UNDERGRADUATE CATALOG - Mercy College

194 / Course Descriptions
CISC 301 Information Systems within Organizations:
A comprehensive introduction to the concepts and theories that explain and/or motivate
methods and practices in the development and use of information systems (IS) in organizations.
The concepts and theories will include systems, management and organization, information,
quality and decision-making. The relationship of information systems to corporate planning
and strategy and concepts relating information technology (IT) to competitive advantage and
productivity are explored and explained. The concepts and practices underlying the use of
information technology and systems in improving organizational performance, as well as the
roles of management, users and Information Systems professionals are presented. Prerequisites:
CISC/MATH 220 and ACCT 120. 3 sem hrs. 3 crs. (Offered in spring semesters).
CISC 311 Objects, Structures and Algorithms I:
This course builds upon the Foundations of Computing courses and presents concepts and
techniques essential for working in a modern software development environment. These
include object-oriented programming, exception handling, algorithmic analysis, linear and
nonlinear data structures, and data structure libraries. Software engineering and objectoriented
design concepts are discussed using case studies and software projects. Prerequisites:
CISC/MATH231 and MATH244. 3 sem. hrs. 3 crs. (Offered in fall semesters).
CISC 327 (MATH 327) Computer Graphics:
Introduction to the principles behind the science of computer graphics; fundamental graphics
algorithms techniques with emphasis on algorithms suitable for raster display devices;
representation and transformations of objects in 2 and 3 dimensions; clipping; projections;
ray tracing; color and shading. Prerequisites: MATH 260 and CISC/MATH 231. 3 sem. hr. 3
crs. (Offered in spring semesters).
CISC 333 Programming Languages:
A study of the historical evolution of programming languages. An introduction to the
fundamental concepts, examining the design issues of the various language constructs and
critically comparing the alternatives. Languages such as Pascal, Ada, FORTRAN, ANSI C and
C++ are used to exemplify the concepts and constructs of imperative languages. Functional,
logic and object-oriented programming models are described and discussed as alternative
programming methodologies. Prerequisite: CISC 311. 3 sem. hrs. 3 crs. (Non-liberal arts credit).
(Offered in fall semesters).
CISC 335 Computer Network II
The course continues the exploration of the fundamental concepts of Computer Networks. Topics
to be covered include the Network Layer, Linked Layer and Local Area Network, Network
Management, Wireless and Mobile Networks and Multimedia Networking. Network Security
will be introduced. Lab Activities will provide students practical experiences in computer
networking. It will be centered on implementation, configuration and troubleshooting of a
LAN. Prerequisite: CISC257. 3 sem. hr. 3 crs. (Offered in Spring semesters).
CISC 337 Database Management Systems:
Introduction to the basic concepts of database management systems, including data
representation, conceptual data modeling, entity relationship diagrams, the relational model,
normalization, and database design and implementation. Concepts of data integrity, security,
privacy, and concurrence control are introduced. Students implement a major database
application project. Prerequisite: CISC 220. 3 sem. hrs. 3 crs. (Offered in fall semesters).
CISC 339 Artificial Intelligence:
A study of how computers can emulate the processes by which humans use logic and knowledge
to solve problems. Topics include expert systems, intelligent databases, robotics, game-playing
programs and formal proofs. Prerequisite: MATH 201 and CISC/MATH 231. 3 sem. hr. 3 crs.
(Offered in fall or summer semesters).