COMP 055-01/DHP D291: Computer Science for Future Presidents

Course Description

Computer technology runs modern societies, underlying virtually every activity we do, from how the foods we eat arrive on our table to how we receive and consume information. Because cyber technology has such a profound influence on society, policymakers frequently face decisions on technical issues. Computer Science for Future Presidents is designed to provide students interested in policy, political science, and international relations aspects of cyber technology with an understanding of how these technologies work and the underlying issues of the policy debate. This course will cover Internet architecture and basic networking, the Web, cloud architectures, cryptography, security and privacy, open source systems, AI and machine learning, and other new technologies; it has a heavy emphasis on labs. It assumes no more previous exposure to computer science than a single programming course.

Prerequisites

An introductory course in programming: CS 10 or 11 or equivalent. The introductory programming course can include programming in C++, Python, or Java, but should not be Javascript based. The course needs to teach not only programming, but also introduce algorithmic thinking and data structures.

This requirement is a prerequisite; the programming course may not be taken simultaneously.

Important message regarding enrollment:

This course is offered as both an undergraduate course (COMP 055-01) and graduate course (DHP D291). Students at the Fletcher School should enroll in the graduate version of the course; all other students intending to enroll in the graduate version will need permission of the instructor.

Course Schedule

This course is a Computer Science course and follows the AS&E course schedule. The first day of class is September 3, there is no class on October 15 (AS&E Monday), and the last day of class is December 5. In addition, there will be no class on October 17.

Office Hours:

Ming Chow:

Tuesdays 12-2; Halligan second floor at the couch by the Computer Science Main Office

Susan Landau:

Tuesdays: 2-3 Mugar 251B, first come, first served.

Wednesdays: 2-3 Mugar 251B, (appointments through signing up online).

Reading and Video Assignments

There are two required books: Brian Kernighan, Understanding the Digital World, Princeton University Press (2017) and Jason Healey, A Fierce Domain: Conflict in Cyberspace, 1986 to 2012, Atlantic Council. Both of these will be on reserve; we recommend that you purchase them.

Many of the required readings are available as PDF or links to other websites. There are also links to various videos. You should complete the assigned readings and watch the assigned videos before the class session indicated on syllabus.

Rules of the Road:

Software and Computing Environment

Students taking this course should have a laptop and a smartphone. The laptop must have the following software installed:

At least two web browsers (e.g., Firefox, Google Chrome, Safari, Microsoft Edge, Brave)
Wireshark ; this is an open source and platform-independent network protocol and traffic analyzer.
A command line terminal software (built-in on Mac and Linux laptops; for Windows 10, use the Linux subsystem , use Ubuntu as distribution).

Canvas and Piazza

This course makes extensive use of Canvas and Piazza. You must submit all written assignments to the Assignment on Canvas. Paper assignments must also be submitted in hard copy in class on the day they are due as well as online in Canvas (labs are submitted only online). Please plan accordingly.

University and Class Policies

Academic Honesty

AS&E students: You should be familiar with Academic Integrity policy for Graduate and Undergraduate Students, available on the Dean of Student Affairs website.

Fletcher students: You should be familiar with the Fletcher Academic Integrity policy.

We take academic integrity seriously Academic dishonesty includes the following: buying papers; borrowing papers; lending papers (or parts of papers) to other students; submitting the same assignment for two different classes without the express permission of both instructors; plagiarism, defined as quoting material from other sources without using quotation marks or paraphrasing materials without proper citation; and uploading corrupted files to Canvas.

Tufts University has a site license for Turnitin, a leading anti-plagiarism software package. We have set up the Assignments in Canvas so that students must run the policy memorandum through Turnitin before submitting it. You will be able to view the report generated by Turnitin. Doing so, will give you greater peace of mind. We do read the originality reports generated by Turnitin for assignments.

Late Papers

No late papers or labs, with three exceptions:

Bereavement (e.g., the death of a parent, a step parent, a sibling, or another close relative);
A life threatening illness in your immediate family that requires you to leave campus; or
A serious illness or medical emergency that requires you to receive immediate medical attention

In the case of bereavement or a family emergency, an AS&E student must ask his or her Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education (“alpha dean”) in Dowling Hall to send us notification. In the case of a serious illness or medical emergency, the student is required to provide medical documentation from Health Service or other medical provider information if the student is too ill to take an in-class mid-term or in-class final examination.

Please remember that any student in such unfortunate circumstances is still responsible for obtaining documentation from your respective dean and/or Health Services in a timely fashion. A timely fashion means a within a day or two, not three or four weeks.

Students with Disabilities

Students with Disabilities: In accordance with federal and state laws, Tufts University provides reasonable accommodations to students with documented disabilities.. If you believe you require an accommodation, please email accessiblity@tufts.edu or, in the case of Fletcher students, Catherine.Flynn@tufts.edu