CSCI 102 – Course Information

Instructor: Tim Huang
Class times: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, 10:10am to 11:00am
Classroom: MBH 538
Textbook: Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications, 6th Edition (2007), by Kenneth Rosen.

Course Overview

Welcome to CSCI 102, Mathematical Foundations of Computing! CSCI 101 provides a broad overview of the field of computer science, including basic programming concepts. CS 102 focuses on the mathematical structures and models that helped give rise to and continue to stimulate progress in the discipline of computer science. We will examine how discrete mathematics applies to fields such as cryptography, computer networks, algorithmic analysis, and artificial intelligence. Furthermore, we will learn how to construct rigorous mathematical arguments using various proof methods. In short, we will study the mathematics that makes computer science a "science".

Honor Code

You are expected to maintain the highest level of academic integrity in this course. This means that work you submit in CS102 must be the result of your own individual effort. You may discuss homework problems, general proof strategies or algorithms with other students in the course, but you may not collaborate in the actual writing of problem sets. Each student must write up his or her own solutions, and may not read or copy another's solutions or solutions from previous semesters. This implies that one student should never have in her or his possession a copy of all or part of another student's homework. It is your own responsibility to protect your work from unauthorized access.

The exams and quizzes must be entirely your own work.

For those who plan to work on homework sets with others, I suggest the following procedure: spend as much time as you need working with others to understand the problems, take a break to read the newspaper or play ping pong, and then go back and write up your solutions without the notes you used while working with the others. This will help ensure that you follow both the letter and the spirit of the honor code.

Coursework and Grading

Your final grade will be based on attendance and participation, weekly homework assignments, two midterm exams, and a final exam. The components will be weighted as follows:

    Attendance and participation   5%
    Homework assignments          30%
    Midterm 1                     20%
    Midterm 2                     20%
    Final                         25%

Midterm 1 will be held on Thursday, March 13, from 7:00pm to 9:00pm. Midterm 2 will be held on Thursday, April 17, from 7:00pm to 9:30pm. The final exam is scheduled for Tuesday, May 13, from 9:00am to 12:00noon.

The weekly homework assignments will be posted online and must be turned in at the beginning of class on the day they are due. On each assignment, you should include your name as well as the names of those students with whom you discussed the assignment. The lowest homework score will be dropped when calculating the final homework grade. No late homework will be accepted. In extenuating circumstances (e.g., serious illness, family emergency, personal crisis), you may request an extension. Such extensions are more likely to be granted if the request is made before the due date.

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