Co-op Work Placement I
First co-op work placement (4 months) with an approved employer.
Restriction: open to COSC and BCB Co-op students.
Co-op Work Placement II
Second co-op work placement (4 months) with an approved employer.
Restriction: open to COSC and BCB Co-op students.
Co-op Work Placement III
Third co-op work placement (4 months) with an approved employer.
Restriction: open to COSC and BCB Co-op students.
Co-op Work Placement IV
Optional co-op work placement (4 months) with an approved employer.
Restriction: open to COSC and BCB Co-op students.
Co-op Work Placement V
Optional co-op work placement (4 months) with an approved employer.
Restriction: open to COSC and BCB Co-op students.
Introduction to Computer Science
Computers and computer programming in a high-level language (normally Java). Topics include computer fundamentals, problem solving and software development, programming language syntax and semantics, methods, input/output, control structures and data types.
Lectures, 2 hours per week; lab, 2 hours per week; tutorial, 1 hour per week.
Note: students with considerable prior programming experience in a high-level language such as Pascal, Java, C++ or Ada may be granted exemption from this course at the discretion of the Chair.
Data Structures and Abstraction
Programming and problem solving in a high-level programming language (normally Java). Data structures including arrays, strings and linked-lists. Modularity, abstraction and abstract data types including stacks, queues and lists. Introduction to searching and sorting, algorithm analysis and object-orientation.
Lectures, 3 hours per week; lab, 2 hours per week; tutorial, 1 hour per week.
Prerequisite: COSC 1P02 (minimum 60 percent) or permission of the Chair.
Integrity and Literacy in the Information Age
(also offered as APCO 1P50 and IASC 1P50)
Professional issues in computing including historic and social perspectives, legal issues, licensing and copyright, social and ethical issues, professional conduct and information literacy.
Lectures, 3 hours per week; seminar, 2 hours per week.
Note: This course involves seminars and considerable written work. A good command of written and spoken English is required.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in COSC 2P50.
Internship
Work placement of 8-16 months duration with an approved employer.
Restriction: open to students accepted into the Internship option.
Note: interviews with employer and student and completion, by the student, of a work report.
Advanced Data Structures
Implementation and usage of data structures. Topics include trees, graphs, advanced list structures, sorting and searching, analysis of algorithms, program proofs.
Lectures, 3 hours per week, lab, 2 hours per week, tutorial, 1 hour per week.
Restriction: open to COSC (single or combined), BCB, CAST and CNET majors.
Prerequisites: COSC 1P03 (minimum 60 percent); MATH 1P66 and 1P67.
Computer Organization and Assembly Language
Basic computer organization including functional units, instruction cycle, control, buses and memory. Assembly-level programming including machine representation, instruction sets and addressing modes. Role of assemblers, linkers and loaders.
Lectures, 3 hours per week, lab, 2 hours per week.
Prerequisite: COSC 1P03 (minimum 60 percent).
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in COSC 1P12.
Introduction to Operating Systems
Operating systems from a user's viewpoint. Emphasis on the functionality of operating systems rather than their implementation. Topics include file, processor, I/O and memory management; concurrent processes; mainframe and microcomputer operating systems; UNIX.
Lectures, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite: COSC 1P03 (minimum 60 percent) and 2P12 (minimum 60 percent).
File and Database Systems
(also offered as APCO 2P32)
File organizations and access methods, fundamental data base concepts: specification and design of databases and applications; various database models including the relational model; processing with SQL; database administration; security. Practical database experience (normally ORACLE).
Lectures, 3 hours per week, lab, 2 hours per week.
Prerequisite: COSC 2P03 (minimum 60 percent).
Note: students minoring in Applied Computing requesting permission to register should have completed APCO 1P00 and 1P93 with a minimum 60 percent. Contact the Department.
Internet Technologies
(also offered as APCO 2P89 and IASC 2P89)
Concepts and techniques required for building and maintaining advanced interactive Web sites. Topics include XML and SGML, database connectivity and forms handling, basic animation, graphics optimization for the Web, scripting, advanced searching, Web design for accessibility.
Lectures, 3 hours per week, lab/seminar, 2 hours per week.
Prerequisite: COSC 1P03 (minimum 60 percent) or APCO 1P00 (minimum 60 percent) and 1P01 (minimum 60 percent).
Programming Languages and Object-Orientation
Fundamental concepts of programming languages including syntax, semantics, control, data types and abstraction. Programming paradigms including imperative, applicative, logic and object-oriented. Object-orientation including inheritance and polymorphism. Introduction to object modeling.
Lectures, 3 hours per week, lab, 2 hours per week.
Prerequisite: COSC 1P03 (minimum 60 percent).
Procedural Programming
Programming in procedural languages including procedures and functions, data representation, control structures and program organization. Procedural languages such as Ada, C and COBOL
Lectures, 3 hours per week, lab, 2 hours per week.
Prerequisites: COSC 1P03 (minimum 60 percent), 2P12 (minimum 60 percent) and 2P03 (minimum 60 percent).
Logic Programming
Predicate logic, symbolic and declarative programming, resolution theorem proving, applications. Introduction to logic languages such as Prolog.
Lectures, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisites: COSC 2P03 (minimum 60 percent).
Introduction to 3D Modelling and Animation
(also offered as IASC 2P96 and VISA 2P96)
Concepts and skills of 3D modelling and rendering. Approaches to building models, using texturizing, lighting, cameras and rendering as well basic animation techniques. Relevant historic and theoretical perspectives on 3D and virtuality situating 3D within creative process and broader critical practices in cultural production.
Lectures, lab, 5 hours per week.
Restriction: open to VISA (single or combined) and VISA (Honours)/BEd (Intermediate/Senior) majors until date specified in Registration Guide.
Prerequisite: one of, 4.0 COSC credits, IASC 1F00, VISA 1P97.
Note: enrolment limited to 24 students. Materials fee required. Students might need additional materials and equipment which they must supply.
Software Engineering
Scientific principles and managerial skills required for the construction of reliable software. Attributes of large complex software systems and software process models for managing the phases of software development; software requirements: analysis, tools and document preparation; software specification methods, software design concepts and alternate methodologies such as prototyping and object-oriented paradigms; several software testing, verification and validation methods.
Lectures, 3 hours per week, lab, 2 hours per week.
Prerequisites: COSC 2P03 (minimum 60 percent) and 2P32 (minimum 60 percent).
Note: this course requires considerable written work and presentations. A good command of written and spoken English is required. Completion of COSC 1P50 and concurrent registration in COSC 2P91 is recommended for this course. Major group project is required.
Introduction to Computer Networking
Overview of computer network services and principles of operation using the Internet as an example. Topics include layering of services and protocols; functionality of application layer services: world wide web, file transfer and electronic mail; addressing and naming in wide and local area networks; principles of operation of communication-oriented layers: transport, network and data link layers; physical media of interconnection.
Lectures, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisites: COSC 2P12 (minimum 60 percent), 2P03 (minimum 60 percent) and MATH 1P67; MATH 1P01 or 1P97.
Advanced Object-Oriented Programming
Advanced programming techniques such as graphical user interfaces, networking, parallelism, database connectivity, multi-tiered systems, client-server and e-commerce. Introduction to advanced Java APIs such as swing, net, threads, JDBC, CORBA and JSP.
Lectures, 3 hours per week, lab, 2 hours per week.
Prerequisites: COSC 2P03 (minimum 60 percent) and 2P90 (minimum 60 percent).
Artificial Intelligence
Topics include heuristic programming, analysis of solution space, searching, pattern recognition, machine learning, game playing, genetic algorithms and problem solving.
Lectures, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite: COSC 2P03 (minimum 60 percent).
Note: completion of COSC 2P93 is recommended before taking this course.
Computer Architecture
Topics include buses, internal and external memory, I/O and interfacing, computer arithmetic, instruction sets, RISCs, microprogrammed control, parallel organization.
Lectures, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisites: COSC 2P12 (minimum 60 percent) and 2P13 (minimum 60 percent).
Parallel Computing
Origins of parallelism, classification of designs, characterization of performance. Pipelined computers: selection and comparison, case studies. Processor arrays: switching networks, case studies. Parallel languages: general principles, parallel constructs, vectorizing compilers, issues of portability. Practical exposure to a parallel programming language and parallel computing hardware. Parallel algorithms: general principles, recurrences, parallel approach to data structures and computational structures. Future trends: technology, design limitations, future supercomputers.
Lectures, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite: COSC 2P13 (minimum 60 percent).
Introduction to Human Computer Interaction
(also offered as APCO 3P94 and IASC 3P94)
Human factors in the design and support of computing systems. Design methodologies such as GOMS, TAGs and Task Analysis. Design principles relating to various interaction paradigms.
Lectures, 3 hours per week, lab/seminar, 2 hours per week.
Prerequisite: two credits from APCO (minimum 60 percent), COSC (minimum 60 percent), IASC (minimum 60 percent).
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in COSC 3P04.
Embedded Software
Real-time execution, concurrency, network and device control. Topics include requirements posed by embedded software; real-time programming languages and operating systems; development of embedded applications. (Knowledge of C assumed).
Lectures, 3 hours per week; lab, 2 hours per week.
Prerequisites: COSC 2P12 (minimum 60 percent) and 2P13 (minimum 60 percent).
Note: completion of PHYS 1P91, 1P92 (1F90) and COSC 2P91 is recommended before taking this course.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade in COSC 3V95.
Computer Graphics
Topics include 2-D and 3-D graphics, curve and surface fitting, light and colour models, real time interfaces, animation and hardware issues (Knowledge of C assumed).
Lectures, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisites: COSC 2P03 (minimum 60 percent) and MATH 1P12.
Note: completion of COSC 2P91 is recommended before taking this course.
Computing Project
Half-year development project or directed reading essay under faculty supervision.
Seminar, 2 hours per week.
Restriction: open to COSC (single or combined), BCB, CAST and CNET majors and permission of project co-ordinator.
Prerequisite: COSC 2P03 (minimum 60 percent).
Note: students may propose their own projects for departmental approval or may apply for a project proposed by a faculty member. Further information (including project guidelines and project list) is available on the department Web pages.
Computing Topics I
Selected topics in computer science.
Restriction: open to COSC (single or combined), BCB, CAST and CNET majors.
Computing Project
Full-year project under the supervision of a faculty member.
Seminar, 2 hours per week.
Restriction: open to COSC (single or combined), BCB, CAST and CNET majors with a minimum 75 percent major average and permission of project co-ordinator.
Prerequisite: COSC 3F00 (minimum 60 percent).
Note: students may propose their own projects for departmental approval or may apply for a project proposed by a faculty member. This course is strongly recommended for students considering graduate school. Students must consult with faculty at the end of year 3 regarding supervision of projects. Further information (including project guidelines and project list) is available on the department Web pages.
Advanced Algorithms
Classical and evolving problems and algorithms in Computer Science. Topics include classical design and analysis techniques, cryptography, combinatorics.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite: COSC 2P03 (minimum 60 percent) and MATH 3F65.
Note: MATH 3F65 may be taken concurrently.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in COSC 4V92.
Operating Systems: Design and Implementation
Design and implementation of UNIX and other operating systems. Topics include process and thread management, interprocess communication, synchronization and scheduling, multiprocessing, device drivers, kernel memory management, distributed and advanced file systems and STREAMS (knowledge of C assumed).
Lectures, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisites: COSC 2P12 (minimum 60 percent), 2P13 (minimum 60 percent) and 2P91 (minimum 60 percent).
Computer Networks
Advanced topics in computer networking, including computer network security, wireless and high-speed networking, computer network management and performance evaluation.
Lectures, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisites: COSC 2P13 (minimum 60 percent) and 3P01 (minimum 60 percent).
Compiler Construction
Topics include lexical, syntactic and semantic analysis of high-level languages; symbol table organization; code generation and optimization.
Lectures, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisites: COSC 2P12 (minimum 60 percent), 2P03 (minimum 60 percent) and 2P90 (minimum 60 percent).
Machine Learning
Fundamental machine learning techniques with emphasis on using these techniques to design and implement small practical learning systems. Topics include learning as a search, inductive bias, concept learning, computational learning, explanation-based learning and reinforcement learning.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite: COSC 3P71 (minimum 60 percent).
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in COSC 4V91.
Robotics
Computer control aspects of robots focussing on behaviour-based robot control architectures. Topics include robot components and subsystems, sensors and perception, object location and manipulation, mobile robot navigation, task planning, control architectures, adaptive and social behaviour.
Lectures, 3 hours per week, lab, 1 hour per week.
Prerequisites: COSC 2P12 (minimum 60 percent), 2P90 (minimum 60 percent), 3P71 (minimum 60 percent) and MATH 1P12.
Note: completion of PHYS 1P91 and 1P92 is recommended before taking this course.
Expert Systems
Development of expert systems. Topics include recognition of problems solvable by an expert system; knowledge engineering; languages for expert systems development. Students will experiment with expert system development using an expert system shell and expert system building tool.
Lectures, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisites: COSC 2P93 (minimum 60 percent) and 3P71 (minimum 60 percent).
Topics in Computer Graphics and Digital Audio
Contemporary topics in computer graphics and audio, including ray tracing, fractals, spline and curve fitting, digital audio fundamentals, MIDI, computer composition, music and sound processing. Programming assignments use C, OpenGL, and Csound.
Lectures, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite: COSC 3P98 (minimum 60 percent).
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in COSC 4V98.
2006-2007: Artificial Neural Networks
Practical problem solving using artificial neural networks. Supervised Learning; Single- and multilayer feed-forward networks and backpropagation and refinements; Recurrent neural networks: Hopfield networks and Boltzmann machines. Unsupervised Learning; Competitive Learning, Kohonen map and self-organizing feature maps.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to COSC (single or combined), BCB, CAST and CNET majors.
Prerequisite: COSC 3P71.
Computing Topics II
Selected topics in computer science.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to COSC (single or combined), BCB, CAST and CNET majors.
2006-2007: Functional Programming
Introduction to functional programming using the languages Haskell and SML. Topics include all data types, type inference, pattern-matching, recursion, polymorphism, higher-order functions, lazy vs eager evaluation, modules and monads.
Lectures, 3 hours per week.
2006-2007: Discrete Event Simulation
Classification of modeling and simulation problems: discrete, continuous and Monte Carlo. Concepts of causality, understanding and modeling. Issues of model credibility, validation, verification, tractability, uncertainty and system state. Basic discrete-event simulation methodology. Elements of probability in model building. Random number generation. Statistical analysis of simulated data and design of simulation experiments.
Lectures, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to COSC (single or combined), BCB, CAST and CNET majors.
Prerequisites: COSC 2P03 (minimum 60 percent) and MATH 3F65 (minimum 60 percent).
Note: completion of MATH 1P98 is recommended before taking this course.
2006-2007: Foundations of Reasoning under Uncertainty
Uncertain reasoning is based on both deductive and inductive methods. Exploration of formal foundations of both streams: Formal systems such as propositional modal logics and grammars, models of probability, Bayesian reasoning, fuzzy sets, rough sets, concept lattices and knowledge structures.
Lectures, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to COSC (single or combined), BCB, CAST and CNET majors.
2006-2007: Computability and Complexity
What can and cannot be computed, how quickly, with how much memory and on which type of computational model. Language families, their properties and machines, the Chomsky Hierarchy; the Church-Turing Thesis, the Halting problem, time and space complexity, complexity classes, polynomial reduction.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to COSC (single or combined), BCB, CAST and CNET majors.
Prerequisite: MATH 4P61 or permission of the instructor.