CS 190: Senior Seminar

There are three sections of CS 190 in Fall 2026, each with their own topic.

There will be three types of assigments in this class: research presentations, readings, and a final paper.

Twice per semester, you will be responsible for presenting that week's research papers and leading a discussion about them. The first presentation will be done in pairs, the second presentation will be done individually.

In weeks when you are not presenting, there will be assigned readings for each week along with some work relating to these readings to complete in preparation for that week's discussion. See your section page for details about reading assignments and discussion prep.

The final paper will be comprised of a project proposal together with a survey of the related literature. There will be various paper milestones you will need to complete throughout the semester. You will also present your final project proposal during the assigned final exam time for your section.

Final grades for CS 190 will be computed as follows:

Pair Presentation: 10%
Individual Presentation: 15%
Final Presentation: 15%
Reading Quizzes: 10%
Discussion Participation: 15%
Final Project: 35%

Because this is a discussion course, attendance and participation are critical in this class. 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. Missing more than 15 minutes of class will be counted as an absence.

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 half-grade deduction from your final grade for each missed colloquium.

This is a Tier 1 CS class, meaning that AI use is allowed in limited circumstances as described on the syllabus. See your individual section page for further details.

In general, discussion is encouraged in this course. This means that you may discuss ideas or approaches with anyone in this class, including faculty and other students. However, unless otherwise specified, all writing 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 an 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.

There will be stringent penalties for violations of academic honesty, up to failure in the course.

All students are welcome in this class, and all of the course staff are committed to providing equal opportunity for all students. If you have concerns about anything that is preventing you from fully participanting in the class, please talk to us so that we can address it. Requests for formal accommodations may be made by contacting the Disability Coordinator on your home campus; all accomodations will be honored.