Instructor: Prof. Tim Wood
Email: timwood@gwu.edu
TA: TBD
Prerequisites: CS 1112 or equivalent (See undergraduate curriculum).

Time/Place:

  • Class meets Wednesdays 3:30-6:00PM in Tompkins 405
  • Lab 1 meets Mondays 2:10-3:20 PM in SEH 4040
  • Lab 2 meets Mondays 9:00-10:10 AM in SEH 4040

Office Hours:

  • Prof. Wood: TBD
  • TA: TBD

Course Description and Learning Outcomes

In this course, students will learn how to write object-oriented code using Java. Concepts will focus on object-oriented thinking, software composition, inheritance and polymorphism, and design patterns. Programming techniques, assignments and lab exercises will focus on Java, specifically, the language and its core libraries. The course will be conducted lab-style with a mix of lecture, lab assignments and projects. The course will also cover an elementary introduction to the C programming language.

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

  • Experience programming in C.
  • Understand the relationship of language features to static and dynamic memory.
  • Design Java classes for a challenging problem involving multiple classes.
  • Understand objects: static and dynamic classes, interfaces, abstract classes, inheritance, polymorphism, constructors, Java’s object features and syntax, memory representation of objects.
  • Understand application development and design principles.
  • Demonstrate skill in problem solving by going from complex word description to implementation.

Course Outline

  • Weeks 1-3: Introductory C programming
    • Syntax, memory management, libraries, file IO
  • Weeks 4-8: Intermediate Java programming
    • Quick review, objects, class hierarchies
  • Weeks 9-14: Advanced Java Topics
    • GUIs, concurrency/threading, IO, networking, web
  • Throughout: Software engineering techniques
    • Requirements, Architecture, Design Principles

Textbook and Resources

The textbooks for this course are:

  • Required: Head First Java by Kathy Sierra and Bert Bates, published by O’Reilly (2nd edition)
  • Optional: Practical C Programming by Steve Oualline, published by O’Reilly (3rd edition)
    • This text will also be useful in the Comp Arch and Systems Programming courses

You can get the e-book or may want to check Amazon.com for a cheaper copy.

Note: You will need the C book in the first week of class! We will not get to Java until week 3-4.

If you feel you need further resources, you can try:

  • The book Java in a Nutshell, by David Flanagan, O’Reilly Publishing. This book is a handy reference that contains a (rather terse) overview of the language, tools and API’s. Initially, a beginner will find it difficult to read, but it’s probably the only book you will continue to use even after becoming a Java expert.
  • Suggested companion book: Core Java, Volume 1 by C.Horstmann and G.Cornell. This book, an introduction to Java for programmers, starts from scratch, has plenty of examples and comparisons with other languages. Use this book beyond the course material to get a different take on the same material.
  • For further information, see Prof. Simha’s annotated list of Java books and list of Java resources.

Workload and Grading

Programming load: The course will be programming-intensive. You should be prepared to spend a significant amount of time writing and designing software.

Approximate grading:

  • 5%: Participation in class and online
  • 10%: (Surprise!) quizzes
  • 25%: Lots of small programming exercises
  • 30%: Large programming projects
  • 30%: Two exams (midterm and final)

Bonus Points: throughout the class you will have opportunities to earn bonus points by doing something extra for your exercises or projects. The bonus points from the first half of the semester will be applied to your first exam and the points for the second half will be applied to the second exam.

Course Policies

If you have a disability that may effect your participation in this course and wish to discuss academic accommodations, please contact me as soon as possible.

Late work policy:

  • TBD
  • If you have been ill and have a doctor’s certificate to prove it, you will be eligible to take a missed quiz, provided you submit this certificate (during my office hours) reasonably soon after recovering from the affliction. Significant illnesses may be grounds for delayed assignment or project submission, but you should email me before the deadline if physically possible.

Email policy: You can send email to my GW email address. I will answer most class email during specific times set aside during the week for this purpose - so do not expect an instantaneous response. Since this is an advanced class, you may not perform “debugging by email”. That is, do not send me code snippets and ask me to identify the problem. If you want me to look at your code, you should have a specific question in mind (not just “it’s broken, why?”). Bringing code to my office hours is far more effective than sending it to me via email.

Illness policy: If you are ill and it will cause you to miss class, lab, or an assignment, you should let me know in advance if possible. I cannot extend deadlines unless you provide a note from a doctor. Otherwise, use a late pass.

Academic Integrity policy: It is very important in this course (and in life), that your work be your own. These guidelines will help you achieve that.

You must:

  • Do your best to solve all homework, quizzes, and exams on your own.
  • Write the names of any students you collaborated with as a comment at the top of your main file (subject to the constraints below).
  • Notify me if you are using a tutor (this is not a problem, just let me know).

You may:

  • Discuss general approaches to solving the homework problems with other students.
  • Have another student look at a specific snippet of your code (e.g., 10 lines) to help you debug a programming error.

You may not:

  • Copy code to or from other students or people outside of the class.
  • Have someone else write code for you.
  • Copy code from the internet, unless you specifically reference the source and can explain how it works. This should be a tiny minority of the code you submit.
  • Write code as a group and then submit identical or slightly modified versions—if you are working together with someone to solve a problem, each of you should be writing up your own independent solution.

The Academic Integrity Code will apply to this course. Please read through the code carefully. Penalties for violating the code or the policies described here include failing this course, and are elaborated in the GW Academic Integrity Code. Note that the minimum punishment is failure of the assignment.

Further Notes

Coding standards: Having completed the prereqs, you are expected to submit well-written code:

  • Comments must be substantive.
  • Select readable variable names and method names.
  • Use consistent indentation (preferred: two or four spaces).

Acknowledgments: Much of the material for this course comes from previous iterations taught by Prof. Simha and by Rhys Price Jones.