CS 474 Syllabus

• General Information, Office Hours, Etc.
• Policies
• Grading
• Attendance
• Unacceptable Behavior
• Incompletes
• Students With Disabilities

General Information

Instructor

Joe Pfeiffer, SH 136, 646-1605, pfeiffer@cs.nmsu.edu

Office Hours

MWF	~4:30	-	5:30
	(after CS 273 lab and faculty meeting)


and by appointment

Text

Tanenbaum, Modern Operating Systems (Second Edition), 2001, ISBN 0-13-088893-17

Prerequisites

at least C in CS 371, and CS 372

Objectives

To become familiar with the basic structure and function of modern operating systems, and with the algorithms underlying their implementation.

Topics

We'll be giving light coverage to Chapter 1, heavy coverage to Chapters 2-4 and 6, and as much of 9, 5, 7, and 8 (in that order) as we can get to. 2-4 and 6 are definitely the core course material.

Attendance

I do not take attendance, and your attendance in the course will not (directly) affect your grade. However, you are responsible for all material covered in class, and for turning in homework, whether you are present or not.

Grading

• Assignments
• Exams

Grade Assignment

You must turn in at least half of the homework and take both exams, or you will get an F. Beyond that, grades will be assigned on the following scale:

A:	81	-	100%
B:	61	-	80%
C:	41	-	60%
D:	0	-	40%

Note: this doesn't mean it's easy to get an A, it means my assignments, my exams and my grading are all rigorous

Due Dates, Late Homework and Makeup Exams

Unless stated otherwise, homework is due before class on the due date.

I will be accepting late homework under the following conditions:

1. If you will be unable to complete an assignment on time, send me e-mail in advance explaining the circumstances, and the desired extension. If, in my judgement, the circumstances are unavoidable and the extension is reasonable, I will grant the extension (note that students on University business have an automatic right to a reasonable extension). I reserve the right to require documentation of the circumstances.
2. If, as a result of an emergency (such as a medical emergency), you are unable to turn in an assignment on time, let me know the circumstances as soon as possible. If, in my judgement, the circumstances were an unavoidable emergency, I will take the homework late. I reserve the right to require documentation of the circumstances.
3. Note: conflicts with homework in other classes, simply failing to complete an assignment on time, and oversleeping, are not reasons I will accept for late homework.

Attendance and Automatic Withdrawals

I don't take attendance, and your presence or absence in my class won't have any (direct) bearing on your grade. However, you are responsible for any material covered in class, including course material, clarifications and changes to homework assignments, and information regarding exams, whether you are in class or not.

I do not drop students for persistent absence nor persistent failure to turn in assignments. If you don't turn in the assignments or take the exams, and you don't withdraw from the course, you will fail.

Grading Standards

It's important to remember that, while I will supervise the TA and I will discuss the grading with him or her, I will not in general review in detail the grading of the problems (if I did, there wouldn't be any point in having TAs; I'd spend as much time looking over their shoulders as I would have grading). So, if in your opinion these standards are not being adhered to, you need to inform me of the situation as soon as possible.

1. If this class has a TA, the TA will grade the assignments and I will grade the exams.
2. Each question will be given a clearly stated maximum point value, on the original assignment or exam. Subparts of questions may or may not have such a maximum. The points don't have to add up to 100; your score will be converted to a percentage.
3. The assignments are equally weighted, not the points. If one assignment is graded on a total of ten points, and another is graded on a total of twenty points, then the points on the latter assignment are only worth half as much as the ones on the former.
4. Some questions lend themselves to having particular point values removed (ie -1, -5, etc) for particular mistakes, while for others it is more appropriate to simply assign an overall score based on the quality of an answer. In either case, there will be a note on your assignment stating why you didn't get full credit on every problem.

Incompletes

Under university policy, Incompletes may be given only if a student has passed the first half of the course, and is precluded from successful completion of the second half of the course by a documented illness or family crisis that the instructor believes genuinely precluded successful completion.

Unacceptable Behavior

Unless otherwise stated on an assignment, assignments (including programs) in this class are to be completed individually. Copying of assignments is plagiarism and will not be tolerated. You are responsible for maintaining the security of files under your account; in cases of plagiarism I will ordinarily regard both parties as equally guilty.

Students With Disabilities

Students with Disabilities. If you have or believe you have a disability and would benefit from any accommodations, you may wish to self-identify by contacting the Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) Office located in Room 244 of Corbett Center (phone: 646-6840). If you have already registered, please make sure that your instructor receives a copy of the accommodation memorandum from SSD within the first two weeks of classes. It is your responsibility to inform either your instructor or SSD representative in a timely manner if services/accommodations provided are not meeting your needs.

If you have a condition which may affect your ability to exit safely from the premises in an emergency or which may cause an emergency during class, you are encouraged to discuss any concerns with the instructor and/or Mr. Michael Armendariz, SSD Coordinator . Feel free to call Paul Gayle Smith (EEO/ADA and Employee Relations Director) at 646-3333 with any questions about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and/or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. All medical information will be treated confidentially.