Instructor: Dr. Dawn Lawrie
Office: DS 125b
Work Phone: (410)617-2140
Office Hours: M 2-4, W 9-9:45, Th 12:30-2:30, or by appointment
e-mail: lawrie<at>cs<dot>loyola<dot>edu

Course Home Page: http://www.cs.loyola.edu/~lawrie/CS485/F04/index.html

Class Meeting: Lecture MWF 1-1:50 in KH 006

Prerequisites: CS 302

Required Text: Ricardo, Catherine, Databases Illuminated, Jones and Bartlett: Sudbury, MA, 2004.

Course Description:
Concepts and structures necessary to design, implement, and use a database management system: logical and physical organizations; hierarchical, network, relational, and object-oriented models with emphasis on the relational model; data description languages; query facilities; experience with microcomputer database systems.

Specific Educational Objectives of the Course:
At the completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• recognize situations in which the use of a database is appropriate and the tasks involved in implementing a DBMS
• use modeling techniques to design a relational database that satisfies normal form constraints
• have some understanding of the design and functionality of Oracle
• understand the use of query and data definition languages and demonstrate some proficiency in SQL
• create a simple C/C++ or Java application that utilizes embedded SQL to access database data
• have some understanding of the mathematical theory underlying the study of DBMS
• understand the effect of choices of physical data storage methods on time and space efficiency of DBMS
• appreciated complexity factors that effect DBMS performance
• demonstrate a basic understanding of current topics in DB including OOD, Web interface, and not-text DBs
• make an oral, technical presentation on a DB-related topic

Conduct of the Course:

1. Your success in this course is my number one priority. Should you need extra help, please see me during office hours or make an appointment for a mutually convenient time.
2. Lectures will be used to discuss material in the text book and to apply it to problems.
3. Assignments will be given via problem sets approximately each week. Problem sets will be graded. All assignments are due at the start of the regular class period. Late homework will NOT be accepted. Assignments that are not print-outs should be submitted on standard size loose-leaf paper. Please be legible and neat. Illegible and/or sloppy assignments will NOT be graded.
4. A group project that leads to the production of a working database will allow a practical application of a majority of the concepts learned in the class.
5. A research paper and oral presentation will facilitate learning a single topic in depth and communicating that knowledge to your peers.
6. This course requires a substantial amount of reading. I expect you to read the referenced material from the text prior to the class in which the material will be covered. Be sure to make time in your schedule for reading: expect that much material will need to be read more than once for full understanding.
7. Two midterm exams and a final exam will also be used to evaluate your progress.
8. Attendance is necessary for success in this course. You are responsible for material presented and assignments made during absences. Normally, make-up exams are not administered. If you will miss a class period, please email me with the reason that you will not be in class.
9. The class web-site will be used to make announcements and post course materials. Be sure to check it regularly.

"The Honor Code states that all students of the Loyola Community have been equally entrusted by their peers to conduct themselves honestly on all academic assignments.

The students of this College understand that having collective and individual responsibility for the ethical welfare of their peers exemplifies a commitment to the community. Students who submit materials that are the products of their own minds demonstrate respect for themselves and the community in which they study.

All outside resources or information should be clearly acknowledged. If there is any doubt or question regarding the use and documentation of outside sources for academic assignments, your instructor should be consulted. Any violations of the Honor Code will be handled by the Honor Council."

The Honor Code as is pertains to this class:
In general, any copying of an assignment, whether electronically or by hand is considered plagiarism. Students submitting non-trivial projects with identical structure will be considered to have acted dishonestly. Such students may be referred to the Honor Council for disciplinary action. At the very least, two or more students presenting assignments identical in all important aspects will share the points from a single grade.

• Homework: May be worked on in small groups of 4 or fewer students. All students in a group must include group members names on their homework. Although problems may be discussed, copying is forbidden.
• Project: Projects will be worked on in a group. All work submitted for the project should be the work of only that group of students.
• Paper and oral presentation: This must be the work of the student submitting the research. Outside sources must be cited properly.
• Exams: Work on exams should be solely the work of the student whose name appears at the top of the exam.
• All tests and assignments must include the following statement with the signature(s) of the student(s) who worked on the assignment:
  "I understand and will uphold the ideals of academic honesty as stated in the Honor Code."

Student Athletes:
If you are a student athlete, please provide me with your travel and game schedule indicating when you will need to miss class to participate in athletic events. While travel for athletics is an excused absence, you will need to make up any missed work.

Learning Disabilities:
To request academic accommodations due to a disability, please contact the Disability Support Services Office at (410)617-2062. If you have a letter from their office indicating that you have a disability which requires academic accommodations, please present the letter to me so we can discuss the accommodations that you might need in this class.

Grading:

• Homework: 15%
• Paper and Oral Presentation: 20%
• Project: 25%
• Exams: 10% each (October 6 and November 10)
• Final Exam: 20% (Monday, December 20 9:00 a.m.)

Final Grade Distribution:
Final letter grades will be no worse than the following table.

A	A-	B+	B	B-	C+	C	C-	D+	D
93%	90%	87%	83%	80%	77%	73%	70%	67%	60%

Exams: Wednesday, October 6th and Wednesday, November 10th.

FINAL EXAM: Monday, December 20th at 9am Room KH006. *If you want to change the date, all students in the class must sign a paper that includes the new day and time. No requests will be considered after the mid-semester break.