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SLIS - Courses - LIBR252A - G. Liu - Introduction

Course Syllabus

Description

This course is an introduction to computer programming in Java. Students will be introduced to some basic skills of programming as well as the syntax and functional components of the Java language, with emphasis on language elements necessary for manipulating character strings, and eventually for processing English texts at lower level. Sorting and searching algorithms frequently used for solving information storage and retrieval problems will be discussed. Finally, students will also be exposed to some fundamental concepts of modern software engineering, concepts like top-down design, modular programming, data encapsulation, and information hiding.

Objectives

At the conclusion of this course, students are expected to:

Understand basic concepts and skills of programming;
Master syntax and usage of functional elements in the Java language;
Be able to write eligible Java codes and build some simple applications for problem solving;
Be aware of some of the issues related to low-level text processing;

This course supports the following SLIS objectives:

The student will know and be able to (1) identify the major theories and important principles, as well as to demonstrate current practice in information management, (2) apply diverse technologies to information management, including the selection, organization, storage, retrieval, dissemination, and utilization of information resources, and (3) develop systems and tools for information processing and management.

Evaluation

Students' performance in this class will be evaluated by eight programming assignments, each accounting for 12.5% toward the final grade and emphasizing different programming concepts or language constructs. All the assignments will be more or less related to the problem of low-level English text processing or coming from the perspective of information storage and retrieval. All the programs students write for the assignments should be successfully compiled and thoroughly debugged. Students may submit their assignments and related works in electronic form via the E-mail system PINE. Detailed requirements of assignments and specific instruction on how to submit source files in UNIX environment can be found by following the highlighted links.

It is the students' responsibility to submit and maintain the electronic version of all their programs, source files, and other related works until the final grades are issued.

Late work will not be accepted unless the student has previously made arrangement with the instructor or has a legitimate reason with proper documentation in the case of unexpected urgent situation.

Grading

Students' works will be evaluated according to specific Grading Criteria. Letter grades may be assigned and later converted to points. At the end of semester, all the points will be added up proportionally to yield the final grade. A Point-Converting Table will be used to translate letter grades to points and vice visa.

Texts

Hume, J.N.P. & Stephenson, C. (2000). Introduction to programming in Java. 1st ed. Holt Software Associates Inc. ISBN: 0-921598-39-4. (Required)
Flanagan, D. (2005). Java in a nutshell: A desktop quick reference. 5th ed. Oreilly Media, Inc. ISBN: 0-596007-73-6. (Optional)

Communication

We will use an email reflector list as the primary mechanism for communication to the class as a whole. To set up the reflector list, you are asked to send me a brief email message indicating which class session you are taking so that I can add your address to the list.

Disability Provisions

If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, or if you need special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please let me by email or approach me after class meeting. Presidential Directive 97-03 re quires that students with disabilities register with DRC to establish a record o f their disability.

No matter where students reside, they should contact the SJSU DRC to register . The DRC Web site: http://www.drc.sjsu.edu/.

Academic Integrity

Your own commitment to learning, as evidenced by your enrollment at San Jose State University, and the University's Academic Integrity Policy requires you to be honest in all your academic course work. Faculty are required to report all infractions to the Office of Judicial Affairs. The policy on academic integrity can be found at http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/F06-1.pdf.

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This page is maintained by Geoffrey Z. Liu. It was last revised on January 15, 2006.