Computer Science Topic Courses

 

CSC397H5 • Topics in Computer Science 

NOT OFFERED 2026-27

 

CSC398H5F • Topics in Computer Science

Fall 2026 Topic Title: [Virtual Reality Edition] Building Ethical Software Solutions with Industry Collaboration

Instructor: R. Engineer 

Topic Description: This experiential learning course provides students with hands-on practice designing and developing ethical software systems in collaboration with industry partners. Students will work in teams and engage in the full software development lifecycle.  A central focus of the course is the ethical dimension of computing: students will critically examine issues such as fairness, privacy, data governance, transparency, and the societal impacts of software systems, and integrate responsible design principles into their technical work. The course culminates in the delivery of a functional software prototype with technical documentation and ethical justification of design decisions.

This year (Fall 2026), we will be using a virtual reality platform for the in-person lectures to engage with some of the stakeholders.  The projects with industry mentors will span several subfields in computing; a list of projects will be made available by the first day of the course. 

Prerequisites: minimum of 8.0 credits including CSC207H5.

Enrolment Limits: Priority is given to students enrolled in Computer Science Specialist, Information Security Specialist, Bioinformatics Specialist or Computer Science Major programs.

 

CSC398H5S • Topics in Computer Science

Winter 2027 Topic Title: AI for Game Playing

Instructor: J. Jung

Topic Description: An exploration of game playing AI as it has advanced from simpler games (like Connect Four and Checkers) through to more complex games (like Chess, Go, and video games).  Topics include: heuristic search, Monte Carlo search, AlphaGo/AlphaZero, and other deep learning agents.  Students will read and analyze seminal works in this field.

Prerequisite(s): CSC384H5

Enrolment Limits: Priority is given to students enrolled in Computer Science Specialist, Information Security Specialist, Bioinformatics Specialist or Computer Science Major programs.

CSC495H5 • Topics in Information Security 

NOT OFFERED 2026-27

 

CSC496H5 • Topics in Robotics 

Winter 2027 topic title: TBA

 

CSC497H5 • Topics in Computer Science 

NOT OFFERED 2026-27

 

CSC498H5F • Topics in Computer Science

Fall 2026 topic title: Secure Computer Hardware & Systems 

Instructor: G.Salleshwar

Course Description: This advanced senior undergraduate course explores the security of modern computer systems from a micro-architectural perspective. 

Recent years have revealed critical hardware vulnerabilities, including cache side-channel attacks, transient-execution attacks (e.g., Spectre and Meltdown), and DRAM Rowhammer attacks, that undermine traditional software-based security guarantees. These vulnerabilities enable attackers to extract sensitive information, corrupt data, or escalate privileges, posing serious risks to cloud computing, confidential computing, and critical infrastructure.
 
The course examines both offensive and defensive aspects of micro-architectural security. Students will study the root causes of hardware vulnerabilities, analyze real-world attacks, and develop proof-of-concept exploits on contemporary systems. In parallel, the course covers architectural and system-level defenses, including cache isolation, secure speculation mitigations, and hardware-based trusted execution environments (TEEs).
 
The course is primarily lecture-driven, with lectures based on seminal recent papers from top-tier computer security, and computer architecture conferences. Through programming assignments and a mini-research project, students gain hands-on experience in secure computer architecture and develop the skills needed to evaluate, design, and implement hardware-based security mechanisms.

Prerequisites: CSC258H5 and CSC347H5 and CSC369H5

Enrolment Limits: Priority is given to students enrolled in Computer Science Specialist, Information Security Specialist, Bioinformatics Specialist or Computer Science Major programs.

 

CSC498H5S • Topics in Computer Science

Winter 2027 topic title: Information Security Frameworks and Risk Management.

Instructor: S. McGlashan

Course Description:

This course explores how organizations protect information, systems, and digital assets while supporting business goals and operations. Students will examine how information security risks are identified, assessed, and managed, and how these risks influence the development of effective security strategies and programs. The course introduces the NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) 2.0 as a foundation for information security governance, risk management, and program implementation.

Through real-world case studies, students will gain experience analyzing organizational security challenges, selecting appropriate security controls and risk mitigation strategies, aligning information security practices with business goals, and communicating recommendations to technical and non-technical stakeholders. The cases provide insight into the interconnected functions of information security, including governance, risk management, security operations, incident response and recovery, and business continuity.

Individual participation and groupwork are important components of this course, as they are in real world work.

Prerequisites: CSC347H5

Enrolment Limits: Priority is given to students enrolled in Computer Science Specialist, Information Security Specialist, Bioinformatics Specialist or Computer Science Major programs.