CPSC 221H-200: Data Structures and Algorithms, Honors
Syllabus
Spring 2009

Instructor: Nancy Amato
office: 425H Harvey R. Bright Bldg
office Hours: Thu 1:30-3:30; other times by appointment.
email: amato [at] tamu.edu
url: http://parasol.tamu.edu/~amato
office phone: 1-979-862-2275

Teaching Assistant: Roger Pearce
Office: 407C
Office Hours: TR 9:00-9:35 and 10:25-11:00 in 203 HRBB, W 3:00-4:00 in 407 HRBB, other times by appointment.
email: rpearce [at] tamu.edu

Peer Teacher: Jason Smith
Office: TBD
Office Hours: TBD, other times by appointment.
email: agJDSmith09 [at] gmail.com

Prerequisite: CPSC 121

Corequisite: CPSC 211: Data Structures and their Implementations (previously MATH 302, Discrete Math).

Lecture: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11:10pm-12:25pm, 105B Zachry
Lab: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:35am-10:25am, 203 H.R. Bright Bldg.

Textbook: Data Structures and Algorithms in C++, Michael T. Goodrich, Roberto Tamassia, David Mount, John Wiley & Sons, 2004.

Course URL: http://parasol.tamu.edu/~amato/Courses/221/

• Provide students with knowledge of basic abstract data types and their associated algorithms: stacks, queues, lists, sorting and selection, searching, graphs and hashing.
• Provide students with practice specifying and implementing these data structures and algorithms in C++
• Provide students with the skills needed to understand and analyze performance tradeoffs of different implementations and asymptotic analysis of running time and memory usage

Note about Honors Section: This honors section of CPSC 221 will not be more work than or harder than the regular section. We will have some different assignments, and, since the class is much smaller, we will also have more opportunities to engage everyone in the class, both during the lectures and the labs.

Course Content and Tentative Schedule: The course will cover the following topics.

All assignments submitted in hardcopy must include a completed and signed coverpage - assignments submitted without the coverpage will not receive credit.

Your grade will be based on five components:

• Exams 45% - There will be two mid-term exams and one final exam, each worth 15%. The exams will be held in class.

• Quizzes 15% - The quizzes will be over the assigned reading and/or the material discussed in class. Quizzes will consist of a few simple questions (short answer, true-false, or multiple choice) The purpose of the quizzes is to motivate you to become familiar with the topics to be covered and to learn as much as possible on your own. Expect about one quiz per week - they will be announced at least one class period in advance. You will be permitted to drop at least two quizzes (the total number to be dropped will be decided later in the semester).

• Assignments 30% - Pencil and paper exercises and programming assignments.

• Class Participation 5% - active participation in class by all students will make it a better experience for us all.

• CS Culture Assignments 5% - There is a lot more to Computer Science than you will be exposed to through your normal coursework. The purpose of the CS culture assignments is to give you an opportunity to learn about some of the various research areas (by attendence at research seminars), and some of the computer scientists that have made significant contributions to the field (by researching and writing short biographies). During the course of the semester, you will be required to complete 5 CS Culture assignments. More details on these assignments are available on the course webpage.

There will be no make-up exams and no late assignments accepted except for university-excused absences. Please discuss unusual circumstances in advance with the instructor when possible.

Course grades will be assigned according to this scale:

Collaboration: For the assignments in this class, discussion of concepts with others is encouraged, but all assignments must be done on your own, unless otherwise instructed. Reference every source you use, whether it be a person, a book, a paper, a solution set, a web page or whatever. You MUST write up your assignments in your own words. Copying is strictly forbidden. Every assignment must be turned in with a cover sheet available from the course web page, which lists all sources you used.

Academic Integrity Statements: The Aggie Honor Code is "An Aggie does not lie, cheat, or steal or tolerate those who do." Upon accepting admission to Texas A&M University, a student immediately assumes a commitment to uphold the Honor Code, to accept responsibility for learning, and to follow the philosophy and rules of the Honor System. Students will be required to state their commitment on examinations, research papers, and other academic work. Ignorance of the rules does not exclude any member of the TAMU community from the requirements or the processes of the Honor System. For additional information please visit: http://www.tamu.edu/aggiehonor/ .

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Policy Statement: The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal antidiscrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact the Department of Student Life, Services for Students with Disabilities in Cain Hall, Rm. B118, or call 845-1637.