The focus of this course is service-oriented computing -- an emerging paradigm for distributed computing that is changing the way software is designed and delivered. A new interdisciplinary field known as Services Science is also emerging, and it combines social science, business, and engineering knowledge needed for organizations to succeed in the shift to service-based economy. Service-oriented computing, which promises business automation, will play an important role in Services Science. Web services, which are platform-independent computing elements that can be described, published, and discovered, represent the current technology based on service-oriented computing.

This course will provide students with a comprehensive introduction to service-oriented computing by covering important topics (mainly technical, but social and business issues as time permits), and the research opportunities that exist. Students will read some of the important papers in the area and present seminars, and develop research ideas and write them down. Students will also learn about the programming model of Web services and apply this knowledge to a group project in which they practice team work. In addition, students will learn about independent, creative, and critical thinking, and will come to appreciate the technical, social, and global issues that surround service-oriented computing.

The objective of this course is to produce: researchers who can provide novel solutions to service-oriented computing challenges; software professionals that are capable of designing and building quality service-oriented systems; and (possibly) entrepreneurs who are able to invent new services business models.