Syllabus for CS 7934 — Computer Systems Seminar, Fall 2026

Course Information

Course Number, Title, and Credit Hours
CS 7934–1 — Computer Systems Seminar — 1 credit hour
Also known as “the CSL seminar”
Time
Fridays, 2:00–3:30 PM
Type
In person
Location
3485 MEB
Instructor
Eric Eide
Instructor Contact
Email: eeide@cs.utah.edu
Web: https://users.cs.utah.edu/~eeide/
Office: 3476 MEB
Office Hours: by appointment; send email to schedule an appointment
Web Pages
Primary: https://www.eng.utah.edu/~csl-sem/
The primary course website will contain pointers to the syllabus, schedule, and other information.
Canvas: https://utah.instructure.com/courses/1259815
Enrolled students will submit paper summaries via the course's Canvas website.
Mailing List
csl-sem@cs.utah.edu
All seminar participants should subscribe to the mailing list. The instructor will use this list to distribute important announcements and other information.

Course Summary

Description: The Computer Systems Seminar is a weekly meeting in which participants discuss recent and important results in the area of computer systems research. For a typical meeting, attendees will read and discuss one paper chosen from a recent systems, networking, or security conference. Papers are selected for discussion according to the semester's focus topic, the papers' relevance to participants' own research, and/or the papers' relevance to upcoming Utah visitors. Some meetings may be centered on presentations of a participant's own research: e.g., a practice talk for an upcoming conference. Each meeting has one or more designated “facilitators” who are responsible for leading the discussion.

Outcomes and Objectives: By the end of this course, you will be able to:

Prerequisites: An undergraduate computer science background is required for this course. General knowledge of computer systems design, both software and hardware, is necessary.

Course Requirements and Grading Policy

Preliminary Schedule: The schedule of seminar meetings is available on the seminar's home page. The papers under discussion will be chosen by the seminar participants as the semester progresses. As described below, students enrolled for credit must participate in seminar meetings. There is a homework assignment—a short paper summary—due prior to class on every paper-discussion week.

Grading: Grading is based on participation. “Participation” is not merely presence; it means engaging with the course in ways that demonstrate sincere effort to master the course material. The primary course activities are:

On every week that the seminar is held, every student taking the course for credit must read all of the papers for that week, submit a short summary of each paper prior to class, and participate in the discussion. In addition, every enrolled student must facilitate at least one seminar meeting during the semester.

Paper summaries should be submitted to the instructor, prior to class, via the seminar's Canvas website. Late paper summaries are not generally accepted. Late paper summaries may be accepted in exceptional circumstances only, at the sole discretion of the instructor.

For grading purposes, the activities in the course are weighted as follows:

Cheating Policy

Cheating: In this course, “cheating” refers to plagiarism in the written summaries that students submit to the instructor. Plagiarism is the practice of taking work from a source—e.g., text written by another person or text created by an AI-enabled generator—and presenting it as your own work, without clearly identifying the source. Plagiarism includes verbatim copying from a source, and it also includes improper paraphrasing: copying text from a source, changing a small fraction of the words and/or structure, and presenting the result as your own.

Cheating in this course is not tolerated. The penalty for cheating in this course is a failing grade for the course.

A summary must consist of a student's sole, original work. Unattributed copying of material from the papers being discussed or other sources is plagiarism as will be treated as such. Improper paraphrasing of papers or other sources is also plagiarism and will be treated as such.
Do not present text produced by generative AI tools as your original work. Text produced by generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot, must not be incorporated into work that is submitted to the instructor. This is because text created by a generative AI tool is, by its nature, not a student's sole, original work. In this course, presenting tool-generated text as your original work is plagiarism. Tool-generated text may be incorporated into submitted work only when both (1) the generated text is clearly identified within the submitted work as a whole, e.g., as a direct quote; and (2) the source of the generated text is clearly identified, e.g., with a citation.

Students are encouraged to discuss the seminar's readings with each other—discussing the papers is a primary activity of this course! However, any written summary that a student submits to the instructor must be the original work of that student alone. Jointly authored summaries are not allowed.

The following websites are good resources for understanding plagiarism and the difference between proper (acceptable) paraphrasing and improper (unacceptable) paraphrasing.

All questions about the definitions of cheating and plagiarism in this course should be directed to the instructor. The web has many resources that can help you to understand and avoid plagiarism, but if you have questions, please contact the instructor.

Statement: In accordance with the Kahlert School of Computing's Policy Statement on Academic Misconduct dated August 1, 2022, the instructor will discuss the School's academic misconduct policy in the first two weeks of the course. A link to the policy statement is found below.

John and Marcia Price College of Engineering Policies and Guidelines

For information about adding courses, withdrawing from courses, appealing grades, and more, please refer to the website maintained by the John and Marcia Price College of Engineering's Office of Academic Affairs.

University of Utah Policies

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The University of Utah seeks to provide equal access to its programs, services, and activities for people with disabilities.

According to Title II regulations for the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), federal law requires all educational content made available to students digitally at the University of Utah to meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards to ensure compatibility with assistive technology tools. If you find that any content throughout a course is not compatible or need additional assistance interpreting any of the content available, please contact your instructor.

All written information in this course can be made available in an alternative format with prior notification to the Center for Disability & Access (CDA). CDA will work with you and the instructor to make arrangements for accommodations. Prior notice is appreciated. To read the full accommodations policy for the University of Utah, please see Policy 5–117: ADA Policy, Reasonable Accommodation and Access.

In compliance with ADA requirements, some students may need to record course content. Any recordings of course content are for personal use only, should not be shared, and should never be made publicly available. In addition, recordings must be destroyed at the conclusion of the course.

If you will need accommodations in this class, or for more information about what support they provide, contact:

Center for Disability & Access
801–581–5020
disability.utah.edu
Third Floor, Rm 350
Student Services Building
201 S 1460 E
Salt Lake City, UT 84112

Academic Misconduct. It is expected that students comply with University of Utah policies regarding academic honesty, including but not limited to refraining from cheating, plagiarizing, misrepresenting one's work, and/or inappropriately collaborating. This includes the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools without citation, documentation, or authorization. Students are expected to adhere to the prescribed professional and ethical standards of the profession/discipline for which they are preparing. Any student who engages in academic dishonesty or who violates the professional and ethical standards for their profession/discipline may be subject to academic sanctions as per the University of Utah's Student Code: Policy 6–410: Student Academic Performance, Academic Conduct, and Professional and Ethical Conduct.

Plagiarism and cheating are serious offenses and may be punished by failure on an individual assignment, and/or failure in the course. Academic misconduct, according to the University of Utah Student Code:

“…includes, but is not limited to, cheating, misrepresenting one's work, inappropriately collaborating, plagiarism, and fabrication or falsification of information… It also includes facilitating academic misconduct by intentionally helping or attempting to help another to commit an act of academic misconduct.”

For further details on plagiarism and other important course conduct issues, see the U's Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities.

Safety at the U. The University of Utah is committed to the safety and well-being of all members of our campus community. In the event of an emergency, the University sends out Campus Alerts by SMS text message and email. These alerts may include specific instructions such as HOLD, SECURE, LOCKDOWN, EVACUATE, or SHELTER, also known as the Standard Response Protocol. To ensure you receive these and other important safety notifications, verify that your contact information is current in the Campus Information System.

Policy 1–004: Violence in the Workplace and Academic Environment includes information on how to report incidents of violence, threats, intimidation, and other concerning behaviors from students, faculty, staff, or guests. Additional safety and security procedures, including crime reporting, emergency response, hazing prevention, missing student notifications, and fire safety are outlined in Policy 1–011: Campus Security.

To learn more about public safety resources, active threat preparedness, and other safety trainings, or to view the University of Utah's Annual Security & Fire Safety Report, please visit:

Department of Public Safety
801–585–2677
911 for Emergencies
publicsafety.utah.edu
1658 E 500 S
Salt Lake City, UT 84112

Additional safety information on University safety resources can be found at SafeU.

Addressing Discrimination & Sexual Misconduct. The University of Utah is committed to providing and fostering an environment that is safe and free from prohibited discrimination, which includes sexual misconduct. The University prohibits discrimination against individuals on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, or protected veteran status—these are known as Protected Classes.

The University Non-Discrimination Policy (Policy 1–012) is how the University addresses issues of discrimination and sexual misconduct. This policy applies to all University Programs and Activities, including all operations, academic, and administrative units, and other members of the University community. This includes faculty, staff, students, patients, visitors, and other participants in University Programs or Activities. This policy is also how the University complies with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which requires the University to respond to reports and complaints that involve possible sex discrimination to monitor outcomes, identify patterns, and address issues.

With extremely limited exceptions, all University employees, including faculty, are Mandatory Reporters and required, under University Policy, to inform the Office of Equal Opportunity and Title IX (OEO) of all reports of possible discrimination or sexual misconduct. These obligations apply despite any requests for confidentiality made by the individuals disclosing the information or involved in the alleged incident. Some employees (e.g., those classified as confidential) may not be required to report to OEO, but may have other reporting obligations. Learn more about how the OEO reporting process functions.

If you are not a Mandatory Reporter, but you or someone you know has experienced possible discrimination, including sexual misconduct, you are encouraged to report it to university officials. For more information about University non-discrimination policies and procedures, contact:

Office of Equal Opportunity and Title IX
801–581–8365
oeo.utah.edu
383 S University St
Level 1, OEO Suite
Salt Lake City, UT 84112

Additional Resources

University of Utah Police Division (UUPD)
801–585–COPS (801–585–2677)
911 for Emergencies
police.utah.edu
1658 E 500 S
Salt Lake City, UT 84112

UUPD's Crime Victim Advocates provide free, trauma-informed support services and are available 24/7. They can answer questions about filing a police report, assist with safety planning, and help you navigate the criminal justice process. Crime Victim Advocates are Mandatory Reporters, and as such, not confidential resources. If you share information about sexual misconduct or other reportable conduct, they may be required to report that information to the University's Office of Equal Opportunity. However, you are not required to share details of your experience in order to receive information about available services, resources, and reporting options.

Center for Campus Wellness
801–581–7776
wellness.utah.edu
350 Student Services Building
201 S 1460 E
Salt Lake City, UT 84112

If you do not feel comfortable reporting to authorities, the Center for Campus Wellness Victim Survivor Advocates provides free, fully confidential, and trauma-informed support services to students, faculty, and staff who have experienced interpersonal violence. The Center for Campus Wellness Victim Survivor Advocates are not Mandatory Reporters. To privately explore options and resources available to you with an advocate, contact their team.

Office of the Dean of Students (ODOS)
801 581 7066
deanofstudents.utah.edu
270 Union Building
200 S Central Campus Dr
Salt Lake City, UT 84112

The Office of the Dean of Students works to advocate, support, and develop students as they navigate their time at the University of Utah. We actively engage in conversations that promote compassionate, welcoming, and safe campus communities. ODOS serves as an advocate for students facing challenges to their success as students and work to empower students to know and understand their rights and responsibilities as members of our community. Find information on resources available and how to report a variety of misconduct issues from ODOS.

Student Wellness. Your personal health and wellness are essential to your success as a student. Personal concerns like stress, anxiety, relationship difficulties, depression, or cross-cultural differences can interfere with a student's ability to succeed and thrive in this course and at the University of Utah. Please feel welcome to reach out to your instructor or TA to handle issues regarding your coursework.

Want to learn more, but not sure where to start? Check out EmpowerED: a self-paced, online health literacy course, designed to help students take charge of their health and well-being—throughout college and beyond.

For helpful resources to manage your personal wellness and counseling options, contact:

Counseling Services
801–581–6826
counselingcenter.utah.edu
Student Services Building
201 S 1460 E Rm 426
Salt Lake City, UT 84112
Center for Student Wellness
801–581–7776
wellness.utah.edu
2100 Eccles Student Life Center
1836 Student Life Way
Salt Lake City, UT 84112