Fall 2006 courses for Jim Mahoney

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title:   Digital Multimedia
number:  NSC551
faculty: Jim Mahoney
area:    computer science (see also photography, music, and film/video)
credits: 3
when:    TuThu 10:00 - 11:20
where:   Sci 217
prereq:  none
level:   intro
repeat:  no
blurb:
         An introduction to computer manipulation of images,
         music, animation, and video, including background
         topics in optics, acoustics, and the Internet.
         The equipment and software will be flexible, but will emphasize
         open source systems such as Audacity (sound),
         the Gimp (images), and Blender (animation).  Where
         schedules allow we will connect with the various art labs
         (photo, music, video), but much of the work won't
         require specialized equipment.  Expect weekly assignments and
         tests as well as a midterm and final project.

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title:   An Introduction to Programming with Python
number:  NSC552
faculty: Jim Mahoney
area:    computer science
credits: 4
when:    MWF 10:30 - 11:30
where:   Sci 217
prereq:  none
level:   intro
repeat:  no
text:    Python Programming: An Introduction to Compter Science, Zelle
blurb:
	 This is a first class in computer programming, and as
         such a foundation class for further work in computer science.
         Much as a competency with English grammar is required for
         writing, an understanding of programming is required to
         for nearly all intermediate and advanced work in computer science.
         A similar course is offered every Fall, though the language
         chosen varies from year to year.  Python is a modern, elegant,
         high level scripting language, popular at Goggle among other places.

         In addition to learning about "object oriented programming", loops,
         input/output and all that, expect to also learn a variety of
         computer skills and basics.

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title:   The Design and Implementation of Programming Languages
number:  NSC552
faculty: Jim Mahoney
area:    computer science
credits: 4
when:    TuThu 11:30 - 12:50
where:   Sci 217
prereq:  substantive experience with at least two programming languages
level:   intermediate / advanced
repeat:  no
text:    Programming Language Pragmatics, 2nd ed, M. Scott
blurb:
         Rather than look at how to programming, this course
         examines the programming languages themselves.  Topics
         may include compilers, assemblers, syntax, parsers,
         names and scope, types of programming languages, linking,
         optimization, memory management, and machine architectures.
         The text will be Michael Scott's "Programming Language
         Pragmatics"; look at its table of contents online for
         a better idea of what will be covered and at what level.

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title:   Computer Networking and Practical Security
number:  NSC557
faculty: Gabriel Lein (senior plan course, sponsored by Jim Mahoney)
area:    computer science
credits: 2
prereq:  Some Unix familiarity, programming experience recommended
when:    Fri 11:30-12:50
where:   Sci 217
blurb:
         This course will introduce students to the underpinnings of
         the internet and basic security measures. Students will be
         exposed to the tools and procedures for both administrating
         and attacking a network, as well as given an overview of
         modern cryptography. Graded work will be in the form of
         open-ended exploratory assignments, and students will be able
         to experiment in the safety of an isolated lab.

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title:   Web Design 
where:   Grad center course
credits: M'boro tutorial credit
when:    alternate Fri evenings 5:30pm-8:30pm
         Sep 8 and 22, Oct 6 and 20, Nov 3 and 17, Dec 8
texts:   Web Design in a Nutshell, 3rd ed, J. N. Robbins
         Designing with Web Standards, 2nd ed, J. Zeldman
blurb:
         While it seems simple enough to create a web page these days
         (just clicking "Save as Web Page" in MS Word will make one),
         in fact there's a lot going on in your browser behind the
         scenes. Moreover, HTML and browsers have changed
         significantly in the last couple of years as open standards
         have become better supported and more commonplace. The good
         news is that you can create sites that load quickly, look
         good across many browsers (even phones and handhelds), and
         will still work in a few years - but only if you understand
         what's going on underneath.  

         This course covers the modern "client" (i.e. the parts that
         run in a browser) technologies of web design, including XHTML
         (the structural layout), CSS (Cascading Style Sheets, the
         presentation specification), and the JavaScript DOM (Document
         Object Model) programming language that defines the behaviors
         of buttons, menus, and all that. We'll also likely cover AJAX
         (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML, a popular browser
         technology behind things like Google maps), forms, mashups,
         and some other bells and whistles depending on available time
         and students' background and interests.

         We'll also look at many examples of good and bad website
         visual designs, including navigation and page layout;
         however, our emphasis will be on how it all works rather than
         the aesthetics of how it looks.