Course Descriptions

15-100 Introduction to Programming 10 units

An introduction to the process of program design and analysis using the Java programming language for students who have NO prior programming experience. Topics to be covered include basic data types and their operators, I/O, control structures (selection, loops), classes (including methods and fields), arrays, and simple sorting and searching algorithms

15-111 Intermediate/Advanced Prog ramming 9 units

This course assumes prior programming experience in Java (at the level of 15-100) and is designed to expand students' knowledge of computer science and sharpen their programming skills through the implementation of a large project. The course extends object-oriented programming techniques begun in 15-100 and covers data aggregates, data structures (e.g., linked lists, stacks, queues, trees, and graphs), and an introduction to the analysis of algorithms that operate on those data structures.

21-120 Differential & Integral Calculus 10 units

Functions, limits, derivatives, logarithmic, exponential, and trigonometric functions, inverse functions; L'Hospital's Rule, curve sketching, Mean Value Theorem, related rates, linear and quadratic approximations, maximum-minimum problems, inverse functions, definite and indefinite integrals, and hyperbolic functions; applications of integration, integration by substitution and by parts.

21-256 Multivariate Analysis 9 units

Taylor's Theorem; geometric sequences and series and their applications in compound interest; vectors and matrices, lines, and planes; partial derivatives, directional derivatives, gradient, chain rule, maximum-minimum problems, Lagrange multipliers and the Kuhn-Tucker Theorem.

51-261 Communication Design Fundamentals 9 units

Introduces students to the field of communication design. Through studio projects, lectures, and demonstrations, students become familiar with the visual and verbal language of communication designers, the design process, and the communicative value of world and image.

67-101 Information Systems Colloquium

Course content under review

67-250 Information Systems Milieux 9 units

This course is designed to help students understand the role of information systems in modern society and the means by which these systems are created. It begins by focusing on the economics of information and how new technologies change business decisions at various levels. Later examines internal behavior of organizations that use information systems and see how the use and existence of these systems influence choices within the organization. Finally, the course explores nt of information systems, various models used to create these systems and principles of effective software engineering. The focus of this course is not technology instruction and completing this course alone is not going to give a student sufficient exposure to these topics to be able claim mastery.

67-271 Fundamentals of Systems Development 9 units

An introductory course in software systems analysis and design and project management. The course covers contemporary themes and issues involved in developing high quality software systems that meet users' expectations. Students will learn the basic theory, techniques and skills that systems analysts need to develop and document requirements and project plans for complex information systems projects. Since software system development practice is a rapidly evolving area, a cross-section of current, as well as time tested best practices methods will be presented. The course consists of these main components: overview of systems analysis and design, lifecycle and process issues, requirements articulation with use cases, object models and diagramming and documentation tools and techniques, and project management, including issues of software quality and metrics. Concepts will be mastered through a combination of assigned readings, class attendance, homework assignments and mini-projects.

67-272 Application Design & Development 9 units

This course provides students with the concepts and techniques to design and develop software applications, and to understand the design process. Students will learn the importance of user-centered design and will develop prototype applications. Students will develop competency with several key technologies used in web development and e-commerce and will learn the principles needed to make effective use of these technologies. Topics include user centered design and development, database design concepts, Structured Query Language, and various supporting web technologies. Lab sections give students hands-on experience with these technologies.

67-373 Software Development Project 12 units

A lab course providing experience working with a small project group to design and analyze a computer-based information system. To illustrate and provide practice utilizing the tools of structured analysis and design, the class is divided into groups which are assigned to analyze, design and build an information system.

67-475 Information Systems Applications 12 units

In this course, students design and implement a usable information system for a client. The client may be affiliated with the university, government, business, or non-profit agency. Students will be assigned to teams to work on these projects, and will produce operational, fully documented and tested, computer based information systems.

70-100 Introduction to Business 9 units

This course provides an overview of the functional areas of business and how they contribute to the management of a firm. It places business within the broader context of business history, business ethics, and the role of business in various world cultures.

70-207 Probability & Statistics for Business Applications 9 units

Elementary ideas in probability, statistics and data analysis presented in the context of their importance to modern business management.

70-208 Regression Analysis 9 units

The theory and applications of multivariate regression and time series analysis, with particular emphasis on business applications

70-311 Organizational Behavior 9 units

This course examines the factors, which influence individual, group, and firm behavior in the context of the work place. Topics covered include perception, group behavior, decision-making, motivation, leadership, and organizational design and change.

73-100 Principles of Economics 9 units

An introductory course in the development and use of economic tools for analysis of public policy issues. The course begins with an introduction to the central problem of organizing an economy and allocating resources, emphasizing an overview of the market system in a private enterprise economy. Demand and supply analysis and the elements of long-run competitive equilibrium are developed. This is followed by an analysis of the foundations of consumer behavior which determine market supply and demand. The course concludes with an examination of cases in which the competitive paradigm does not hold (monopoly, oligopoly), and a consideration of the problem of multi-market equilibrium in a private enterprise economy. In addition to serving as an introduction to economic analysis, the course is also intended to provide the necessary methodological basis for students who go on to take courses in intermediate economic analysis

73-251 Economic Theory 9 units

This course prepares students for advanced coursework in economics by providing a mathematically intensive overview of economic theory. Students take advantage of their knowledge of multi-dimensional calculus and constrained optimization techniques in order to understand the development and logical consistency of the most commonly employed economic models. Topics include consumer preferences and utility function representations, consumer choice under a budget constraint, substitution and income effects, compensated and uncompensated demands, expected utility theory, risk and insurance, technology and production functions, cost minimization, profit maximizing firms, perfect competition, singlefirm markets, game theoretic analysis of markets with few firms, introduction to general equilibrium models and the welfare laws.

76-101 Interpretation & Argument 9 units

This course will give students a comprehensive grounding in communication processes. The class focuses on the way in which interpretive areguments in the processes of communication and social and personal development. In the class, students will deveop these skills by reading and understanding the important issues and arguments regarding those issues advanced by a variety of texts, both fiction and non-fiction. They will then be asked to respond to these positions by developing positions of their own, in their writing and in their speaking. The course thus serves as an introduction to the discourse and arguments of the academic community, as well as serving as an introduction to some of the broader issues that the academic community address.

76-270 Writing in the Professions 9 units

Writing in the Professions is a writing course specifically designed for juniors and seniors in all majors other than English. The basic idea of the course is to give you experience in developing the writing skills you will be expected to have as you make the transition from student to professional. The course will cover resume writing, proposal writing, writing instructions, the difference between writing for general and specific audiences, and analysis of visual aids in various texts. The course requires that students work both independently and in groups.

76-487 Online Information Design 9 units

This course will introduce you to issues and practices in the design of on-line information. The course has the following interrelated goals: Introduce you to the major theories, methodologies, and practices of on-line information design. Develop your skills in evaluating on-line information designs. Develop your skills in analyzing and reporting on user needs prior to design, and verifying a given design's effectiveness through usability testing. Develop the background knowledge you need to succeed in the interdisciplinary world of information design. Topics for in-class lecture and discussion will include: methods for exploring users' needs and tasks (interviews, observation, and more); characteristics of effective Web site design (organization, navigational design, link labeling, form and search design, visual design); methods and artifacts of iterative design and evaluation of Web sites; methods for evaluating and reporting on a design's usability. The course's primary focus will be on the design of verbal and pictorial information typical of Web sites, though issues in on-line design for other modes, such as sound, and animation, will be touched upon. Special lecture topics may include personalization, Web communities, or on-line help. There is a series of homework assignments in which students analyze and report on user needs, iteratively design, and develop a Web site.

79-104 Introduction to World History 9 units

Introduction to World History challenges students to think analytically about the major historical processes that shaped and continue to shape cultures and civilizations. The course is based on a series of case studies that focus on shifting power relations between and within civilizations. Three major themes connect the several topics discussed throughout the semester: issues of authority and inequality within civilizations; encounters and conflicts between civilizations; and patterns of continuity and change across space and time. The course demonstrates how historians explain what has happened in the past and in various civilizations and cultures; presents the kinds of evidence that historians use to reconstruct the past; and examines the interpretations historians make based on this evidence. The semester begins with a consideration of the rich culture of medieval Iberia and then moves on to discuss: the encounters between the "old" world and the "new"; the emergence of a transatlantic society; industrialization in Europe and China; environmental imperialism in India; and tradition and modernity in post-colonial Africa.

80-150 Nature of Reason 9 units

This course offers an intellectual history of philosophical views regarding the nature of human reasoning in mathematics and the sciences, from ancient to modern times. The first part of the course traces the search for deductive methods for obtaining certain knowledge, starting with Aristotle and Euclid, and continuing through the Middle Ages and late Renaissance thought, to the work of Boole and Frege in the nineteenth century. The second part of the course considers the history of skepticism about empirical knowledge, covering Plato, Sextus Empiricus, Descartes, Pascal, and Hume, along with replies to skepticism in the works of Bayes and Kant. The third part of the course discusses theories of the nature of mind, culminating in the computational conception of mind that underlies contemporary cognitive science.