CIS 775, Analysis of Algorithms, Fall 2013


Instructor: Torben Amtoft
Email: tamtoft hat ksu dot edu
Office: Nichols 219C
Office Hours: Tuesday 1-3pm, and by appointment
Phone: 532-7917

Teaching Assistant: Yang Xue
Email: xueyang hat ksu dot edu
Office: Nichols 16A
Office hours: Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:30pm to 5pm, and by appointment

Required Textbook: Introduction to Algorithms, Thomas H Cormen & Charles E Leiserson & Ronald L Rivest & Clifford Stein, 3rd Ed., MIT Press, 2009

References: Algorithms: A Top-Down Approach, Rodney Howell, 9th draft

Prerequisites: Students are expected to have the following background:

Expected Outcome: Students should master the following knowledge and skills: In addition, students should become familiar with NP-completeness and related topics.

Grading

Attendance will be taken from time to time. Extra credit for class participation will be given if you actively contribute to the learning climate by constructive and interesting comments and questions (as subjectively judged by me)

You should expect that it requires 80 % to earn an A, and 60 % to earn a B. In general, my approach to grading is expressed well by this piece by S.A. Miller.

Homeworks are due almost every week, to be submitted through K-State Online in either pdf, doc, or txt format.
Assignments that are late will be graded but with a penalty of 20 % per day, unless in case of documented medical or family emergencies.

Exams will be closed book but you can bring up to 4 sheets (double-paged) of hand-written notes. The final will be comprehensive, but with strong emphasis on the last part of the course.

Grievances: If you think the instructor or the TA has made an oversight when grading your test or your homework, you are of course very welcome to ask for clarification. But complaints about judgment calls, like how much credit for a partially correct solution, are not encouraged (it is like arguing balls and strikes).

Statement Regarding Academic Honesty
Kansas State University has an Honor System based on personal integrity, which is presumed to be sufficient assurance that, in academic matters, one's work is performed honestly and without unauthorized assistance. Undergraduate and graduate students, by registration, acknowledge the jurisdiction of the Honor System. The policies and procedures of the Honor System apply to all full and part-time students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate courses on-campus, off-campus, and via distance learning. The honor system website can be reached via the following URL: www.k-state.edu/honor. A component vital to the Honor System is the inclusion of the Honor Pledge which applies to all assignments, examinations, or other course work undertaken by students. The Honor Pledge is implied, whether or not it is stated: "On my honor, as a student, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid on this academic work." A grade of XF can result from a breach of academic honesty. The F indicates failure in the course; the X indicates the reason is an Honor Pledge violation.

You are very welcome to discuss the course material, as well as specific questions, with your fellow students. However, all submitted answers must be your own work: you are not allowed to show your answers to anyone else, or look at the answers of any other student; neither are you allowed to consult previous model solutions that may be around, or solicit the Internet for solutions to specific homework problems.

If you are in doubt about what is permissible, please ask me. I very much hope that it will not be necessary to file any honor pledge violation reports during the semester!

Statement Regarding Students with Disabilities
Students with disabilities who need classroom accommodations, access to technology, or information about emergency building/campus evacuation processes should contact the Student Access Center and/or their instructor. Services are available to students with a wide range of disabilities including, but not limited to, physical disabilities, medical conditions, learning disabilities, attention deficit disorder, depression, and anxiety. If you are a student enrolled in campus/online courses through the Manhattan or Olathe campuses, contact the Student Access Center at accesscenter@k-state.edu, 785-532-6441; for Salina campus, contact the Academic and Career Advising Center at acac@k-state.edu, 785-826-2649.

Statement Defining Expectations for Classroom Conduct
All student activities in the University, including this course, are governed by the Student Judicial Conduct Code as outlined in the Student Governing Association By Laws, Article V, Section 3, number 2. Students who engage in behavior that disrupts the learning environment may be asked to leave the class.

Statement for Copyright Notification
Copyright 2013[Torben Amtoft] as to this syllabus and all lectures. During this course students are prohibited from selling notes to or being paid for taking notes by any person or commercial firm without the express written permission of the professor teaching this course.


Torben Amtoft