COURSE TIMES:

PREREQUISITES: Intermediate Programming. You must drop the course if you haven't gotten a C or better in Intermediate.

INSTRUCTOR: Prof. Mark Allen Weiss

OFFICE HOURS: You are free to stop by my office (ECS-355) any time you can find me. My office hours represent a time when I am (more or less) guaranteed to be available. This semester this is Tueday and Thursday, 2:00 - 3:15 PM and after 7:45 PM. My office phone is FIU-2036.

On other days, and after hours, you are better off trying email: weiss email address. You will generally get an answer within 10 minutes of my reading the message, and I do tend to be connected often and at very late hours.

I have three standing rules:

  1. I will not debug programs. Debugging is part of the assignment. If you are very confused about some compiler error messages, you can ask, but read the error message carefully and ask as a last resort, not a first. Also, check the announcements page, since I occasionally post answers to common problems reported to me.
  2. If you miss class, get the class notes from a classmate or check the lectures page. Do not ask me what you missed.
  3. I am very unsympathetic toward questions that are asked on the program due date. You should be done by then.

LANGUAGES AND PLATFORMS: This course will be conducted in Java. I assume that you are reasonably well-versed in C++, having had Intermediate Programming in C++, and that therefore, you are no longer a novice programmer. THERE WILL BE NO HAND HOLDING IN THIS COURSE. I intend to enforce the fact that this is an advanced programming course. You must use a Java 1.3 compiler.

TEXT: The course text is Core Java, Volume I and II, available at the bookstore as a bundle for $65. I will provide supplemental handouts, via the web, for advanced topics not in the text.

COURSE GRADING: Grades will be based on fourteen small programs, one significant group project due at the end of the semester, and two oral exams. The first oral exam will be completed prior to the drop date, and the second will be completed prior to the last week of class. Both exams will be conducted ``interview style,'' in an SCS office for 15 minutes. I will post a signup sheet. Each exam and the project is worth 5 programs. I reserve the right to change the method of assigning grades, including changing the number of assignments or exams, but in no case will a curve be applied.

PROGRAMS: Barring tragedy, I will not accept late programs. Your submission must include source code and sample output. I will generally specify what the data is. Your work must be your own, and you must attest to this in a signed comment that begins each program. The assignments and if appropriate, input data, will be placed here.

COURSE OUTLINE (OPTIMISTIC):