CS 1713 Section 2, Fall 1997
Introduction to Computer Science

Instructor: Daniel Jimenez, M.S.
Office: SB 3.01.06 (straight in, last cubicle on the right).
E-mail:
djimenez@ringer.cs.utsa.edu
Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday, 9:30-11:00AM, SB 3.01.06

Class Times:

Note: you must be signed up for both CS1713 section 2 and either CS1711 section 3 or 4.

Textbooks:

Prerequisite: MAT 1093 (Precalculus), concurrent enrollment in CS 1711 section 3 or 4.

Course Description:

Introduction to basic concepts of computer science. Functional components of computers, data representation, problem solving methods, algorithm development, and programming using a high-level programming language. (Formerly CS 1714. Credit cannot be earned for both CS 1714 and CS1713.)
Introduction to Introduction to Computer Science:

This course is the introductory course for a major or minor in Computer Science at UTSA. Students majoring in other fields may wish to consult the requirements for their major in the catalog for possible alternative courses: All students are welcomed to take CS 1713; however, this course is very intensive and designed specifically for the computer science major/minor, as opposed to the general computing audience.

There are two main purposes of CS 1713. The first is to introduce the student to elements of computer science in a problem solving context. The second is to guide the student through learning a high-level programming language (C in our case) while he or she writes programs of increasing complexity, preparing the student for the next course in the computer science sequence, CS 1723: Data Structures. Note: you must have taken MAT 1093 before taking this class. Concepts introduced in precalculus are very important in computer science. You are encouraged to take MAT 1214, Calculus I concurrently with CS 1713.

Students will learn about:

Course Requirements:

A Word About the Computer Science Major

If you are a computer science major, you have chosen to enter a fascinating world where the barely imaginable has become ordinary just in the past few decades. There is an enormous amount of knowledge and learning that goes along with getting a degree in this field, and with understanding the technology behind the magic. Most of this learning occurs not during the class lectures, but in the long hours you will spend in the lab, the discussions you will have with your classmates and instructors outside class, the middles of the night when you wake up and realize how to solve some programming problem, the second and third time you take Calculus I, etc. This learning only comes with hard work. If you don't learn the concepts presented in CS 1713 but somehow manage to squeak by with a C anyway, you will not be prepared to take the next course. You will eventually need to learn the material anyway. So take advantage of this opportunity and give this class the attention it deserves. The instructor is happy to see you in his office or answer your e-mail or newsgroup question.

Academic Dishonesty

Unless a programming project is specifically assigned as a group project, students are not allowed to work together on programs. You may discuss general ideas related to the program, but you may not e.g. share program code or read each others programs. Instances of such collaboration will be dealt with harshly, but the real cost comes when a student doesn't know how to answer questions on a test about issues involved in doing a project.