A group of Computer Science students plan to work together learning the Java programming language and the basic principals of object-oriented software design. Java is an up and coming programming language that is used heavily in Internet based applications. Java is a pure Object Oriented language, and therefor perfect for illustrating O.O. concepts. The ability to program in Java is beginning to be treated as fundamental knowledge of the average computer science major.

We will meet each class day of the May term from 12pm till 4pm in Dennis 224. Time would be used to review language and programming concepts, the bulk of it would consumed by working on exercises as individuals or small groups within the lab setting.

Jeremiah will be the facilitator and organizer more than a formal teacher for this course. This should give us the ability to cover the necessary language elements and object-oriented design and programming concepts in a structured fashion while still being able to allow the study to move in unforeseen directions.

Resources for this study will include the book Java in a Nutshell, the Java source code from Sun, as well as examples from the Java Tutorial which is also from Sun. Java in a Nutshell will be our primary reference, and serve as the main framework for our group. Additional sources will include the Java AWT reference, the Java Swing reference, Java Beans, RMI, Java Threads, and Java Networking. All of these are published by O'Reilly and Associates.
 
 

The study will cover four basic areas. At the end of each area, students must turn in a program that utilizes the material learned for that area, as well as for all the previous areas. Students will be evaluated on the basis of how well and how much their submitted programs utilize the covered material.

The four area topics are as follows:

    Fundamental Java topics. This includes how Java differs from C, Object Oriented Design, the basic hierarchy of the Java package, threads, methods, classes, and Java data structures.
    User interface topics. This includes the Java AWT (Advanced Windowing Toolkit) and JFC packages (Java Foundation Classles), as well as Java Events, Java Beans, and the MVC (Model View Controler) design methodology.
    Java networking Topics. This includes basic networking with Java, applets, Remote Method Invocation, and Database connectivity with JDBC (Java Database Connectivity).
    Advanced Java topics. This includes JNI (Java Native Interface), Advanced Graphics concepts with Java, and any other area that the students show Interest in. The fourth area is designed to be flexible to accommodate students' interests.
Students will be evaluated on a pass/fail basis, based on participation, and group projects for each area. Students can take this course for 1,2, or 3 credits. In order for a student to earn 1 credit, they must successfully complete area 1 and 2. For 2 credits, they must complete area 3 as well. And for 3 credits, they must complete all 4 areas.