Syllabus

Sat Nov 16 2002, 02:20PM  

This is the course syllabus ("green sheet"). Please read it very carefully. You are responsible for knowing and abiding by all class and school policies. You can download a printable version as well.

Syllabus
Course: CIS68A-01 Introduction to UNIX
Description: An introduction to the UNIX operating system, primarily focused on command line usage. Covers the UNIX kernel, filesystems, shells, user utilities, and UNIX's underlying philosophy and history. Also introduces students to the fundamentals of UNIX shell programming, processes, communications, and basic security.
Prerequisites: CIS 50A or 50B.
Units: 5 Units. Three hours lecture, one hour lecture with hands on work. Four hours terminal time per week.
Instructor: Mike Cappella
e-mail: cis68a@mikecappella.com
Instructor Contact: I have no office, nor office hours, but can be available by appointment at the Foothill campus if necessary. Contact me via the e-mail address above. I usually respond to e-mail very quickly, and almost always within 24 hours.
Class Meetings:
Monday 6:00 - 7:50pm Room 5617 Lecture
Wednesday 8:00 - 9:40pm Room 4219 Lecture
Class Website: The class website available at http://cis68a.mikecappella.com/ contains all class material. Please use the website as the definitive source for information and class content. Updates to handouts will be available shortly after class.
Required Textbooks: Select either or both of the following textbooks:
Complete Idiot's Guide® to UNIX, Bill Wagner,
Published by QUE. ISBN: 0789718057
THINK Unix, Jon Lasser,
Published by QUE. ISBN: 078972376X
Recommended Learning the UNIX Operating System, Fifth Edition, Jerry Peek, Todino & Strang,
Published by O'Reilly & Associates, Inc. ISBN: 0-596-00261-0
UNIX in a Nutshell, Third Edition, Arnold Robbins,
Published by O'Reilly & Associates, Inc. ISBN: 1-56592-427-4
Supplies: None
Course Objectives: By the end of the course, you should be able to:
  • Logon and use basic UNIX utilities
  • Evaluate, understand and execute fundamental UNIX operations
  • Analyze basic operational problems and errors
  • Discuss and employ basic techniques of data protection
  • Read and comprehend UNIX manual pages
  • Read and comprehend basic shell scripts
Requirements:
  • You are expected to attend all classes - notify instructor in advance if you cannot attend
  • Class attendance and participation is important - it will be a factor in your course grade
  • Be on time to class
  • Turn off or quiet all cell phones, pagers, or other disruptive devices
  • No food or drink near computers or in the labs
UNIX Accounts: You will be receiving a UNIX system account to perform your work. This account is to be used only for this class, and is to be used only by you. Do not give your password to others, or allow others to use the account. Lost passwords, lost data, or short system outages are not valid excuses for late submissions. You should consider performing backups of your data (perhaps your entire UNIX home directory). Do not count on the system administrators to do this. Pornography or any possibly offensive material is not allowed on school computers.
Class Calendar: The course topics, lecture notes, reading and homework assignments will be posted on the Coursework section of the class website. This section will be updated often; all changes will be noted in the News section of the website.
Exams:

There will be a final exam for the course, and one or more small quizzes during the course. See the class calendar in the Courseworks section on the website for the date of the final exam. I reserve the right to give pop-quizzes.

Homework / Lab Work:

Expect homework and/or lab assignments each lecture (unless otherwise noted). All assignments will be posted in the Coursework section of the class website. You are responsible for ensuring that you know these assignments. Homework assignments are due by start of class on the due date, and all turned-in assignments must be type-written (unless otherwise noted). The time of receipt for assignments turned in via email will be the e-mail's received time. Because the course will move quickly, late homework will generally not be accepted. Exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis (but do not count on this, especially if you have not received prior approval), and your grade may be reduced appropriately.

Course Content and Reading Assignments:

The weekly topics and reading assignments are listed in the Coursework section of the class website. However, this list may change as necessary. If you want to get the most from the class, familiarize yourself with the reading material before lecture, and thoroughly afterwards.

Grading:

You will receive a score for all submitted work. Your grade will be primarily based on the total number of points you earn in the class. Good participation in class will also positively influence your final grade. There will be no make-up work (homework, exams, etc.). Keep all of your returned work and track your own grades. Class points will be approximately distributed as follows:

Area   Weight
Homework   20%   
Quizzes 35%   
Final 45%   

The grading scale for the course is as described below, but may be modified as deemed appropriate by the instructor.

Grade Description Range
A Excellent 90 - 100%   
B Good 80 - 89%   
C Satisfactory 70 - 79%   
D Less than satisfactory 60 - 69%   
F Fail 0 - 59%   
P Pass 70 - 100%   
NP No Pass 0 - 69%   
Drops & Withdraws: You will be dropped from the course if you are missing two or more submissions. It is your responsibility to notify me of your intention to drop the course and to file a drop card with the Registrar. Unless you drop, or file a Pass/No Pass form, you will receive a letter grade in the course. See Important Dates below.
Academic Honor Code: Read this section carefully and make sure you understand it!
Foothill College and I expect that "students will pursue their studies with integrity and honesty". Cheating, coping any portions of another persons work, or any other form of academic dishonesty is taken very seriously. Any student caught or deemed to have engaged in such behavior will receive an F in the course. In addition, you may be reported to the Dean of Student Affairs, which may lead to expulsion. It is your responsibility to know the school's policy and my policy about what constitutes academic dishonesty. Some students believe it is acceptable to work on assignments in pairs or teams, and then submit essentially the same collaboratively derived answers. To clarify my policy on this, you may discuss concepts with each other, but you must work-out solutions to problems on your own, and all submitted work must be entirely your own. If your work resembles other material or someone else's work, you and the other student(s) will fail the course. I will give no warnings or second chances. It is your responsibility to be sure you understand these policies. I am sorry to have to be so tough with this - the number of students who disregard such policies continues to bewilder me.
Important Dates: Please consider the following dates, as they can affect your grade:
Jul 12-Aug 30 Campus closed on Friday's
Jul 4 Independence Day - Campus closed
Jul 11 Last day to drop with no grade or to file Pass / No Pass
Jul 26 Last day to drop with a "W" (withdraw)
Aug 7 Final Exam