specify multiple reliable sources (at least two) from which you intend to draw. Include appropriate citations in bibliographic form. for details about the required form for citations see "Your List of References" and "When You Make Direct Use of a Source" below. Your proposal must also describe the nature of the scholarly content you will include in your presentation.
  
  
• To pass the course, you must turn in a satisfactory proposal. You must get the instructor's formal approval of the proposal by working out an agreement with the instructor. Your presentation must correspond to the agreed-upon proposal.
  
  
• Create a balanced and unbiased written report on your topic. Base it on a variety of solid sources, including the ones you listed in your approved proposal. Synthesize and summarize the knowledge you gained from the research. Infuse the exposition of the report with freshness and originality. The report must tell what you learned about the subject matter - what you think, feel, and wonder about it. What interesting questions did your research answer? What interesting questions remain unanswered?
  
  
• Turn in your written report one week in advance of your presentation date. Send the instructor an electronic copy to post on the class web page so that all class members can review the information before the talk.  Your report must include a reference page citing your sources, at least two of which must be books or peer-reviewed journal articles. More information on proper citation of sources.
  
  
• On your assigned date deliver an oral presentation of the content of your written report. (Seminar presentations will be publicly announced and will be open to visitors who may wish to attend.)
  
  
• Attend all the presentations of the other members of the class, and react to them by asking questions and by writing a short critique which will be collected and given to the presenter.