Course requirements

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Unless it is absolutely essential, I will NOT accept attachments. The ONLY exceptions are your class (PowerPoint or equivalent) presentation, which I will expect one week before your scheduled class presentation (see below), and documents for which you have obtained from me special permission ahead of time (with proper justification). ALL other messages that include attachments are deleted without opening.

Your grade for the course will be determined by successful completion of the following requirements:

• [10%] Bibliography summary (extensive reading of the current literature, compiled weekly. Submit at the end of the semester): each week you will search, read and summarize at least two new papers, book chapters, and/or any other new interesting materials related to the topics of our course. The bibliography summaries will include a list of full references of all materials read during the previous week, and short, one-paragraph summaries of two of those, for a total of at least 28 entries during the semester. We hope to put all these bibliography lists and summaries on a Web-accessible database so that the resources are available to the public. Use the bibliography template to provide all available information. You will compile your bibliography summaries on a weekly basis, but will submit them via e-mail (or other electronic method we may establish) at the end of the semester in one single document. In the document, you will list weekly entries with their week number and date (e.g., the first week's entry will be labelled "Week 1, September 9, 2002.") The document will be plain text (.txt) or HTML (.html) but NOT a .doc attachment. The subject line of the submission MUST read: 91.514 Bibliography Summaries; last name, first name, CS user ID. (For proper credit follow format EXACTLY.)
• [20%] Class presentation: All chapters and articles in the topics page, are open for class presentations at this time. Right now, the plan is to fit two to three individual presentations per class, starting with the second or third class. If you have a compelling reason to have a group presentation, please make your case; if reasonable, I will approve. Select three items from the list, ordered by your preference, by Monday, September 16. I will try to accommodate your choices, on a first-come-first-serve basis. My goal in making up the final presentation schedule will be to have a cohesive, diverse, and interesting series of presentations. Interesting proposals for chapters, articles, or topics outside of the list will be considered if appropriate. If you want to propose one (or more), you still have to submit your prioritized list of at least three options, at least two of which must be from the provided list. Use the presentation proposal template to provide all required information. Your presentation will last (average) 50-60 minutes, and will be built as a PowerPoint (or equivalent) presentation, with a first draft due to me one week prior to your presentation day. After I review it, I will post it on the course Website so that everyone has a chance to go over it before class. I will announce the presentations schedule as soon as I have it completed. Consult the presentations schedule table to verify your assigned topic and date of presentation.
• [20%, 20%] Term papers (two, due October 28 and December 13): you will write two short term papers (maximum 2,000 words) on topics directly related to material presented in class. You may write your papers on topics related to your class presentation, but there must be some substantial difference between each paper, your presentation, and your other paper. You must propose your papers' topics and get them approved. (Make sure to READ AND FOLLOW the Academic Honesty guidelines, they will be strictly enforced, and any violations will be handled in the most severe manner possible! If you are not convinced how serious I am about this, ask those (quite numerous, unfortunately) students who have failed my courses in the past because they violated the honesty requirements!)
  1. first paper: topic, title, and short abstract (no more than 50 words) due Monday, September 23; use the bibliography template to provide all available information (be aware, though, that the template has general bibliography format; the author of your paper should be YOU, and it hasn't been published anywhere, yet at least). The full paper is due Monday, October 28.
  2. second paper: topic, title, and short abstract due Monday, November 4; use the bibliography template to provide all available information. The full paper is due Friday, December 13 (last day of classes).
• [30%] Term project (single or 2- to 3-student groups): see this semester's default projects list. Specific, more detailed requirements will be provided if/when necessary. An alternative topic of your choice may be proposed, and must be approved, but is only likely to be approved if it can be tied to class topics.
  • project proposal due: Monday, October 7; a brief progress report is due Monday, November 4; the project is due Monday, December 9 (last class). On that day, a brief (10-15 minutes) project presentation in class is required.
  • project proposal should include: a title; short description of the topic, problem(s) to be addressed, and goals of the project; a preliminary "user manual," including a summary of the anticipated interfaces; a high-level design (modules, their purpose and functionality, and how they interact/communicate with other modules), and a list of "deliverables," i.e., what will be delivered at the end of the semester. Use the project proposal template to provide all available information.
• Participation in class discussions [no specific weight assigned]: I will not be taking attendance, as I consider each and every one of you a mature individual who understands that, above all, it's your time, your money, your education, and therefore, your responsibility to make the best of it. However, one of the signs of a serious commitment to the course is regular attendance and participation in discussions. I particularly look unfavorably at students who stop showing up in class after their own presentation has been made. I will factor this in consideration of borderline cases; a more favorable attendance and participation record can tip a borderline grade up, while a negative one will tip it down.

The emphasis will be on research and advanced work.

Prerequisites

91.513 or instructor's permission.