CS 49J: Programming in Java
San José State University, Fall 2007,
Section 1, 1600-1715 TR, MH 225
instructor: Jeff Smith
Office hours & contact information:
My office hours for Fall 2007 will be 1400-1500 MW and 1730-1845 TR, or by
appointment. My office is MH 218. Email (to 
) is usually better for reaching me
than the phone (408-924-5153), since I check
messages more frequently, and I'm often too busy with a student to answer the phone.
Catalog Description
Introduction to the Java programming language and libraries. Topics include fundamental data types and control structures, object-oriented programming, string processing, input/output, and error handling. Use of Java libraries for mathematics, graphics, collections, and for user interfaces. Prerequisite: Previous programming experience in a language other than Java.
Text and Topics:
The text is Java Concepts, 5th edition, by Cay Horstmann (ISBN 978-0-470-13211-1). Note that there are two ISBN numbers for this text; the one given here allows you to access additional online resources. It's a good idea to bring the text (or your laptop) to class every day. Additional references will be available in the library's course reserves, and through the course web site.
We will certainly cover Chapters 1-11, 15, 16, and 18 of the text. Note that the chapters after Chapter 15 appear on the text's web site at
http://bcs.wiley.com/he-bcs/Books?action=index&itemId=0470105550&bcsId=3663.
If time permits we will cover Chapter 17. The topics of Chapter 14 are covered in CS 46B, and should be familiar if you have already taken an equivalent of that course, but we may need to touch on them briefly for those who haven't. Many of the introductory concepts from the first half of the text will be familiar from your previous programming experience. This means that we will be able to proceed quickly through much of the text, slowing down only when Java's treatment of them differs significantly from those of other popular languages.
Grading system:
Excluding extra credit, the course will be graded on a 1000-point basis: 500 points on programming assignments, 300 on 3 in-class tests, and 200 on the final exam. The programming assignments are to be done in Java (Java 5 or later).
For each exam or assignment, numeric grades are given and intervals for each letter grade are assigned. The bottoms of these intervals are usually 90% for A-, 80% for B-, etc. Your course grade will be determined by comparing the sum of your numeric grades to the sum of the intervals, except that I often give a grade slightly higher than this to students who have just one poor grade, or who have been improving throughout the course. The intervals for + and - grades are 1.5 percentage points, so that, for example, the borderline between A- and A is normally 91.5%. My standards for the I grade, for makeup exams, and for extending assignment due dates are quite strict. At a minimum, I expect documentation of why you cannot complete the work in the expected time.
Extra credit will not be considered in the determination of grade brackets.
So for example, if the range for an A- is 900-915 points, then a student who gets 20 points of extra credit and 900 regular credit points will get a grade of A (based on 920 of 1000 total points) rather than an A- (based on 920 of 1020 total points). There will be from 0 to 30 extra credit points in the course.
All tests will be open book and open notes. Electrical & electronic devices are not permitted (except for preapproved hardship cases).
The separate web pages entitled Assignments, Documentation and Style in Java, Collaboration, and Course Calendar are part of the official greensheet for this course, and you are responsible for knowing their contents. The first two of these give specifications for turning in programming assignments in this course. All four of them, along with other useful documents, are available from the class home page at
http://www.cs.sjsu.edu/faculty/smithj/classes/49j
Learning outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:
- Write Java applications which are appropriately documented using Javadoc
- Use Java to read and write text files
- Implement from specifications Java classes that embody data structures
- Use and work with pre-existing implementations in the Java collections framework
- Use an iterator to traverse any collection
- Write a graphics program that draws simple shapes
- Use Java exceptions for error handling
Academic integrity
Mandated SJSU academic integrity statement:
Your own commitment to learning, as evidenced by your enrollment at
San José State University, and the University's Academic Integrity
Policy requires you to be honest in all your academic course work.
Faculty members are required to report all infractions to the Office of
Judicial Affairs. The policy on academic integrity can be found at
http://sa.sjsu.edu/judicial_affairs/index.html.
This site has other useful information besides the policy.
The most important consequences of the policy are that, unless unless I explicitly specify otherwise, work you turn in for this class should be entirely your own, and you should not share your work with anyone else. Some elaboration of the policy is available on the class web site.
Campus policy in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act
If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a
disability, or if you need special arrangements in case the building
must be evacuated, please see me soon as possible. Presidential Directive
97-03 requires that students with disabilities register with DRC
to establish a record of their disability.
Evacuation
If MH 225 must be evacuated, please use the front stairs (so make a right turn and then a quick left turn and a quick right turn as you leave the classroom). Do not attempt to use the elevators. Do bring your belongings, as you may not be able to reenter the building promptly. When you exit the stairwell, proceed to the Paseo de San Carlos (the grassy strip on the opposite side of MH from the parking garage).