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**CS 190 Senior Seminar**
  Fall 2025

# Sections

All sections meet in Edmunds from 11:00 AM to 12:15 PM.

| Sec  | Day | Room | Prof         | Topic                                                                    |
| :--: | --- | ---- | ------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| 1    | Tue | 129  | Li           | [Human-Computer Interaction](./section1/index.html)                      |
| 2    | Tue | 251  | Thomas       | [Efficient Modern Computer Architecture](./section2/index.html)          |
| 3    | Thu | 129  | Thomas       | [Vulnerable and Secure Systems and Architectures](./section3/index.html) |
| 4    | Tue | 114  | Clark        | [Robots, Autonomous Systems, and Humans](./section4/index.html)          |
| 5    | Thu | 251  | Clark        | [Machine Learning and Generative AI](./section5/index.html)              |

# Deadlines

## Presentations

Final presentations are held during your final exam slot in the same room in which your sections meets.
Stay tuned for more details on when your section will meet during finals week.

| Description                                                               | Due Date                                                    |
| :------------------------------------------------------------------------ | :---------------------------------------------------------- |
| First [Presentation Check-In](pages/presentations.html#beforeyoupresent)  | One week before your presentation                           |
| First [Presentation](pages/presentations.html#presentationrubric)         | See your section's schedule                                 |
| First Presentation Reflection                                             | One week after your presentation                            |
| Second [Presentation Check-In](pages/presentations.html#beforeyoupresent) | One week before your presentation                           |
| Second [Presentation](pages/presentations.html#presentationrubric)        | See your section's schedule                                 |
| Second Presentation Reflection                                            | One week after your presentation                            |
| Proposal Presentation                                                     | Sections 1, 2, and 4[^final1] or Sections 3 and 5 [^final2] |

[^final1]: Sections 1, 2, and 4 will meet Thursday, Dec. 11 from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM in your usual classroom.

[^final2]: Sections 3 and 5 will meet Monday, Dec. 8 from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM in your usual classroom.

## Project Reports

All deadlines are for 11:59 PM on the date listed.

| Description                                            | Due Date   |
| :----------------------------------------------------- | :--------- |
| [LaTeX Exercise](./assignments/m1-latex-exercise.html) | Mon Sep 8  |
| [Topic Proposal](./assignments/m2-topic-proposal.html) | Mon Sep 22 |
| Bibliography                                           | Mon Oct 6  |
| Annotated Bibliography                                 | Mon Oct 20 |
| Outline and Introduction                               | Mon Nov 3  |
| First Full Draft                                       | Mon Nov 17 |
| Peer Reviews                                           | Fri Nov 21 |
| Final Report                                           | Wed Dec 3  |

## Senior Exercise

<!-- TODO: add additional check-ins -->

To complete a senior thesis, you must register for CS 191 this fall and then again in the spring.
To complete a senior project, you only need to register for CS 192 in the spring.

| Description                                        | Due Date                  |
| :------------------------------------------------- | :------------------------ |
| Contact a thesis advisor and discuss your topic    | Fri Aug 29                |
| [CS 191 Senior Thesis][cs191] course registration  | Fri Sep 5[^cs191deadline] |
| Contact a project advisor and discuss your topic   | Fri Nov 21                |
| [CS 192 Senior Project][cs192] course registration | Wed Dec 3                 |
| Senior exercise check-in                           | Wed Feb 4                 |
| Senior exercise check-in                           | Wed Mar 18                |
| Senior exercise first drafts                       | Fri Apr 17                |
| Senior exercise final presentations                | Fri Apr 24                |
| Senior exercise final drafts                       | Fri May 1                 |

[^cs191deadline]: The registrar's deadline for adding any course is Mon Sep 8.

[cs191]: https://catalog.pomona.edu/courses/CSCI191%20PO
[cs192]: https://catalog.pomona.edu/courses/CSCI192%20PO

# Policies

## Discussion

We will set our in-class discussion policy together on the first day of class!
When we do so, a non-exhaustive list of things to consider when we do this
include

- constructing an inclusive environment in which participants are encouraged to take risks;
- ensuring participants come to the discussion prepared;
- initiating discussion with engaging, relevant topics or challenges;
- encouraging active listening;
- helping participants digest what they are hearing;
- managing and facilitating the flow of the session;
- making clear the statements open for further discussion;
- acknowledging that we will not agree on everything;
- helping the group reach a satisfactory closure point, and
- mechanisms for ensuring participation.

These points were adapted from [the Sheridan Center at Brown University](https://sheridan.brown.edu/resources/classroom-practices/discussions-seminars/facilitating-effective-group-discussions/self-checklist).

## Assignments and Grading

This semester you will:

- Deliver at least three presentations, each with check-ins and reflections.
- Complete the writing milestones for your project proposal or thesis.
- Complete reading questionnaires and contribute to in-class discussions.

Each assignment will be graded as **incomplete**, **satisfactory**, or
**excellent**. You should think of **excellent** as receiving a 92% or higher.

Any presentation marked "satisfactory" may be regraded as "excellent" given a
sufficient list of changes in the written reflection, and implementation of
possible changes (e.g., speaking with more confidence, not reading from
presenter notes, making eye contact with the audience) in the next presentation.

Any written assignments or reading responses may be resubmitted a maximum of one
time within one week of receiving the grade. Please use the Gradescope regrade
feature.

Your final grade will be determined by the following:

| Grade | Minimum requirements                                                               |
| :---- | :--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| A     | **Excellent** on all assignments                                                   |
| B     | **Excellent** on all presentations; at least **satisfactory** on other assignments |
| C     | At least **satisfactory** on all assignments                                       |
| D     | **Satisfactory** on all presentations; some **incomplete** assignments             |

Other grades (F and +/- grades) will be assigned at the instructor's discretion,
based on the quality of your work and your participation in class discussions.

Because this is a discussion course, attendance and participation are critical.
Therefore at most two excused absences are allowed. To have an absence excused,
you must provide the instructor with advance notice that you need to miss a
class. Each unexcused absence will result in a one grade deduction from your
final grade. Failure to participate in class discussions will also result in
grade deductions.

Final grades for CS 190 also incorporate colloquium participation. If you attend
fewer than 24 colloquia by the end of your senior year, there will be a one
grade deduction from your final grade for each missed colloquium.

## Late Submissions

Late assignments will not be accepted. However, if you plan ahead you can ask
for an extension prior to the assignment deadline (at least four days).

Unless requested ahead of time, some assessments (e.g., quizzes) cannot be
completed after the class period in which they are scheduled.

## AI Use

All work submitted in this course must be your own. Contributions from anyone or
anything else---including AI sources such as Grammarly, ChatGPT, Copilot,
Gemini, etc.---must be properly quoted and cited every time they are used.
Failure to do so constitutes an academic integrity violation.

If you include verbatim text generated by an AI-based tool, it should be cited
using quotation marks, where the citation should include the prompt used as
input to generate the quoted text. For example,

> "'Computer science is the study of computation and information, providing the
> foundation for the algorithms and software that power our digital world.'
> (Gemini 2.5 Pro prompt: 'Write a short sentence about computer science.', August
> 18, 2025)."

If you include significantly paraphrased text that was initially generated by
ann AI-based tool, then it should be cited without quotation marks, where the
citation should include the prompt used (as shown above).

> "CS is the study of computation and stuff I guess
> (Gemini 2.5 Pro prompt: 'Write a short sentence about computer science.',
> August 18, 2025)."

You should never enter any copyrighted material that does not belong to you into
an AI-tool, as such use is a violation of another person's intellectual
property. This means you should never use text from published papers or course
assignments as a prompt for an AI tool.

## Academic Integrity

Discussion is encouraged in this course. This means that you may discuss ideas
or approaches with anyone in this class. However, unless otherwise specified,
all writing and presentation materials must be your own. Using text from
external sources---web page, person, book, or ChatGPT---without citation is
forbidden. If you have any questions about what is appropriate or inappropriate
collaboration or about how to cite your sources, please speak with your
instructor.

Course materials provided to you, including assignments and graded papers, are
for your use in the course. You are encouraged to use them to the fullest
extent, but you are not to publish them or distribute them to other people or
organizations without written permission.

## Environment and Accommodations

Pomona College is committed to the fair and equitable treatment of all members
of our community. This includes providing and improving accessibility for
everyone at Pomona College. Consistent with the open community of Pomona, this
includes people with specific needs or disabilities. We encourage you to have a
conversation with your instructors, coaches, mentors, and others on campus who
can help you access what you need to succeed. Check [here for a nonexhaustive list
of accommodations](https://www.pomona.edu/accessibility/student-accessibility/accommodation-services).

For specific academic accommodations, students need to submit documentation with
the ARS office and engage in an interactive process to determine which
accommodation(s) may be appropriate.  For more information, please reach out to
disability@pomona.edu. See this
[step-by-step guide to the accommodations process](https://www.pomona.edu/accessibility/student-accessibility/accommodation-policies-and-procedures)
and ways that you can be supported. Additionally, students can receive
assistance and resources from the 7C
[Student Disability Resource Center (SDRC)](https://services.claremont.edu/sdrc/).
The SDRC hosts events, loans assistive technology, and offers student accommodation support.

## CSWIM

THE CENTER FOR SPEAKING, WRITING, AND THE IMAGE (CSWIM) is one of the most
widely-used academic resources on campus and is a fantastic, free resource for
all students. CSWIM Partners meet one-on-one with students to talk about their
work and provide feedback at any stage of their preparation process, from
brainstorming to outlining to final draft. Trained to think deeply about
written, oral, and visual rhetoric and communication, these student peers
facilitate conversations about everything from ID1 papers to senior theses, lab
reports to creative writing, and help students to develop strategies for reading
and engaging more deeply and confidently in class discussion. [Make an
appointment with a CSWIM Partner online](https://pomona.mywconline.com/).

# Writing and Presenting Requirements

- [Reading and Writing Requirements and Advice](./pages/writing.html)
- [Presentation Requirements and Advice](./pages/presentations.html)

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- TR 11:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 11 9:00 - 12:00 p.m.
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