13.4 Computer Science
Computer Science courses are designated by COMP.
COMP 1000 Computer Science - An Introduction
takes a breadth-first overview approach to the discussion of important aspects of computer science including fundamentals in algorithms, binary data representation, Boolean logic, systems software, networking concepts, introductory programming, databases, and selected Computer Science subfields.
the former COMP 1700. Students cannot receive credit for COMP 1000 if they have previously successfully completed, or are currently registered for, COMP 1003.
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COMP 1001 Introduction to Programming
covers fundamental programming concepts and introduces object-oriented programming using Python. Students learn how to use primitive data types, and create and use fundamental data structures. They learn problem solving techniques, and apply them by designing and implementing algorithms, including search and sort, and simple recursive functions. They learn how to use control constructs and implement file and exception handling.
the former COMP 1710
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COMP 1002 Introduction to Logic for Computer Scientists
introduces methods of reasoning and logic tools that underlie computer science. In particular, this course covers propositional and predicate logic, sets and other discrete structures, as well as modular arithmetic and basic counting, with emphasis on their applications in computer science.
COMP 1003 Foundations of Computing Systems
provides an in-depth introduction to foundational topics in computer science: algorithms and data structures, theory of computing, machine architecture and their historical context.
COMP 1400 Computing in the 20th Century and Beyond
will give an overview of the development of computing technologies over the last 75 years as well as both the perception of these technologies by, and their impact on, society. The course will be organized chronologically by decade, and within each decade will examine the dominant computing developments, their image in various print and pictorial media, and their social impact. The aim is to give students of all disciplines an appreciation of the abilities and limitations of computer technology and how such technologies interact with society.
COMP 1401 Computing at the Movies
will both examine and counter common misconceptions about computing and the computing profession. This will be done by contrasting depictions of various aspects of computing in various movies and documentaries produced over the last 60 years with the reality of these aspects as given in selected readings and course lecture notes.
COMP 1510 An Introduction to Programming for Scientific Computing
introduces students to basic programming in the context of numerical methods with the goal of providing the foundation necessary to handle larger scientific programming projects. Numerical methods to solve selected problems from Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics will be covered.
COMP 1600 Basic Computing and Information Technology
offers an overview of information technology. It provides students with an understanding of basic concepts and necessary skills required to use spreadsheet, database and presentation software to manage, analyze, and present data.
COMP 2000 Collaborative and Emergent Behaviour
is a survey of computation as a means of understanding, modelling, and describing artificial and natural systems. The emergence of complex behaviour from the interaction of simple rules governing individual components is illustrated and discussed, as well as the role of communication between system components. Selected systems to be studied will be drawn from different topic areas which may include the worldwide web, the mind (cognitive science), formal logic, autonomous robotics, chaos and fractals, and bioinformatics. Each topic will incorporate an associated laboratory experience.
COMP 2001 Object-Oriented Programming and Human-Computer Interaction
advances from Introduction to Programming and studies object-oriented programming. Additional topics include event-driven programming, program correctness and simple refactoring, as well as interfaces and human-computer interaction. A brief overview of programming languages is also provided.
COMP 2002 Data Structures and Algorithms
covers fundamental data structures, algorithms and algorithm design techniques. A problem-driven course, it focuses on computational problem solving from designing an efficient algorithm to implementing it using appropriate data structures.
the former COMP 2711
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COMP 2003 Computer Architecture
introduces computer architecture at the digital logic implementation level, at the instruction set level, and at the level where programming languages are translated into the underlying machine instructions.
COMP 2004 Introduction to Operating Systems
introduces fundamental techniques for interfacing between computer software and hardware platforms, including the composition of, and connections within, a multilevel operating system. Students learn how to design substantial parts of an operating system.
COMP 2005 Software Engineering
introduces students to the different software process models, to project management and the software requirements engineering process, as well as to systems analysis and design as a problem-solving activity.
COMP 2006 Computer Networking
introduces students to the use of programming interfaces for computer networking and to understand how the Internet works on the level of protocols. It focuses on the most commonly used of those protocols that are in the vast majority of modern computer systems.
COMP 2007 Introduction to Information Management
introduces the basic knowledge needed for managing large volumes of data. It covers topics in information management and database systems from storage and retrieval to security and privacy of data.
COMP 2008 Social Issues and Professional Practice
covers ethical and social considerations of computing to provide students with the basis to address these issues by ethical and technical actions. Case studies are used to illustrate ethical and social issues of computing.
COMP 2100 Social Web Analysis
covers the analysis of social network structures, the flow of data within them and the methods to extract useful information about these networks, their participants and the content of their communication. Security and trust issues are also covered.
COMP 2300 Introduction to Multimedia Programming
is an introduction to programming and computer science with an emphasis on the development of multimedia applications. The course introduces the fundamental principles of programming, including object-oriented and event-driven programming. Students will develop an understanding of how to use and create classes and methods and combine them with multimedia libraries to produce animations, handle input from keyboard and mouse, and import sounds and videos to produce multimedia applications which can be directly deployed on the Internet.
COMP 2500 Data Analysis with Scripting Languages
introduces the use of scripting languages to solve common data analysis tasks. The control structures and expressions of the language are first discussed. Script solution to storing/retrieving data sets, searching data sets, and performing numeric and statistical calculation are covered. Plotting and visualization for data sets are also presented.
COMP 2510 Programming in C/C++
is a comprehensive treatment of the C/C++ programming languages. It is intended for students with some first programming experience. This course starts with a discussion of fundamentals of C and C++, moves on to the object-oriented aspects of C++, and introduces some advanced topics. It is an essential course for mastering the power of this rich programming language.
COMP 2718 Development Tools, Work Flows and Concepts
covers tools, work flows and concepts used in software development in a concentrated introductory set of topics. The essential work flows (with their underlying concepts) used to edit, build, test, combine with existing software and find existing software are introduced. The tools covered include text editors, programming language translators, file management tools, debuggers, scripting tools, source control tools, and building, testing and deployment tools. The architecture and use of an Integrated Development Environment are discussed.
COMP 3100 Web Programming
studies the Web information system from a programming perspective. It teaches how Web data are transferred across the network, how to design interactive browser contents, and how to provide dynamic pages from the server.
COMP 3200 Algorithmic Techniques for Artificial Intelligence
covers basic algorithmic techniques and data structures that are used to embed basic intelligent behaviors, such as problem solving, reasoning and learning in software systems and agents.
COMP 3201 Introduction to Nature-Inspired Computing
provides an overview of popular nature-inspired computing methods. Methods that are inspired by both biological and non-biological systems are considered. These methods have been applied to solve problems in various areas of computing such as optimization, machine learning, and robotics. Particular examples of nature-inspired computing methods studied include cellular automata, neural networks, evolutionary computing, swarm intelligence, artificial life, and complex networks. Contributions made in the field of nature-inspired computing that have led to advances in the natural sciences are also discussed.
COMP 3202 Introduction to Machine Learning
introduces concepts and algorithms in machine learning for regression and classification tasks. The course gives the student the basic ideas and intuition behind model selection and evaluation, and selected machine learning methods such as random forests, support vector machines, and hidden Markov models.
COMP 3300 Interactive Technologies
provides exposure to traditional desktop, mobile and games contexts with respect to interaction design theory and practice. The impact of context on design principles is explored. An introduction to each programming context will be provided and a minimal set of software development tools for each context will be introduced. Practical application of interaction design principles will involve design and prototyping of desktop, mobile and games applications.
COMP 3301 Visual Computing and Applications
provides students with the fundamental knowledge and skills in the fields of computer vision, computer graphics, and visualization. Visual perception is responsible for most of our impressions about the world around us. This course introduces how computers are used to both mimic the human visual system (e.g., recognize shapes) and to create visual content (e.g. synthesize images). Related techniques on image synthesis, processing and analysis are discussed under a unified framework. How visual computing principles were used to create visual effects in movies and commercials is also examined.
COMP 3400 Data Preparation Techniques
will give students basic knowledge on how to pre-process raw data. The aim is to enable students to perform data pre-processing in small and large data sets, evaluate the effect of pre-processing techniques using data mining/machine learning methods, and to scale up the pre-processing of large datasets using distributed frameworks.
COMP 3401 Introduction to Data Mining
introduces students to the basic concepts and techniques for data mining and knowledge discovery. Students will develop an understanding of the essential data mining technologies, and be able to design and evaluate methods for simple data mining applications.
COMP 3550 Introduction to Bioinformatics
(same as Biology 3951) deals with the development and application of computational methods to address biological problems. The course will focus on the fundamental concepts, ideas and related biological applications of existing bioinformatics tools. This course will provide hands-on experience in applying bioinformatics software tools and online databases to analyze experimental biological data, and it will also introduce scripting language tools typically used to automate some biological data analysis tasks.
COMP 3600 Algorithm Design and Analysis
covers advanced algorithm design techniques, including divide-and-conquer, greedy algorithms, dynamic programming and network flows. The emphasis is on algorithmic problem solving and algorithm design and analysis methodologies, rather than on specific algorithms. NP-completeness and methods for dealing with intractability will also be discussed.
COMP 3602 Introduction to the Theory of Computation
examines various models of computation and their computational power. Several measures of a problem's computational difficulty will be discussed.
COMP 3700 Industrial Experience
is open only to students who have been accepted into the Co-operative Internship in Computer Science. This course provides an opportunity for qualified students to obtain rewarding job experience of 8, 12 or 16 months of continuous duration in fields related to computer science during the course of their studies. A grade of NC (No Credit) will be awarded for this course if the student is continuing the co-operative internship into the next semester.
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admission to the Co-operative Internship in Computer Science (CICS)
COMP 3710 Vocational Languages
is a study of several programming languages of vocational significance. The use of appropriate programming paradigms to solve some significant problems will be illustrated.
COMP 3718 Programming in the Small
demonstrates the tools and techniques used in the construction of small software systems. The software tools and techniques to be covered include analysis and design of software components, software construction tools (e.g. linkers, builders, debuggers), software library use and design, and system integration.
COMP 3731 Introduction to Scientific Computing
main objectives are the development of algorithms for the numerical solution of mathematical problems and the study of the numerical stability of these algorithms. The efficiency of these algorithms with respect to speed and storage requirements is considered as well. Emphasis is also placed on the study of the sensitivity of selected problems to perturbations in the data. There is also a brief introduction to the development of numerical algorithms that take advantage of advanced computer architectures, such as pipeline processors, array processors and parallel processors.
COMP 3753 Computational Aspects of Linear Programming
is an introduction to the Linear Programming Problem (LPP). The emphasis is placed upon developing the most recent and numerically reliable algorithms for the solution of the Linear Programming Problem. The numerical stability of these algorithms will be examined as well. Geometric understanding of the LPP. Simplex method for the LPP. Sparse matrix LPP. Duality and postoptimality analysis. Extensions to the simplex algorithm. Principles of interior algorithms for the LPP.
COMP 4300 Introduction to Game Programming
is an introductory course for students interested in learning the fundamentals of game programming. Topics include vector math for games, fundamentals of rendering, introduction to animation and artificial intelligence, collision detection, game physics and user-interfaces. Students are required to write a fully functional game during the course.
COMP 4301 Computer Vision
(same as Electrical and Computer Engineering 8410, the former Engineering 8814) studies how to develop methods that enable a machine to “understand” or analyze images. The course introduces the fundamental problems in computer vision and the state-of-the-art approaches that address them. Topics include feature detection and matching, geometric and multi-view vision, structure from X, segmentation, object tracking and visual recognition.
COMP 4302 3D Computer Graphics
introduces the students to the state-of-the-art concepts and developments in the field of 3D computer graphics. The underlying algorithms, as well as the basic techniques to develop interactive 3D graphics systems including games and simulators, are presented. Topics of the course include 3D geometrical transformations, 3D projections, 3D modeling and rendering, 3D graphics languages and systems. Advanced photorealistic rendering and image-based rendering techniques may also be covered.
COMP 4303 Artificial Intelligence in Computer Games
provides an introduction to specific state-of-the-art algorithmic techniques and data structures that are used to efficiently implement human-like abilities (e.g., awareness, memory, rational decision-making (under uncertainty), movement, co-operation in groups) in computer game agents.
COMP 4304 Data Visualization
covers interactive representation of data using a modern programming library. Topics include an introduction to the software platform and the principles for data selection, analysis, design and creation of dynamic visualizations. Students produce interactive web-based objects, addressing problems in the presentation and understanding of large data collections. The techniques discussed are applicable to different sources and types of data.
COMP 4550 Bioinformatics: Biological Data Analysis
(same as Biology 4606) provides students with the basis to analyse a variety of biological data within an integrated programming environment for data manipulation, calculation and graphical display. Students will learn to extract meaningful information from data generated by high-throughput experimentation. The course will introduce one such integrated programming environment and will explore the computational and statistical foundations of the most commonly used biological data analysis procedures.
COMP 4711 Structure of Programming Languages
covers programming language design considerations; syntactic and semantic structure; survey of typical features and operations; analysis of facilities for control and data structuring; language extensibility; execution models; formal specification of programming languages.
COMP 4712 Compiler Construction
studies properties of formal grammars and languages; syntax-directed parsing and code generation; top-down and bottom-up parsing methods; LL(k) and LR(k) grammars and parsers; Code optimization; compiler writing tools.
COMP 4715 and 4717 Special Topics in Programming Languages
will have topics to be studied announced by the Department.
COMP 4718 Survey of Software Engineering
surveys the major topics of software engineering. Areas covered include: requirements capture, system design and design approaches, verification and validation (including formal methods and testing), and management of the software development process.
COMP 4721 Operating Systems
studies the design and implementation of an operating system’s kernel. The main components used in operating system implementations include: context switches, process management, memory management, interprocess communication, file systems and system calls. The data structures and algorithms used in implementing the above components are studied. The different architectural styles of kernel implementation are also considered. Real-time operating systems are also discussed.
COMP 4723 Introduction to Microprocessors
examines the architecture and instruction sets for several microprocessors. The use of microprocessors as device controllers; comparisons of hardware and programmed techniques; microprocessor interfacing with external devices; methods of I/O; bus structures; modern microprocessor support devices are discussed.
COMP 4726-4729 Special Topics in Computer Systems
will have topics to be studied announced by the Department.
COMP 4734 Matrix Computations and Applications
is an introduction to linear algebra; solution to linear systems; scaling, improving and estimating accuracy; the linear least squares problem; the eigenvalue problem; singular value decomposition of a matrix; the generalized eigenvalue problem.
COMP 4736-4739 Special Topics in Numerical Computations
will have topics to be studied announced by the Department.
COMP 4741 Formal Languages and Computability
is an in-depth study of various types of formal machines and their associated languages. Effective computability and other formalisms, such as lambda calculus will be studied as well.
COMP 4742 Computational Complexity
is an in-depth discussion of computational complexity theory. Topics covered in the course include: models of computation (for both serial and parallel computations); complexity measures; reducibility; complexity classes (NP, PSPACE, NC, LOGSPACE and P); and randomized computations.
COMP 4743 Graph Algorithms and Combinatorial Optimization
discusses classical problems in combinatorial optimization and graph algorithms, including matching, colorability, independent sets, isomorphism, network flows and scheduling. Special families of graphs are discussed and algorithms that would otherwise be NP-hard or complete are shown to be polynomial time when restricted to such families.
COMP 4745-4749 Special Topics in Theoretical Aspects
will have topics to be studied announced by the Department.
COMP 4750 Introduction to Natural Language Processing
covers tasks involving human languages, such as speech recognition, text understanding, and keyword-based information retrieval which underlie many modern computing applications and their interfaces. To be truly useful, such natural language processing must be both efficient and robust. This course will give an introduction to the algorithms and data structures used to solve key NLP tasks, including utterance understanding and generation and language acquisition, in both of the major algorithmic paradigms used today (rule-based and statistical). The emphasis will be primarily on text-based processing though speech-based processing will be addressed where possible.
COMP 4754 Database Systems
introduces students to database processing, database management systems and database design considerations. It will cover the theory and methodologies essential for the relational database design, implementation, manipulation, optimization and management.
COMP 4759 Computer Networks
looks at how the operation of computer networks requires the following: a) communication between two computers, b) information transfer between two computers not directly connected, and c) services that need computer communication. This course focuses on the standard solutions and services used to fulfill the previous requirements. These include: physical transmission of signals, reliable communication based on unreliable communication channels, the routing of messages between connected computers to reach computers that are not directly connected, e-mail, file transfer, name servers, remote terminal access and the World Wide Web. Particular attention will be placed on the workings of the Internet.
COMP 4766 Introduction to Autonomous Robotics
examines the fundamental constraints, technologies, and algorithms of autonomous robotics. The focus of this course will be on computational aspects of autonomous wheeled mobile robots. The following topics will be covered: major paradigms in robotics, methods of locomotion, kinematics, simple control systems, sensor technologies, stereo vision, feature extraction, modelling uncertainty of sensors and positional information, localization, SLAM, obstacle avoidance, and 2-D path planning.
COMP 4768 Software Development for Mobile Devices
focuses on the design and implementation of software in a mobile networking environment. The primary topics to be covered in this course include software engineering, network computing, graphics programming, and human-computer interaction for mobile devices. A modern mobile device with advanced networking and graphic features, including multi-touch interaction and motion sensors will be used as the primary platform for development in this course.
COMP 4770 Team Project
has as its main objective to develop a working prototype of a software system as a team effort. A group of students will work on a project for a term, experiencing the advantages and difficulties of team projects.
COMP 4800-4825 Special Topics
will be offered as departmental resources permit.
COMP 499A and 499B Honours Research in Computer Science
are consecutive linked courses, based on independent study of an approved topic in Computer Science. The topic is chosen in consultation with a Faculty Advisor. The research project and type of work required from the student will depend on the project and can involve literature review; developing methodologies; collecting, analyzing and presenting data; writing code; interpreting results and determining the significance of findings. Deliverables include a dissertation proposal, formal written report and a departmental presentation.
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admission to the Honours Program
AR = Attendance requirement as noted. CH = Credit hours: unless otherwise noted, a course normally has a credit value of 3 credit hours. CO = Co-requisite(s): course(s) listed must be taken concurrently with or successfully completed prior to the course being described. CR = Credit restricted: The course being described and the course(s) listed are closely related but not equivalent. Credit is limited to one of these courses. Normally, these courses cannot be substituted, one for the other, to satisfy program requirements. EQ = Equivalent: the course being described and the course(s) listed are equal for credit determination. Credit is limited to one of these courses. These courses can be substituted, one for the other, to satisfy program requirements. |
LC = Lecture hours per week: lecture hours are 3 per week unless otherwise noted. LH = Laboratory hours per week. OR = Other requirements of the course such as tutorials, practical sessions, or seminars. PR = Prerequisite(s): course(s) listed must be successfully completed prior to commencing the course being described. UL = Usage limitation(s) as noted. |