Curriculum for Computer Science & Innovation Major

Launch your Computer Science & Innovation career with Champlain’s Upside-Down Curriculum. Experience the transformative power of starting early on success.

Computer Science & Innovation Curriculum

Experience the comprehensive Computer Science & Innovation curriculum at Champlain College, designed to give you a deep understanding of technology and its applications. From fundamental theories to practical skills, our Upside-Down Curriculum provides a dynamic learning journey. Explore diverse topics such as artificial intelligence, software engineering, and app development while engaging in hands-on projects, internships, and field experiences. With the flexibility to study abroad and stay on track, you’ll be well-prepared for a successful career in the ever-evolving world of technology.

Learning Outcomes for Computer Science & Innovation

First Year
Fall Semester
Spring Semester
- CSI 180 Innovation I: Technology Sandbox
- CSI 240 Advanced Programming
- XXX General Elective
- COR 103 Navigating Your Information Landscape
- COR 104 First Year Inquiry: Making, Doing, &
Second Year
Fall Semester
Spring Semester
Third Year
Fall Semester
- CSI 320 Global IT & Ethics*
- CSI 370 Computer Architecture
- SCI XXX Natural Science w/Lab
- COR 301 Core Foundations: Connecting Place and Identity
- COR 302 Field Methods
Spring Semester
- CSI 380 Innovation III: Emerging Languages
- XXX Choose any CSI 300+ Course
- XXX General Elective
- COR 303 Core Foundations: Connecting Past and Present
- COR 304 Digital Methods
Fourth Year
Fall Semester
- CCC 410ITS Capstone Design
- CSI 480 Innovation IV: Topics in AI
- XXX Specialization Course
- XXX Specialization Course
- XXX General Elective
Spring Semester
- CCC 412 ITS Capstone Project
- XXX Any CSI 300+ Course
- XXX Specialization Course
- XXX Specialization Course
- XXX General Elective

Students will gain a foundational understanding of the software, hardware, and systems of mobile computing. A survey of current mobile platforms and an introduction to mobile Web programming provides strong insight into the challenges and opportunities for mobile application developers. Case studies of how mobile computing has invigorated social networks, re-written business models, and connected people across the globe are addressed in this course.

Prerequisites
Credits	3

Students learn the history and basics of computing, as well as the fundamentals of programming. General topics include: the history of computing, number systems and classical computing, Boolean logic, algorithm design and implementation, and modern computer organization. Programming topics include: memory and variables, mathematical operations, basic input and output, decision making, repetitions, functions, and arrays.

Prerequisites
Credits	3

This course teaches the common application of calculus theories. You will investigate basic topics of differential and integral calculus with a specific emphasis on applications. You will perform differentiation and integration of algebraic and transcendental functions, apply optimization techniques, and learn to formulate and solve differential equations.

Prerequisites	Complete MTH-125 or receive a passing grade on the Calculus Readiness Test.
Credits	3

Why go to college? What does it mean to be educated? In this course you'll begin to answer these questions. We'll explore the academic expectations of higher education, college as a diverse community, and the significance of education around the world. By examining how these issues are negotiated and implemented at Champlain and elsewhere, you'll gain perspective on your own education and a deeper understanding of the ways that the college experience can be both liberating and transformative.

Prerequisites	Take Cor-102 concurrently.
Credits	3

Inquiry is about learning how to ask the right kinds of questions, and figuring out how to answer those questions through discussion and reflection. This course introduces you to the types of inquiry necessary to succeed at Champlain and beyond. You will explore the intersections of reading, writing, and thinking by focusing on a specific topic or theme. You will approach that focus through the interrogation of relevant texts and analysis that draws upon multiple analytical frameworks. For detailed descriptions of the individual sections of this course, cut and paste the following link into your browser: bit.ly/core-year-one

Prerequisites	Take COR-101 concurrently.
Credits	3

Students implement?individual or collaborative projects that express curiosity, discovery, and creativity. Projects build on the programming knowledge obtained in introductory programming courses. Students utilize hardware and software interfaces to make projects interactive.

Prerequisites	Complete: CSI-120 OR CSI-140 OR CSI-150 OR CSI-160
Credits	3

This course builds on the content from Introduction to Programming. Students study the Object Oriented Programming (OOP) Paradigm with topics such as objects, classes, encapsulation, abstraction, modularity, inheritance, and polymorphism. Students examine and use structures such as arrays, structs, classes, and linked lists to model complex information. Pointers and dynamic memory allocation are covered, as well as principles such as overloading and overriding. Students work to solve problems by selecting implementation options from competing alternatives.

Prerequisites	Complete CSI-140 with a C or better
Credits	3

What makes an argument good or bad? What counts as evidence in our post-truth world? How can you understand and assess the truth value of a claim when you're not an expert? In this course you'll learn rhetorical strategies about how to examine arguments and types of evidence in different disciplines and fields of study. To help learn these strategies, you will do close readings of texts from a variety of disciplines in the liberal arts and sciences, popular culture, and social media.

Prerequisites	Take COR-104 concurrently.
Credits	3

This course introduces you to interdisciplinary inquiry using applied, project-based, and/or experiential methods. Regardless of the specific course focus, you'll have opportunities for making and doing interdisciplinary knowledge creation through a variety of approaches and activities. You will collaborate with other students, iterate on ideas, and work to develop a project. For detailed descriptions of the individual sections of this course, cut and paste the following link into your browser: bit.ly/core-year-one

Prerequisites	Take Cor-103 concurrently.
Credits	3

Students gain experience configuring and using Linux/Unix operating systems to perform user and administrator tasks, such as partitioning disks, configuring file systems, and managing users and groups. Students learn how to automate complex tasks with scripts and scheduling, how to use command-line tools to perform filesystem operations, and how to control and monitor processes. Students also write various programs within Linux/Unix development environments.

Prerequisites	Complete CSI-140 with a grade of C or better.
Credits	3

Students compare and contrast a variety of data structures. Students compare algorithms for tasks such as searching and sorting, while articulating efficiency in terms of time complexity. Students implement data structures and algorithms to support solution designs.

Prerequisites	CSI-240 with minimum grade of C or better.
Credits	3

Students will learn the concepts, techniques, and structures of discrete mathematics necessary for the software engineer, including logic, sets, functions, relations, Boolean algebra, and combinatorics. The course also introduces the concept of mathematical proof.

Prerequisites	Complete MTH-125 with a grade of B- or better; OR complete MTH-230
Credits	3

Science holds an elevated place in society. The knowledge and meaning that science makes are seen as having a particular and special value. This course explores knowledge and meaning making in order to allow a thoughtful analysis of, and then engagement with, science as a way of knowing, and then engages with the methods and theories of the sciences themselves, to understand the analytical, creative, and generative possibilities of science.

Prerequisites	Take COR-101, COR-102, COR-103, COR-104.
Credits	3

While each section of COR 202 addresses a different problem, issue, or topic, they all focus on interdisciplinary research. You will collect, analyze, and assess information from different disciplines in order to recognize patterns, contextualize arguments and synthesize ideas while collaborating on a project. Emphasis will be placed on helping you translate and apply what you learn about interdisciplinary research to other professional contexts. For detailed descriptions of the individual sections of this course, cut and paste the following link into your browser: bit.ly/core-year-two

Prerequisites	Take COR-101, COR-102, COR-103, COR-104.
Credits	3

Students will gain a solid understanding of network concepts, models, protocols, and applications. Emphasis is placed on the design and implementation of socket-based network programs, comprising both client and server architectures, and including advanced concepts such as non-blocking sockets, multiplexing, threads, asynchronous programming, and multicasting. Practical skills are developed through hands-on exercises and assignments using selected programming languages.

Prerequisites	Complete CSI-240 or CSI-260 with a grade of C or better.
Credits	3

Students will explore the history, philosophy, mechanics, and practices of the open source movement. Students will research some of the most prevalent and cutting- edge open source technologies, and gain experience working with the tools and techniques used in open source software development.

Prerequisites	Grade C or better in CSI-240 or CSI-260.
Credits	3

This course will introduce students to database design, Structured Query Language (SQL), normalization, and relational database theory. Traditional relational databases will be contrasted with NoSQL paradigm databases including document-oriented, key-value store, and graph. Students will gain hands-on experience writing database applications.

Prerequisites	Complete CSI-270 OR CSI-281, with a minimum grade of C.
Credits	3

Culture impacts everything we do, experience, and learn, but what is culture? Where does it come from, how does it form, and why does it have such a wide and deep impact on people's lives? This course explores culture as a system of meaning and meaning-making in order to allow for a more thoughtful analysis of, and then engagement with, cultural texts and media using different methodological approaches.

Prerequisites	Take COR-101, COR-102, COR-103, COR-104.
Credits	3

In this course, you will go in depth about a theoretical perspective that asks you to interrogate systems of power and power relationships. You will learn about the history of that perspective, including how it too was shaped by multiple contexts and compares with other viewpoints. You will use that perspective to analyze a specific topic, collection of texts, or cultural phenomena. For detailed descriptions of the individual sections of this course, cut and paste the following link into your browser: bit.ly/core-year-two

Prerequisites	Take COR-101, COR-102, COR-103, COR-104.
Credits	3

Students look at the positive and negative effects of changes and advancements in technology, with particular attention given to the relationships between technology, ethics, culture, and humanity. Through readings, discussions, debates, presentations and other learning methods, students will explore the evolution of technology and ethics. Students will investigate the ways technology is used and how information affects, and is affected by, society and the global community.

Prerequisites	60 completed credits.
Credits	3

Students study the foundations of computer language and computer architecture. We use Assembly programming as the mechanism for gaining a better understanding of computer architecture and how hardware and low-level programming can be harnessed in terms of software development. Historical and current computer architecture concepts will be covered and used as a basis to discuss future trends.

Prerequisites	Complete CSI-270 or CSI-281 with a grade of C or better.
Credits	3

Where we are shapes how we understand ourselves and each other. In this course, we will dig into the relationship between place and identity. We will learn how to think spatially, recognizing how one's identity is situated within and constructed through movement through different spaces--be they natural and built environments, rural and urban, or actual and virtual. COR 301 will help us understand the complex meanings of identity in a world defined by movement and change.

Prerequisites	Take COR-101, COR-102, COR-103, COR-104, COR-201, COR-202, COR-203, COR-204
Credits	3

Field methods are a collection of practices used in the sciences, arts, and humanities to understand phenomena in situ or as it is happening in a specific time and place. In this course, we will apply one or more field methods to research a topic, theme, or question that varies by section. We will learn practices associated with research in the field including but not limited to participant observation, data collection, and experimentation in order to navigate an uncontrolled environment. We will also examine the power dynamics between the researcher, informant, and subject matter to help us understand how, if not practiced ethically, field methods can create or reinforce biases rather than helping us learn with and make sense of the world around us. For detailed descriptions of the individual sections of this course, cut and paste the following link into your browser: bit.ly/core-year-three

Prerequisites	Take COR-101, COR-102, COR-103, COR-104, COR-201, COR-202, COR-203, COR-204
Credits	3

Students will be able to write effective and efficient code by learning to identify and apply the unique capabilities of different programming paradigms and emerging languages.

Prerequisites	Complete CSI-270 or CSI-281 with a grade of C or better
Credits	3

By learning from the past, we can make sense of the present and prepare for the future. In this course, we will learn how the 21st century has been and continues to be shaped by past social practices, ethical frameworks, power relations, and discourses. COR 303 is a course about how we know what we know about the past, and the ways different narratives about the past shape the present. Making connections between past and present will help us better understand how to live and make decisions in a globalized world defined by constant change.

Prerequisites	Take COR-101, COR-102, COR-103, COR-104, COR-201, COR-202, COR-203, COR-204
Credits	3

Digital methods are widely used forms of inquiry that employ technological tools to interrogate research questions important to the humanities and sciences (including the social sciences). Some examples include digital archiving, data mining, and story mapping. In this course, we will use one or more digital methods or tools to research a topic, theme or question that varies by section, with the express purpose of critiquing and reflecting on its application. This includes an examination of the values, flaws, and impacts of the methods or tools we are using, paying particular attention to their ethical implications and power dynamics. For detailed descriptions of the individual sections of this course, cut and paste the following link into your browser: bit.ly/core-year-three

Prerequisites	Take COR-101, COR-102, COR-103, COR-104, COR-201, COR-202, COR-203, COR-204
Credits	3

A senior-level seminar during which students research, design and plan a technical capstone project. Throughout the semester, students will demonstrate their ability to identify a research problem and solution that draw on their theoretical and practical training in their academic major and that can be executed in one academic semester. To be taken concurrently with CCC-411, ITS Capstone Reflective Component.

Prerequisites	ITS majors only and 90 completed credits.
Credits	2

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a broad area of computer science with many varied sub-disciplines. This rotating topics course will allow students to explore subjects in AI based on faculty expertise and student interest.

Prerequisites	Complete CSI-270 OR CSI-281, with a grade of C or better. And complete 90 credits
Credits	3

A senior-level seminar during which students implement and verify a technical capstone project specific to their major discipline that they have researched and designed under the supervision of their principal faculty member. Completed projects will be fully documented and presented in writing and orally to appropriate audiences.

Prerequisites	Complete CCC-410ITS with a grade of C or better.
Credits	3

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