CS 1531 - S-STEM Seminar IV
Section 101 Course Syllabus - Spring 2010
(http://www.cs.appstate.edu/sstem/seminar/s10)


Professors:  Dr. Rahman Tashakkori, e-mail: rt AT cs DOT appstate DOT edu
Web Page: http://www.cs.appstate.edu/~rt/

Office: 121 CAP, Office Phone: 262-7009
Office Hours: MWF: 9:00-11:00 and T 10:00-11:00
Class Time/Location: Fridays 3:15-4:15/Room 112 CAP

Final: Wednesday April 28, 2010, from 1:00-3:00
Other Faculty Mentors:
Dr. Mark Ginn & Dr. Eric Marland (Mathematical Sciences),  Dr. Cindy Norris & Dr. James Wilkes (CS), Dr. Chris Thaxton (Physics & Astronomy), Dr. Nicole Bennett (Chemistry), and Dr. Nathan Mowa (Biology).
Course Description
This course is designed primarily to support SSTEM scholarship recipients in their pursuit of knowledge and success in mathematics and/or computer Science. This support will be in the form of presentations from relevant campus units, like the library and career counseling center, talks by faculty and graduate students on current research work or topics of interest, and whatever else we can think of to help students be successful. Communication skills are important to your success, so the seminar will provide opportunities to develop communication skills, both written and oral. Finally, the seminar will be a place for encouraging friendships and mentoring relationships both among the SSTEM participants and between SSTEM faculty and students.

Topics Covered
We will discuss a wide variety of topics in computer science and mathematics. This Year's theme will be Computational Thinking and Computational science. We wish to look into interdisciplinary applications of these two and apply them to solve problems in different disciplines.

Prerequisite
Acceptance into the SSTEM scholarship program or permission of one of the program directors.

Required Texts
None
Handouts and research papers will be distributed in class.

Grading Policy
The following grading scale is used in this course:
                        Mentoring and Services (A list will be provided in class) 15%
                        Semester Project 20%  (10% team effort + 10% individual effort)
                        Class attendance and participation 30%
                        Group Meetings 15%  (Note that absences in group meetings affect the project grade as well)
                        Individual Assignments(internship applications, resume, short article,..) 20%

Class Attendance
All S-STEM Scholars are required to attend this Seminar in order to receive the scholarship.  Except in extreme circumstance (you are required to provide evidence), you will lose 5% of your semester grade for each unexcused absence.  Please note that the project you will work on as a team is extremely important and you are equally responsible to participate and contribute to the success of the project.  As such, attending the team's weekly meetings will be significantly important and will receive grades.

Students with Disabilities
Students who wish to receive accommodations are encouraged to refer to This page.
Academic Calendar
http://webits3.appstate.edu/registrar/calendar/