Course Syllabus
Computer Science 20
Summer 2009

Programming Methods

Course Description

CS 20 is an intermediate course in programming using Java. Instruction and programming assignments will focus on a selection of fundamental data structures and algorithms. Practice implementing and applying these data structures and algorithms will be required for the course.

The following programming techniques and principles are emphasized:

• Object-oriented programming (OOP) in practice
• Abstraction, particularly abstract data types (ADTs)
• Basics of linked lists, stacks, queues, trees, and hash tables
• Introductory efficiency and running time analysis
• Using recursion effectively
• Searching and sorting algorithms
• Program correctness and testing strategies

Pre-requisites

Computer Science 10 and Mathematics 3B.

Course Goals

1. Students expand their knowledge of, and increase their comfort level with Java and OOP.
   
2. Students learn to specify, implement and apply lists, trees and other data structures.
3. Students are exposed to complexity analysis, and learn to distinguish algorithms and data structures on the basis of efficiency.
4. Students learn (and practice) to produce better programs more quickly and with less stress.

Instructor

Teaching Assistant

Instruction Schedule

• Lectures - 3 per week - MTW 9:30-10:55 - Phelps 1401.
  
• Discussion - 1 per week - R 9:30-10:55 - Phelps 1401.

Textbooks

• Required - Nell Dale, Daniel T. Joyce and Chip Weems, Object-Oriented Data Structures Using Java, 2^nd Ed., Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 2006.
• Optional - William J. Collins, Data Structures and the Java Collections Framework, 2^nd Ed., McGraw-Hill, 2005.

Course Outline and Required Reading

Primary Topics	Read (Dale/Joyce/Weems text)
Introduction, Java foundation, and OOP concepts	Chapters 1-2, Section 9.1, and all Appendices
Algorithm analysis, program correctness/testing
Abstract data types, and Java Collections
Stacks	Chapter 3
Recursion	Chapter 4
Queues	Chapter 5
Lists	Chapters 6-7
Binary trees: heaps, and binary search trees	Chapter 8, and Section 9.2
Sorting, searching, and hashing	Chapter 10
More Java collections [as time permits]	TBA

Grading Policy

• 40 percent - assignments and attendance

  30%	Assignments	Written homeworks - handed out in lectures, and turned in at discussion section, probably each Thursday except July 30. Purpose is to learn concepts and practice answering exam-like problems. May include small programming tasks.
  		Programming projects - to be posted on the Projects (web) page, and turned in electronically. Purpose is to master techniques and concepts learned in class, and practice writing and testing larger programs.
  10%	Attendance	Full credit earned by attending 20 or more meetings, including lectures and discussion sections. Arriving late or leaving early reduces the points earned on a given day.

• 60 percent - three examinations (dates are firm unless specifically announced otherwise)

  20%	Monday, July 6	All topics covered in class during first two weeks
  20%	Monday, July 20	All topics covered through week four, cumulative
  20%	Thursday, July 30	All topics, cumulative

Notes

• The course's web pages (http://www.cs.ucsb.edu/~mikec/cs20) are mandatory reading. Students are responsible for monitoring them throughout the quarter.
• Make-up exams can only be arranged at least 48 hours prior to the exam, and only in extraordinary circumstances (which do not include having other exams that day).
• Assignments must be done and correctly turned in on time for full credit - no exceptions, no extensions, no excuses.
• All work you turn in for CS 20 must be your own, personal work. The university's honor code will be strictly enforced, and we will use an automated system to detect plagiarism.