SENATE DOCUMENT #7

                          ACADEMIC POLICIES COMMITTEE

                                 DOCUMENT #3

                                   1984-85


The Academic Policies Committee recommends to the Faculty Senate the following
changes in the Department of Computer Science: 

1.  The addition of a new course

    CSCI 161  Accelerated Basic (3)

              Elementary principles of programming in the BASIC language at an
              accelerated pace to cover advanced concepts in logical problem
              analysis, dimensioned variables, strings, and file handling. 
              This course is designed for those who plan to major or
              concentrate in Computer Science.  Replaces 141 as a requirement
              for Computer Science majors.  No credit for both 161 and 141.
              Prerequisite:  Completion of any College Skills requirement in
              mathematics. 

Rationale:

Computer Science majors must first learn the elementary concepts of
programming, which are inherent to any computer language.  The BASIC language,
taught in CSCI 141, allows the easiest way to develop these programming
concepts, but majors must be presented with much more material than should be
required of students in other majors.  This accelerated level of presenting
BASIC will better prepare these majors for many upcoming courses in the
computer science curriculum.  The original idea to present beginning
programming concepts on a general and an accelerated level was developed after
reading catalogues of other Computer Science schools.  During the past 4
semesters, CSCI 141 has been divided into two groups of sections:  those for
majors and those for non-majors.  While both students and faculty have
responded favorably to this arrangement, it has often led to confusion for
students as well as for the Computer Science program.  This is why a separate
course number must be created and given the credibility to replace CSCI 141 in
the curriculum for Computer Science majors. 


2.  The addition of a new course

    CSCI 321  C Programming Language (3)

              Fundamentals of the high level, portable language "C" with
              applications. Prerequisites:  242 (completed or concurrent) and
              232 or permission of the Instructor. 

Rationale:

The "C" programming language has become a popular language for everything from
simple programming tasks to creating operating systems.  Many Computer Science
majors and quite a few programmers from the surrounding community have taken or
have expressed an interest in taking this course.  As a result of its
popularity in industry, as well as the interest generated among UNC-A students,
"C" language programming should be added to the Computer Science curriculum.