Class Notes

I expect to cover a set of the following topics. These may be amended and the order changed as the semester progresses. Information on sources will be provided as notes are created.

From the Course Outline

  1. What is Scientific Research?
    1. Empirical Method
    2. Analytical Method
    3. Non-Scientific Methods
      1. Historical Questions
      2. Philosophical Questions
      3. Ethical Questions
      4. Social Questions
  2. Resources for Research
    1. Using available library resources including the IEEE and ACM resources
    2. Using electronic resources including the ACM Digital Library
  3. Choosing a problem
    1. Finding an area
    2. Narrowing down the area
    3. Defining a problem
    4. Writing a good research proposal
  4. Scientific Writing – The Well-constructed Research Paper
    1. Defining an audience
    2. Framing the context of research
    3. The overview/details and conclusions
    4. Use of illustrations and figures
    5. Use of quotes and footnoting
    6. Construction of the bibliography
    7. Developing an annotated bibliography
  5. Social, Ethical and Legal Issues in Computing and the Internet
    1. Privacy
    2. Freedom of Speech
    3. Intellectual Property
    4. Computer Crime
    5. Impact on the Work Environment
    6. Evaluating and Controlling Technology
    7. Computer Errors, Failures and Risks
    8. Professional Ethics and Responsibilities
  6. Topical themes
    1. Architectural Principles
    2. Language Design Issues
    3. Platform Implementation Issues (Operating Systems, Compiler Construction, Database Implementation
    4. Connectivity or Application Issues