Department of Computer and Information Science

CORC 1312: Computing: Nature, Power, and Limits

3 hours, 3 credits.

Bulletin description:

The nature, power and limits of the computer and computing.The components of the computer. Information representation. Computer networks, the Internet, and the World Wide Web. The nature of algorithms, problem-solving, and computer programming. Feasibility and computability. Computer and network security and privacy. (Not open to students who are enrolled in, or have completed, any course in Computer and Information Science, other than CISC 1050, numbered 1000 or higher with a grade of C or higher, or who have completed CC 3.12, Core Studies 5 or 5.1.)

Common Goals Addressed by Core Course:

1. To develop the ability to think critically and creatively, to reason logically, and to reason quantitatively - includes OARM Goal 16.
2. To understand the development and workings of modern societies in an interdependent world - includes OARM Goal 6.
3. To acquire the tools that are required to understand and respect the natural universe - includes OARM Goal 5.
4. To understand what knowledge is and how it is acquired by the use of differing methods in different disciplines - includes OARM Goal 17.
5. To produce informed and responsible citizens - includes OARM Goal 8.
6. To establish a foundation for life-long learning and the potential for leadership - includes OARM Goal 30.
7. Students will be able to describe the nature, power and limits of information technology - from OARM Goal 16.
8. Students will be able to explain the structure of the Internet and the World Wide Web and the roles of the fundamental protocols that drive them - from OARM Goal 6 & 16 knowledge goal.
9. Students will be able to create simple Web pages, including interactive elements - from OARM Goal 6 & 16 knowledge goal.
10. Students will be able to identify basic components of the computer, describe their function, describe the different forms of data and how they are represented, and describe how data flows among the different parts of the computer - from OARM Goal 6 & 16 knowledge goal.
11. Students will be able to define "algorithm,” provide algorithms for solving simple problems, and explain the process by which algorithms are rendered executable by a program - from OARM Goal 5 & 16, the knowledge goal.
13. Students will be able to identify some problems that are not feasible and/or computable - from Goal 5 & 16, the knowledge goal.
14. Students will be able to explain criteria for evaluating data and their sources - from OARM Goal 17.
15. Students will be able to describe plagiarism and how to avoid it and to make determination regarding their personal online privacy and security - from OARM Goal 8, the knowledge goal.
16. Students will be able to demonstrate personal responsibility and forthrightness in principle and action - from OARM Goal 30.

Outcomes for this Core Course:

1. Students describe the nature, power and limits of information technology through their writing, oral presentation, and/or computing experiments
2. Students create computer-based solutions to problems through the use of Web-based resources.
3. Students create simple Web pages, including interactive elements.
4. Students identify basic components of the computer, describe their function, describe the different forms of data and how they are represented, and describe how data flows among the different parts of the computer.
5. Students write simple programs to solve a problem described in English.
6. Students identify some problems that are not feasible and/or computable.
7. Given a topic, students will research the topic on the Web and determine which sources have higher significance and authority.
8. Students identify cases of plagiarism.
9. Students complete assignments within the designated time.

Methods of Assessment:

• Students are asked if certain problems do or do not lend themselves to solution by computer.
• Students will be asked to find the answer to a question using the Web, and document their search for the solution.
• Students are asked to create simple Web pages, including interactive elements.
• Students are asked to identify basic components of the computer, describe their function, describe the different forms of data and how they are represented, and describe how data flows among the different parts of the computer.
• Students are asked to write simple programs to solve a problem described in English.
• Students are asked whether a specific problem is computable and/or feasible.
• Given a topic, students will be asked to research the topic on the Web and determine which Web sources they find have higher significance and authority.
• Students are presented with a Web site and a paragraph on material from the site, and are asked if the paragraph constitutes an example of plagiarism.
• Students will be given assignments with definite due dates, and the timeliness and completion level of the assignments will be evaluated.

Outline

Week	Lecture	Practicum
1	Introduction to Computer Science; algorithms; programs	Intro to use of computers for subject matter to follow; Windows; Web; Email
2	Networks; LANs; WANS; TCP/IP	URLs; IP addresses; DNS names; tracert
3	Algorithmic thinking	HTML I - source file vs. browser display; basic tags; ordered and unordered lists
4	Computer languages; compilation process (software view)	HTML II - links; images; tables
5	data representation; storage devices	data representation; searching on the web; plagiarism
6	Exam 1	History of Computer Science; online tour of "virtual museum" material
7	Introduction to JavaScript; scripts; variables and expressions	JavaScript I - alert and prompt methods; variables and expressions
8	Using predefined functions; introduction to event-driven programming	JavaScript II - library functions and predefined methods; simple responses to events
9	Machine architecture; stored program concept (hardware view)	Architecture simulation lab
10	Writing user-defined functions	JavaScript III - functions; events that invoke functions
11	Unsolvability and nonfeasibility; halting problem	JavaScript IV - loops and running time
12	Review	Exam 2
13	Security and privacy	E-commerce; cookies; secure transactions
14	Encryption	PGP encryption and digital signatures

Method of Evaluation

The course grade will be based on assignments and participation (33%), midterm examinations (2 at 17% each), and a final examination (33%).

Course Text

Pearson Custom, Computer Science: CORC 1312, Computing: Nature, Power and Limits, Brooklyn College, Pearson Custom Publishing, 2010, ISBN # 0558728207.

Bibliography

Brookshear, Computer Science: An Overview, 7^th edition, Addison Wesley, 2002.

Comer,The Internet Book, 3^rd edition,Prentice-Hall, 2000.

Lehnert, Web 101, 2^nd edition, Addison Wesley, 2000.

Lin, QuickStart to JavaScript,Scott/Jones, 1999.

Rawlins, Slaves of the Machine, MIT Press, 1997.

Reed, A Balanced INtroduction to Computer Science, 2^nd edition, Pearson Prentice Hall, 2008.

Snyder, Fluency with Information Technology: Skills, Concepts, and Capabilities, 4^th edition, Addison Wesley, 2011.

Walker, The Limits of Computing, Jones and Bartlett, 1994.

Substitutions for BC students:

CISC 1110 or CIS 3110

Substitutions for transfer students:

3 transfer credits in Computer and Information Science courses, except for the following:
Computer and Information Science, CISC 1050, 1590, 2531, 2810 or 2210.