CS35 -- Data Structures and Algorithms
Fall 2011

Schedule | Study sessions | Grading | Quiz policy | Lab policy | Succeeding in CS35

Announcements

  • Our final exam is this Friday morning, 9 a.m. - noon, in SCI 128. The Final Study Guide is now available.
  • There will be two pre-exam ninja sessions this Wednesday and Thursday nights from 7 - 9 p.m. in the main CS lab, SCI 240.
  • Charlie will have extra pre-exam office hours this Wednesday from 1 - 3 p.m., Thursday from 10:30 - 11:30 a.m., and Thursday from 2:30 - 4 p.m.

Class information

       Room: Science Center 128
       Class: MWF 10:30-11:20am
       Labs: F 1:15-2:45 and 3:00-4:30, Science Center 240
       Professor: Charlie Garrod
       Office: Science Center 255
       Phone: 6071
       Office hours: Thursdays 10:30 - 11:30am or by appointment, or you can stop by whenever my door is open.
       Required textbook: Data Structures and Algorithms in C++, 2nd edition by Goodrich, Tamassia, and Mount.

Welcome to CS35. This course continues the broad introduction to computer science begun in CS21, providing a general background for further study in the field. Topics to be covered include object-oriented programming in C++, advanced data structures (such as priority queues, trees, hash tables, and graphs), advanced algorithms, as well as software design and verification.

To enroll in this course you must have completed CS21 or obtain permission from the instructor. This course is designated as a natural sciences and engineering practicum.

Goals for the course

By the end of the course, we hope that you will have developed the following knowledge and skills:


Student support

CS35 Ninjas (student mentors): Phil Koonce, Greg Rawson, Nick Rhinehart, and Chloe Stevens

The CS Ninjas will assist me in our in-class lab sessions and run study sessions in the main CS lab (Science Center 240) on Monday evenings from 7 - 11 p.m.

You are encouraged to participate in these study sessions to prepare for quizzes, to discuss programming concepts, and to get friendly assistance in working on homework assignments.


Grading

Grades will be weighted as follows:

40%Lab assignments
25%Quizzes
5%Class participation
30%Final exam


Quiz policy

Quizzes will be given at the beginning of class on the days posted in the Announcements section of the Schedule. Please look over these dates carefully and contact the professor in advance if you cannot be in class for a quiz.

If you are not present at the start of class on the day of a quiz, but make it to class before the end, then you may take the quiz. Otherwise you will receive a zero for that quiz.


Lab policy

Unlike CS21, lab attendance in CS35 is required. New lab assignments will be introduced in our Friday lab sessions, and lab sessions will sometimes contain new course material, required practice exercises, and written quizzes.

Lab assignments are submitted electronically using the handin35 program, and are typically due by 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday nights. You may submit your assignment multiple times, but each submission overwrites the previous one and only the final submission will be graded. Late assignments will not be accepted unless you contact the professor before the deadline, and even then extensions are only provided for extreme circumstances beyond your control. Even if you do not fully complete a lab assignment you should submit what you have done to receive partial credit.


Academic accommodations

If you believe that you need accommodations for a disability, please contact Leslie Hempling in the Office of Student Disability Services, located in Parrish 130, or e-mail lhempli1 to set up an appointment to discuss your needs and the process for requesting accommodations. Leslie Hempling is responsible for reviewing and approving disability-related accommodation requests and, as appropriate, she will issue students with documented disabilities an Accommodation Authorization Letter. Since accommodations may require early planning and are not retroactive, please contact her as soon as possible. For details about the Student Disabilities Service and the accomodations process, visit http://www.swarthmore.edu/x7687.xml. You are also welcome to contact me privately to discuss your academic needs. However, all disability-related accommodations must be arranged through Leslie Hempling in the Office Of Student Disability Services.

Academic integrity

Academic honesty is required in all work you submit to be graded. With the exception of your lab partner on lab assignments, you may not submit work done with (or by) someone else, or examine or use work done by others to complete your own work. Your code should never be shared with anyone; you may not examine or use code belonging to someone else, nor may you let anyone else look at or make a copy of your code. This includes sharing solutions after the due date of the assignment.

All code you submit must be your own with the following permissible exceptions: code distributed in class, code found in the course text book, and code worked on with an assigned partner. In these cases, you should always include detailed comments that indicates on which parts of the assignment you received help, and what your sources were.

Discussing ideas and approaches to problems with others on a general level is fine (in fact, we encourage you to discuss general strategies with each other), but you should never read anyone else's code or let anyone else read your code. You may discuss assignment specifications and requirements with others in the class to be sure you understand the problem. In addition, you are allowed to work with others to help learn the course material. However, with the exception of your lab partner, you may not work with others on your assignments in any capacity.

``It is the opinion of the faculty that for an intentional first offense, failure in the course is normally appropriate. Suspension for a semester or deprivation of the degree in that year may also be appropriate when warranted by the seriousness of the offense.'' - Swarthmore College Bulletin (2008-2009, Section 7.1.2)

Please see me if there are any questions about what is permissible.


How to succeed in CS35

CS35 is substantially faster-paced than CS21, covering a broad range of topics. To succeed you should:


Schedule

For the reading assignments the section numbers are inclusive, so "1.1-1.1.2" means you should read all the sections from 1.1 up to and including section 1.1.2.