Computer Science

CSCI 121: Principles of Computer Science

This course introduces students to computer science (CS), a field devoted to creative problem solving with computers, and its applications to other disciplines. Students explore fundamental concepts, including iteration, recursion, object-oriented software design, algorithm efficiency, levels of naming, parallel computing, and computing ethics. Students apply these concepts daily in hands-on homework exercises relevant to fields in the arts, humanities (including digital humanities computations), social sciences, and natural sciences. Includes a team project applying CS to a chosen discipline. No prior experience with programming is expected or required. Offered each semester. One of CSCI 121, CSCI 125, or CSCI 251 counts toward linguistic studies concentration.

CSCI 125: Computer Science for Scientists and Mathematicians

This course focuses on handling data: visualization, finding patterns, and communicating with data. The primary tools are Python (for transforming data) and R (for visualization and classification). Students work individually and in teams to apply basic principles and explore real-world datasets with a sustainability theme. Offered each semester. Also counts toward statistics and mathematical biology concentrations; one of CSCI 121, CSCI 125, or CSCI 251 counts toward linguistic studies concentration.
Prerequisite: calculus or consent of the instructor.

CSCI 200: Topics in Computer Science

Students explore special topics in computer science. Topics may vary from year-to-year. May be repeated if topics are different. Offered periodically.
Prerequisite: permission of instructor.

CSCI 201: Topics in Computer Science (0.50)

Students explore special topics in computer science. Topics may vary from year-to-year. The workload in this course is commensurate with a 0.50-credit course. May be repeated if topics are different. Offered periodically.
Prerequisite: permission of instructor.

CSCI 202: Topics in Computer Science (0.25)

Students explore special topics in computer science. Topics may vary from year-to-year. The workload in this course is commensurate with a 0.25-credit course. May be repeated if topics are different. Offered periodically.
Prerequisite: permission of instructor.

CSCI 241: Hardware Design

This course explores computer hardware and how the code we write uses it, taught through in-class labs and daily assignments focusing on the Raspberry Pi single-board computer. Topics include an introduction to computer systems, C language programming, an overview of computer organization, the component-level design of computer hardware, forms of parallelism, machine-level implementation of programming language features, memory organization, digital logic, microprogrammed and RISC architectures, multi-core architectures, and assembly programming. Offered annually. Also counts toward management studies concentration.
Prerequisite: CSCI 121 or CSCI 125 or permission of instructor.

CSCI 251: Software Design and Implementation

This course provides an introduction to the structure and creation of computer software, using the C++ programming language and emphasizing object-oriented programming and structured collaborative software-development methodology. Concepts and skills are applied in a substantial multi-week team project. Topics include object-oriented programming, specification, programmed memory management, indirect addressing, tools including UML, team software process, requirements analysis, software design strategies, and elementary ethical analysis of software systems. Offered each semester. Also counts toward mathematical biology and management studies concentrations; one of CSCI 121, CSCI 125, CSCI 251 counts toward linguistic studies concentration.
Prerequisite: CSCI 121 or CSCI 125 or CSCI 241 or PHYS 130 or MATH 252 or permission of instructor; concurrent registration in CSCI 252 is required.

CSCI 252: Software Design and Implementation Lab (0.25)

In this two-hour lab, students investigate the implementation of software using strategies and concepts presented in CSCI 251, explore standard technologies for creation and management of multi-module software systems, and carry out stages of structured team software project, through hands-on computational exercises and with direct support provided in a small group context. Offered each semester.
Prerequisite: concurrent registration in CSCI 251.

CSCI 253: Algorithms and Data Structures

This course surveys standard algorithms and data structures with emphasis on implementation experience and complexity analysis. Topics include algorithmic strategies, fundamental computer algorithms, stacks, queues, lists, trees, hash tables, heaps and priority queues, compression, and decompression. Offered annually. Also counts toward neuroscience concentration.
Prerequisites: MATH 232 (MATH 244 or MATH 252) and CSCI 251, or consent of the instructor.

ID 259: HiPerCiC: Collaborative Web Applications

In this lecture/lab course, computer science (CS) students team with students in non-CS fields in order to create custom web-based software that serves the research needs of particular professors in those non-CS fields of application. Students in a field of application provide disciplinary content, context, and feedback throughout project development, while pursuing relevant independent work. CS students develop software collaboratively and rapidly using the HiPerCiC (High-Performance Computing in Context) framework, while learning current web programming principles and technologies. Students attend lectures plus one one-hour lab per week. Counts toward computer science major.
Prerequisite: CSCI 251 or permission of instructor.

CSCI 263: Ethical Issues in Software Design

The software we design has real effects in people's lives. This course explores the ethical and social considerations inherent in computer-based systems, develops skills in thinking about those considerations and in collecting data to determine their effects, and expands students' abilities to integrate these issues and skills into software development procedures, largely through an extensive team analysis of a "live" software project. Coursework uses extended case studies and surveys topics such as professional and ethical responsibilities, risk, liability, intellectual property, privacy, and computer crime. Offered annually. Also counts toward management studies concentration.
Prerequisites: CSCI 251 and completion of or concurrent registration in BTS-T, or permission of instructor.

CSCI 273: Operating Systems

This course examines the features of modern operating systems, including detailed consideration of Linux and other example systems. Projects range from system-level programming and multithreaded network programming to kernel modifications. Topics include operating system principles, implementation as system calls, process scheduling and dispatch, concurrency, inter-process communication, programming with threads and sockets, low-level memory management, device management, file systems, security and protection mechanisms, virtual machines, and kernel programming. Offered alternate years.
Prerequisites: completion of or concurrent enrollment in CSCI 241 and CSCI 251, or permission of instructor.

CSCI 276: Programming Languages

Students study features commonly found in computer programming languages and construct their own interpreters for an example programming language incorporating various language features they study throughout the course. Topics include programming language semantics, programming language translation, parsing, implementation of control structures and memory structures, abstraction mechanisms, and language translation systems and types. Offered alternate years. Also counts toward linguistic studies concentration.
Prerequisites: CSCI 241 and CSCI 251, or permission of instructor.

CSCI 284: Mobile Computing Applications

Mobile devices are actually sophisticated and powerful computers. This course explores mobile computing technology by creating applications for the Android platform, including a final team project. The course introduces Java language and provides exposure to graphics user interfaces (GUIs), event-driven programming, APIs, databases, SQL query language, and agile team programming methodologies. Offered alternate years.
Prerequisite: CSCI 251 or permission of instructor.

CSCI 294: Academic Internship

This is an intermediate-level version of CSCI 394.

CSCI 298: Independent Study

CSCI 300: Topics in Computer Science

Recent and planned topics include parallel and distributed computing, mobile computer graphics, and relational database systems. May be repeated if topic is different. Offered alternate years.

CSCI 301: Advanced Topics in Computer Science (0.50)

Students explore special topics in computer science at a level commensurate with other Level III courses in Computer Science, and with appropriate prior experience in Computer Science topics. The workload in this course is commensurate with a 0.50-credit course. Topics may vary from year-to-year. May be repeated if topics are different. Offered periodically.
Prerequisite: permission of instructor.

CSCI 315: Bioinformatics

Students study computational problems arising from the need to store, access, transform, and utilize DNA-related data. Topics from computer science include: exhaustive search; algorithms (including dynamic programming, divide-and-conquer, graph and greedy algorithms) for fragment reassembly, sequence alignment, phylogenetic trees; combinatorial pattern matching; clustering and trees; and hidden Markov models. Offered annually in the fall semester. Also counts toward mathematics major and neuroscience, biomolecular science, and mathematical biology concentrations.
Prerequisites: CSCI 253, or one of CSCI 121 or CSCI 125, and MATH 220, or permission of instructor.

CSCI 333: Theory of Computation

Students learn about formal languages, automata, and other topics concerned with the theoretical basis and limitations of computation. The course covers automata theory including regular languages and context-free languages, computability theory, complexity theory including classes P and NP, and cryptographic algorithms. Offered alternate years. Also counts toward neuroscience and linguistic studies concentrations.
Prerequisite: a proof writing course (such as MATH 232, MATH 244, or MATH 252) or permission of instructor.

CSCI 336: Logic Programming

Students learn a widely used style of programming based on first order predicate logic. Topics include declarative programming, Horn clauses, declarative and procedural semantics of logic programs, clauses as relations, goals, backtracking, and resolution. Programming projects and exercises use Prolog, the most significant logic programming language. Additional topics include the relationship of Prolog to logic and applications to artificial intelligence. Offered alternate years.
Prerequisite: CSCI 251 or permission of instructor.

MSCS 341: Algorithms for Decision Making

This course introduces students to the subject of machine learning. The primary focus is the development and application of powerful machine learning algorithms applied to complex, real-world data. Topics covered include linear regression, nearest neighbor models, k-means clustering, shrinkage methods, decision trees and forests, boosting, bagging, support vector machines, and hierarchical clustering. Applications are taken from a wide variety of disciplines, including biology, economics, public policy, public health, and sports. Familiarity with a programming language such as R or Python is highly recommended. Offered on a regular basis. Counts toward computer science and mathematics majors and statistics and data science concentration.
Prerequisite: MATH 220, CSCI 251, or STAT 272 or permission of the instructor.

MSCS 389: Math, Statistics, and Computer Science Research Methods (0.50)

Students focus on writing scientific papers, preparing scientific posters, and giving presentations in the context of a specific, year-long, interdisciplinary research project. In addition, this weekly seminar series builds collaborative research skills such as working in teams, performing reviews of math, statistics, and computer science literature, consulting effectively, and communicating proficiently. Exposure to post-graduate opportunities in math, statistics, and computer science disciplines is also provided. Open to students accepted into the Center for Interdisciplinary Research.

CSCI 390: Senior Capstone Seminar

Class members participate in undergraduate research, including readings from the research literature, team development of project software, ethical analysis of their project applying CSCI 263 principles, documentation practices, and writing a research paper for public presentation. Offered annually.
Prerequisites: major in computer science with senior standing, and completion of or concurrent enrollment in computer science core courses, ordinarily including CSCI 253 and CSCI 263, or permission of instructor.

CSCI 391: Ghana International Capstone (abroad)

Class members participate in a team research project abroad. The central activity of the project teams is to implement an applied, interdisciplinary research project in collaboration with a host community in West Africa. This research project drives the other elements of the course, which include readings from the research literature, ethical analysis of their project applying CSCI 263 principles, documentation practices, and writing a research paper for public presentation. Offered annually during Interim. Apply through International and Off-Campus Studies.
Prerequisites: computer science major with senior standing and completion of or concurrent enrollment in computer science core courses, ordinarily including CSCI 253 and CSCI 263, or permission of instructor.

CSCI 394: Academic Internship

Students gain experience in computer-industry positions. Recent projects have included contributions to team programming, documentation, business applications of computing, modifications of large proprietary code bases using industry-standard software frameworks, test-driven development, creating mobile-computing interfaces for existing software systems, and improving security of company websites. Internship experiences (whether for credit or not) are strongly encouraged for anyone considering a career in computing.

CSCI 396: Directed Undergraduate Research

This course provides a comprehensive research opportunity, including an introduction to relevant background material, technical instruction, identification of a meaningful project, and data collection. The topic is determined by the faculty member in charge of the course and may relate to his/her research interests. Offered based on department decision. May be offered as a 1.00 credit course or .50 credit course.
Prerequisite: determined by individual instructor.

CSCI 398: Independent Research

Recent projects, usually executed by individuals, but occasionally in small groups, and coordinated with ongoing undergraduate research projects, include cluster-assisted computer vision for robots, parallel computing in computer science education, and middleware for interdisciplinary web applications.