TSYS Department of Computer Science @ Columbus State University

Course Syllabus: CPSC 5157G (Face-to-face)- Computer Networks

Summer 2009

Instructor Information:

Mohamed R. Chouchane

Office: Center for Commerce and Technology, Room 430

Phone: (706) 568-5376

Email:

Homepage:

Office Hours: MTWR 1:30 pm - 4:00 pm

(also via email and by appointment)

Course Title: CPSC 5157G- Computer Networks

Official Course Description:

Local area networks, wide area networks, and internets. Protocols and the ISO Open Systems Interconnect reference model. Design, analysis, and performance evaluation. Emphasis on data link, network, and transport protocols.

Prerequisites: CPSC 2108 (Data Structures) with a grade of C or better.

Required Textbook:


/ Computer Networks 4th Ed.(Hardcover)
By Andrew S. Tanenbaum
Publisher: Prentice Hall
ISBN: 0130661023

Supplementary Materials:

  • “Computer Networks and Internets,” By Douglas Comer. ISBN: 0131433512
  • Your own class notes
  • In-class handouts and reading materials posted on the course's web site
  • Links to protocol simulators and other simulators posted on the course's web site

Course Objectives:

  1. Students will demonstrate understanding of basic networking concepts.
  2. Students will demonstrate understanding of how wide area networks and internets are designed and built, and the basics of how communication over a WAN or an internet takes place.
  3. Students will demonstrate an understanding of network, data link, and transport protocols, as well as the OSI and the TCP/IP reference models.
  4. Students will demonstrate knowledge of network performance and security issues.
  5. Students will be able to do literature searches on modern issues in networking and report their findings in a professionally written research paper.

Major Topics:

  1. Uses of Computer Networks
  2. Network Hardware and Network Software
  3. Local Area Networks, Wide Area Networks, Internets
  4. Wireless Networks
  5. The OSI and the TCP/IP Reference Models
  6. Transport Protocols (UDP and TCP)
  7. Network Performance Issues, Routing and Congestion Control Algorithms
  8. Network Security Issues: Authentication and Email/Web Security

Instructional Methods and Techniques:

  1. Students are expected to take part in threaded discussions.
  2. Students must have access to a networked computer to complete their assignments.
  3. Students must regularly visit the course website for new assignments, reading materials and announcements.
  4. Students will perform a number of hand-on exercises to reinforce their understanding of the material.

Assignments for Course:

  1. Readings from the textbook and the instructor's notes on the course's website
  2. Readings from popular computing periodicals
  3. Online research and reporting of findings
  4. Contributing to online discussions
  5. Completing a number of online quizzes
  6. Homework assignments that may involve working with networking tools
  7. Writing a research paper

Assessment Criteria:

Your performance will be evaluated using several homework assignments that may include hands-on activities, your timely contributions to threaded online discussions, a number of online quizzes, a final exam, and a research paper. All of the quizzes and assignments are open-books. The final exam is closed-books

A discussion topic will be posted by the instructor at the beginning of each week. A minimum of two high-quality,timely contributions to the online discussion group will be required each week. A high-quality timely contribution to the online discussion group is one that addresses one of the issues raised by the discussion topic of the week, or one raised by another student during that week. Contributions such as “I agree” are not considered high-quality and will not get credit. Your contributions to the discussion board must be posted on two different days of the week! If your only two contributions to a given topic occur on the same day of the week, you will be given credit for only one of these contributions (i.e., a grade of no more that 50% for that week's discussion!)

Students are expected to interact in a professional and courteous manner. No non-topic-related issues are to be brought up on the board. No vulgarities, personal attacks, or offensive language of any sort will be allowed.

The research paper must be approved in advance by the instructor. Before they start working on their paper, students must get approval for their research topic. A list of suggested topics will be posted by the instructor on the course website, and updated as we progress through the term. Guidelines on writing a scientific research paper will also be available on the course website. Students must have a topic approved and start working on their paper no later than 11:59 pm EST, July 3, 2009.

Assessment criteria will be weighted as follows.

Assignments 25%

Quizzes 10%

One final exam30%

Discussions10%

Research paper 25%

Letter grades will be assigned as follows:

A (90%-100%); B (80%-89%); C (70%-79%); D (60%-69%); F (0%-59%)

Tentative Schedule (Subject to change as we progress through the semester ):

Week 1

06/16/09 / Introduction to Networking (Ch 1)
06/18/09 / The Physical Layer (Ch 2)

Week 2

06/23/09 / The Data Link Layer (Ch 3) / Work Due: Quiz 0
06/25/09 / The Data Link Layer (Ch 3)

Week 3

06/30/09 / The Medium Access Sublayer (Ch 4) / Work due: Quiz 1, Lab 1,
Research Topic Approval.
07/02/09 / The Network Layer (Ch 5)

Week 4

07/07/09 / The Network Layer (Ch 5) / Work due: Quiz 2, Lab 2
07/09/09 / The Transport Layer (Ch 6)

Week 5

07/14/09 / The Transport Layer (Ch 6) / Work Due: Quiz 3, Lab 3
07/16/09 / The Application Layer (Ch 7)

Week 6

07/21/09 / Network Security (Ch 8) / Work Due: Quiz 4, Lab 4
Research Paper is Due.
07/23/09 / Network Security (Ch 8)

Week 7

07/28/09 / Review for the Final Exam / Final Exam Date: TBA

General Policies:

No make-up exams will be given, so please make sure you are present for all exams. Unless they are due a documented emergency reported to the instructor in a timely fashion, a grade of 0 will be automatically assigned for missed exams.

Students are responsible for keeping pace with the progress of the course. Should any concerns about the course’s contents be addressed, students should immediately consult with the instructor by email or during office hours. In addition to regularly reading from the text book, students must visit the course’s website at least once a day for recent updates and announcements.

Students must regularly check their CSU and CougarVIEW email for messages from the instructor. Students must reply promptly. “I didn't know” is not excuse! All assignments are due by their due date.
Unless untimely submission of an assignment is due to a documented emergency reported to the instructor before the day on which the assignment is due, a penalty of 5% per day will be incurred for late assignments. Assignments submitted more than 3 days after their due date will be considered missed and will receive a grade of 0.

Academic dishonesty

Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, activities such as cheating and plagiarism. It is a basis for disciplinary action. Collaboration is not permitted on assignments or exams/quizzes in this course. Any work turned in for individual credit must be entirely the work of the student submitting the work. All work must be your own. You may share ideas but submitting identical assignments (for example) will be considered cheating. You may discuss the material in the course and help one another with debugging, however, I expect any work you hand in for a grade to be your own. . A simple way to avoid inadvertent plagiarism is to talk about the assignments, but don't read each other's work or write solutions together. Keep scratch paper and old versions of assignments until after the assignment has been graded and returned to you. If you have any questions about this, please see me immediately.
For assignments, access to notes, textbook, books and other publications is allowed. Stealing, giving or receiving any code, diagrams, drawings, text or designs from another person (CSU or non-CSU) is not allowed. Having access to another person’s work on the system or giving access to your work to another person is not allowed. It is your responsibility to keep your work confidential.
No cheating in any form will be tolerated. The penalty for the first occurrence of academic dishonesty is a zero grade on the assignment or exam/quiz; the penalty for the second occurrence is a failing grade for the course. (

CSU ADA Statement:

If you have a documented disability as described by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (P.L. 933-112 Section 504) and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and would like to request academic and/or physical accommodations please contact Joy Norman at the Office of Disability Services in the Center for Academic Support and Student Retention, Tucker Hall (706) 568-2330, as soon as possible. Course requirements will not be waived but reasonable accommodations may be provided as appropriate.