CMSC104 Programming in Python

Fall 2026

 

Instructor: Dr. Jeonghwa Lee

Office:  MCT 187

Office Hours:  TR 8:30am - 9am, TR 1:45pm - 3pm, W 1:30pm - 3pm, or by appointment

Phone: 717-477-1019

E-Mail: jlee@ship.edu


Class Website: https://www.engr.ship.edu/~jlee/teaching/fall2026/cmsc104

Class Time & Room: 

Session 01: TR 9:30am - 10:45am, MCT263

Session 02: TR 11am - 12:15pm, MCT263

 

Textbook: 

  John Zelle,Python Programming: An Introduction to Computer Science, 3E, ISBN: 9781590282755. 

 

Course Objectives:

This course covers fundamentals of Python programming language and programming techniques. Topics include Python fundamentals, loops, lists, decisions, functions, and files. Students will learn hands-on code development.  

 

Attendance: 

Attendance in this course is necessary to understand the material and is mandatory. If you must unavoidably miss a class, it is your responsibility to find out what was covered and what was assigned, and to get notes from a fellow student. 

 

Homework, Projects, and Exams: 

Assignments and projects will be announced in class and also posted on the class website (https://www.engr.ship.edu/~jlee/teaching/fall2026/cmsc104).
There will be two in-class exams on September 24 and October 29, 2026. There will be one final comprehensive exam on December 3, 2026.
No late homework and projects will be accepted. 

 

Grading Policy:

Exam1 = 15%, Exam2 = 15%, Final = 25%, Projects and Homework = 25%, Labs and Quizzes = 20%.

The final grade will be computed as follows:
A : 92 -- 100 A- : 90 -- 91 B+ : 88 -- 89 B : 82 -- 87 B- : 80 -- 81 C+ : 78 -- 79 C : 70 -- 77 D : 60 -- 69 F : Below 60

 

Academic honesty: 

PLAGIARISM and CHEATING are serious academic offenses. The University regulations pertaining to this matter can be found from Shippensburg University Policies on Plagiarism and Other Forms of Academic Integrity. Plagiarism and cheating will result in a score of zero on any test, assignment, or program. 

 

Withdrawals: 

To withdraw from a class or from the University, you must notify your academic dean's office. The deadline to withdraw without academic penalty (with grades of "W") is Monday, November 2, 2026. If you stop attending class but do not withdraw, you will remain registered and will receive a grade of "F" for the course. You will not receive refunds or adjustments to your account if you do not officially notify the University of your withdrawal. It is important to notify your dean's office in a timely way.

 

Tentative Course Outline: 

  • Chapter 1: Computers and Programs  
  • Chapter 2: Writing Simple Programs  
  • Chapter 3: Computing with Numbers  
  • Chapter 5: Sequences: Strings, Lists, and Files  
  • Chapter 6: Defining Functions  
  • Chapter 7: Decision Structures  
  • Chapter 8: Loop Structures and Booleans  
  • Chapter 11: Data Collections  
  • Chapter 13: Algorithm Design and Recursion  
  • Selected Topics  

 

Title IX [https://www.ship.edu/about/offices/hr/title_ix_statement/]