Course Syllabus

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CS591 CS Colloquium
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Instructors:


Nancy Amato
Nancy's office Hours: usually 1-2pm on Fridays . Check the school calendar for schedule and link each week.

Lawrence Rauchwerger
Lawrence's office Hours: By appointment

 

Announcements:

  • IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: All the information needed for students taking CS591CS CS Colloquium is provided on this webpage - please be sure to familiarize yourself with the contents here.
  •  A list of upcoming talks can be found on the Speaker Series Calendar, which is updated as more talks are scheduled. Additionally, the seminars for the next week are listed in weekly digest that is sent to all students and faculty in the school at midnight (12am) each Saturday. The standard times for school-wide seminars are Mondays and Wednesday afternoons at 3:30-4:30pm, though there may not be a talk every Monday or Wednesday and talks are also scheduled at other times. There are typically at least 25 (and usually many more!) talks scheduled during the fall and spring semesters.
  • Speakers will often have the option to present in person (in Urbana or in Chicago) or via zoom, and students will have the option to attend in person or via zoom. If more people are present than there are seats available, then students should plan to join via zoom - so you are advised to arrive in advance of the seminar if you wish to join in person.
  • For talks on Mondays & Wednesdays at 3:30pm, there will be refreshments served, with nicer receptions for distinguished lectures. You are encouraged to attend those.

Course Goals: The purpose of the course is to expose you to a broad range of current research topics in computer science and related fields through attending research seminars offered in the Siebel School of Computing and Data Science. All graduate students are encouraged to regularly attend seminars, not only during the semester(s) during which they are registered. It is useful for you to attend even when the topic seems unrelated to your research - indeed, seminars provide the best way for you to round out your knowledge by exposing you to current research in areas that are not directly related to your own research.

Course Content and Schedule: This course consists of school-wide seminars that are presented in the Siebel School.

A list of upcoming talks can be found on the Speaker Series Calendar. Additionally, the seminars for the next week are listed in weekly digest that is sent to all students and faculty in the school at midnight (12am) each Saturday. You should also watch your email for late breaking seminar announcements and updates.

The standard times for school-wide seminars are Mondays and Wednesday afternoons at 3:30-4:30pm, though there may not be a talk every Monday or Wednesday and talks are also scheduled at other times (see below). For talks on Mondays & Wednesdays at 3:30pm, there will be refreshments served, with nicer receptions for distinguished lectures. You are encouraged to attend those. There are typically at least 25 such talks scheduled during the fall and spring semesters.

Mechanics and Grading: To receive credit for this course you must attend and satisfactorily complete a report for at least 14 eligible research seminars during the semester.  The reports should be submitted by the last day of the final exam period, or Thursday May 14, 2026 for the Spring 2026 semester.

Eligible Seminars: Any school-wide talk in the Siebel School  held during the semester is an eligible seminar for this course. Automatically eligible talks for CS 591 CS credit include the types of talks that are listed below. Also, seminars organized by one of the School's Research Areas are eligible if they are advertised in the Speaker Series Calendar . If you are have a question about other talks, please check with an Instructor.

Seminar Reports: For each seminar you attend and want to receive credit for CS591 CS Colloquium, you need to complete a report. The reports can be accessed from the course's Canvas page.

Ideally, the report should be completed within one week of the presentation so that you have the details fresh in your mind; however, if you miss the one week deadline, you still can submit a report. Also, many talks will be recorded -- and in that case, after the video is available, the link to the video will replace the zoom link for the talk in the calendar item for the talk. Normally, the video for the talk is published within about a week of the talk.

The report form asks you to provide the following information for the seminar:

  • Your name.
  • Confirmations that:
    • you are not getting credit for any other course for attending this talk (no double dipping) 
    • you wrote all responses on your own and did not use any AI tool such as ChatGPT.
  • Talk info: Date of talk, Speaker's name, institution, talk title.
  • A brief summary of the talk (1 paragraph).
  • Your thoughts (1 paragraph). A brief discussion of what you thought about the seminar: is the work interesting? important? what questions did you have? what follow on work do you think would be interesting?

 

 

Syllabus Statements

 

 

Learning Environment 

The intent of this section is to raise student, course staff, and instructor awareness of the need to take personal responsibility in creating an effective and respectful learning environment in this course, and generally in our campus community, and to provide pointers to relevant school and campus resources. 

All members of the Siebel School of Computing and Data Science - faculty, staff, and students - are expected to adhere to the School's Values and Code of Conduct. The CS CARES Committee is available to serve as a resource to help people who are concerned about or experience a potential violation of the Code. If you experience such issues, please contact the CS CARES Committee. The Instructor(s) of this course are also available for issues related to this class.

Behavior that persistently or grossly interferes with course activities is considered disruptive behavior and may be subject to disciplinary action. Such behavior inhibits other students’ ability to learn and an instructor’s ability to teach. A student responsible for disruptive behavior may be required to leave class pending discussion and resolution of the problem and may be reported to the Office for Student Conflict Resolution ( https://conflictresolution.illinois.edu; conflictresolution@illinois.edu; 217-333-3680) for disciplinary action.

As members of the Illinois community, we each have a responsibility to express care and concern for one another. If you come across a classmate whose behavior concerns you, whether in regard to their well-being or yours, we encourage you to refer this behavior to the Connie Frank CARE Center (formerly the Student Assistance Center) in the Office of the Dean of Students.  You may do so by calling 217-333-0050 or by submitting an online referral.  Based on your report, staff in the Student Assistance Center will reach out to offer support and assistance. 

Further, as a Community of Care, we want to support you in your overall wellness. We know that students sometimes face challenges that can impact academic performance (examples include mental health concerns, food insecurity, homelessness, personal emergencies). Should you find that you are managing such a challenge and that it is interfering with your coursework, you are encouraged to contact the Connie Frank CARE Center (formerly the Student Assistance Center) in the Office of the Dean of Students for support and referrals to campus and/or community resources.

 

Academic Integrity and the use of AI Tools

Students should not use generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT, Co-pilot, and Gemini, at any stage when preparing the seminar reports for this course. In the report, students are asked to confirm that they did not use any AI tool and as such the use of these these tools will be considered academic dishonesty and a violation of the University of Illinois Student Code. 

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Student Code should also be considered as a part of this syllabus. Students should pay particular attention to Article 1, Part 4: Academic Integrity. Read the Code at the following URL: http://studentcode.illinois.edu/.

Academic dishonesty may result in a failing grade. Every student is expected to review and abide by the Academic Integrity Policy: https://studentcode.illinois.edu/article1/part4/1-401/. Ignorance is not an excuse for any academic dishonesty. It is your responsibility to read this policy to avoid any misunderstanding. Do not hesitate to ask the instructor(s) if you are ever in doubt about what constitutes plagiarism, cheating, or any other breach of academic integrity.

 

Emergency Response Information

Emergency response recommendations and campus building floor plans can be found at the following website: https://police.illinois.edu/em/run-hide-fight/. I encourage you to review this website within the first 10 days of class.

 

Disability-Related Accommodations

The University of Illinois is committed to ensuring that all students, including those with disabilities, do not experience barriers to learning and participating fully in class. If you have a letter of accommodation from DRES and have not already given it to the instructor, please do so as soon as possible to ensure your accommodation needs are met. 

To obtain disability-related academic adjustments and/or auxiliary aids, students with disabilities must contact Disability Resources and Educational Services (DRES) as soon as possible. To contact DRES, you may visit 1207 S. Oak St., Champaign, call 333-1970, email: disability@illinois.edu, or go to the DRES website.

 

Religious Observances

It is the policy of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to reasonably accommodate its students’ religious beliefs, observances, and practices that conflict with a student’s class attendance or participation in a scheduled examination or work requirement, consistent with state and federal law. 

Students should examine this syllabus at the beginning of the semester for potential conflicts between course deadlines and any of your religious observances. If a conflict exists, you should  make requests for accommodation in advance of the conflict to allow time for both consideration of the request and alternate procedures to be prepared.  Requests should be directed to the instructor.  The Office of the Dean of Students provides an optional resource on its website to assist students in making such requests.

 

Statement on Mental Health

Significant stress, mood changes, excessive worry, substance/alcohol misuse or interferences in eating or sleep can have an impact on academic performance, social development, and emotional wellbeing. The University of Illinois offers a variety of confidential services including individual and group counseling, crisis intervention, psychiatric services, and specialized screenings which are covered through the Student Health Fee. If you or someone you know experiences any of the above mental health concerns, it is strongly encouraged to contact or visit any of the University’s resources provided below.  Getting help is a smart and courageous thing to do for yourself and for those who care about you.

  • Counseling Center (217) 333-3704
  • McKinley Health Center (217) 333-2700
  • National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (800) 273-8255
  • Rosecrance Crisis Line (217) 359-4141 (available 24/7, 365 days a year)
  • Additional resources available on the SSCDS Student Resources Page

If you are in immediate danger, call 911.

 

Sexual Misconduct Reporting Obligation

The University of Illinois is committed to combating sex-based misconduct. Faculty and staff members are required to report any instances of sex-based misconduct to the University’s Title IX Office. In turn, an individual with the Title IX Office will provide information about rights and options, including accommodations, support services, the campus disciplinary process, and law enforcement options.

A list of the designated University employees who, as counselors, confidential advisors, and medical professionals, do not have this reporting responsibility and can maintain confidentiality, can be found here: wecare.illinois.edu/resources/students/#confidential.

Other information about resources and reporting is available here: wecare.illinois.edu.

 

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

Any student who has suppressed their directory information pursuant to Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) should self-identify to the instructor to ensure protection of the privacy of their attendance in this course. See https://registrar.illinois.edu/academic-records/ferpa/ for more information on FERPA.

 

Course Summary:

Course Summary
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