Upcoming Courses

Below is our slate of CS courses to be offered in 2005-06. We describe each course briefly below---be sure to follow the links within those descriptions for more complete information about each course. See also

• the CS course overview for systematic information about all CS courses,
• the CS academics page for major requirements and related pages,
• the advising page for general advising information, and
• the CS program director (cs-director@stolaf.edu) or any CS prof for individual advising.

Summary of course offerings

Fall 2005

• CS 121, Principles of Computer Science (CS1)
  Prerequisites: None    Times/instructors: MWF 10:45-11:40/Olaf Hall-Holt;   MWF 2-2:55/Olaf Hall-Holt   

• CS 241 Hardware Design (HD)
  Prerequisites: CS 121 or CS 125    Time: MWF 8-8:55    Professor: Dick Brown   

• CS 253 Algorithms and Data Structures (ADS)
  Prerequisites: CS 251; CS 231 or comparable mathematics background recommended    Time: Tu 8:00-9:25, Th 8:00-9:20    Professor: Olaf Hall-Holt   

• CS 273 Operating Systems (OS)
  Prerequisites: CS 251 and CS 241 (may be taken concurrently)    Time: Tu 11:45-1:10, Th 12:45-2:05    Professor: Dick Brown   

• CS 390 Senior Capstone Seminar (CAP) [WRI]
  Prerequisites: Senior standing    Time: MWF 12:55-1:50    Professor: Dick Brown   

Interim 2006

• CS 350 Advanced Team Project (AP) NEW
  Prerequisites: CS 251    Time: M-F 8:30-10 and 1-3    Professor: Dick Brown   

Spring 2006

• CS 121, Principles of Computer Science (CS1)
  Prerequisites: None    Times/instructors: MWF 9:05-10/Olaf Hall-Holt;   MWF 2-2:55/Dick Brown   

• CS 231, Mathematical Foundations of Computing, (MFC)
  Prerequisites: CS 121 or CS 125    Time: MWF 11:50-12:45    Professor: Dick Brown   

• CS 251, Software Design and Implementation, (SD)
  Prerequisites: CS 121    Time: MWF 12:55-1:50    Professor: Olaf Hall-Holt   
  Lab sections: TBA

• CS 263, Ethical Issues in Software Design, (ESD) [ORC,EIN]
  Prerequisites: CS 251 or CS 125    Time: MWF 9:05-10     Professor: Chuck Huff   

• CS 276, Programming Languages, (PL)
  Prerequisites: CS 241 and CS 251    Time: 2-2:55    Professor: Richard Allen   

• CS 315, Bioinformatics, (BI)
  Prerequisites: CS 251, or (CS 121 and Bio 125)    Time: Tu 11:45-1:10, Th 12:45-2:05    Professor: Richard Allen    Lab meeting: Thursday 2:05-4

Brief descriptions

CS 121, Principles of Computer Science (Multimedia) (CS1), Fall and Spring

Next year's offerings of CS1 will emphasize multimedia applications. Multimedia is about communicating in many ways at once. Computers make multimedia easier to do, because with the right equipment you can display graphics images, play sounds, present animations, show movie clips, and more.

How can we construct our own multimedia works on a computer? The Fall 2005 sections of CS1 (CS 121) will emphasize creation of multimedia applications. Students will make their own software to draw interesting images, invent their own ways to modify or "filter" images, produce their own animations, manipulate and play sound files, and even experiment with three dimensional still and animated graphics!

CS 121, Principles of Computer Science (with Multimedia Applications), has no prerequisites and counts for MAR. You will learn everything you need for CS1 within the course itself, just by keeping current with the daily work. The multimedia CS1 sections include the same base material as other CS1 sections do; they also work well as standalone courses for those interested in a one-course introduction to CS, and for those who are curious about multimedia.

More information: See the CS1 entry in the course list in the CS web site's courses section.

CS 231, Mathematical Foundations of Computing (MFC), Spring

MFC provides the mathematical background needed for further study in computer science. CS students must be able to reason formally using logic and to verify the correctness of their algorithms and programs, and they require introductory knowledge of functions and relations, proof techniques, graphs and trees, discrete probability, and computability (for assessing whether an algorithm or program is practical). MFC explores these conceptual topics using a "hands on" approach, building directly on CS1 skills. Prerequisites: CS 121 or 125, and mathematics background comparable to a calculus course, or permission of instructor (R. Brown).

More information: See the MFC entry in the course list in the CS web site's courses section.

CS 241, Hardware Design (HD), Fall

More information: See the HD entry in the course list in the CS web site's courses section.

CS 251, Software Design and Implementation (SD), Spring

CS 251 is the "course that opens doors" in CS, arguably more than any other single course we offer. The topic is computer software: how it is structured and how it is created. SD approaches software by developing practical and technical programming skills in the versatile, widely-used C++ programming language, then by applying those skills in a team project using the same kind of strategy for software-development as is used for most real-world software projects.

CS 251 requires a weekly two-hour laboratory meeting, which gives everyone the support needed to master the programming and technology of software development needed for the SD course. The laboratory is offered as a separate 1/4 credit course, CS 252: sign up for CS 251 and one of the multiple sections of CS 252.

More information: See the SD entry in the course list in the CS web site's courses section. See also the spotlight on SD: The course that opens doors.

CS 253, Algorithms and Data Structures (ADS), Fall

(Description to appear here soon)

More information: See the ADS entry in the course list in the CS web site's courses section.

CS 263, Ethical Issues in Software Design (ESD), Spring

It's no surprise that there are ethical issues related to computing: almost any day, the newspaper has reports on a new virus attack, a mistake or breakin that compromises private information, or a lawsuit about software as intellectual property. Just what does it mean to use computing professionally and ethically? CS 263 addresses that question by presenting the conceptual and practical background one needs to become awareness of "hidden" ethical issues, perform ethical analysis of a socio-techical system, and avoid many known pitfalls. This material, which satisfies St. Olaf's EIN college ethics requirement, appears in the context of substantial team-based analysis of an actual professional computing-based system, working together with its users.

More information: See the ESD entry in the course list in the CS web site's courses section.

CS 273, Operating Systems (OS), Fall

(Description to appear here soon)

More information: See the OS entry in the course list in the CS web site's courses section.

CS 276, Programming Languages (PL), Spring

(Description to appear here soon)

More information: See the PL entry in the course list in the CS web site's courses section.

CS 315, Bioinformatics (BI), Spring

(Description to appear here soon)

More information: See the BI entry in the course list in the CS web site's courses section.

CS 350, Advanced Team Project (AP), Interim NEW

(Description to appear here soon)

More information: See the AP entry in the course list in the CS web site's courses section.

CS 390, Senior Capstone Seminar (CAP), Fall

CS 390 is a balanced experience with computer science research taken by all senior majors in CS. The first half of the term focuses on implementation. Specifically, teams of students enhance an existing undergraduate research implementation project by adding new capabilities and improving existing system. In Fall 2005, many students will add advanced features to the web portfolio project initiated in this term's CS 284 (CSA) course. During the implementation phase, students also read and present research papers from the CS research literature relevant to the project, and begin a team ethical analysis of their project. The second half of the term centers on research writing. Each student develops a CS research paper of his/her own based on the project work, and the final exam consists of formal presentations of those research papers. Students are encouraged to submit their papers for publication in conferences and symposia. In addition, implementation teams produce external documentation for their projects for users and future implementers, and ethics teams complete out their analyses and write up the results.

The Capstone Seminar integrates concepts and skills that are developed throughout a CS major, extends those abilities by applying them to a substantial research project, and gives CS seniors a number of new collaborative and advanced experiences that prepare them for future work beyond St. Olaf.

More information: See the CAP entry in the course list in the CS web site's courses section.