Course Overview

This course introduces the fundamentals of discrete structures that are essential for computer science and related disciplines such as data science. It follows the curriculum guidelines on discrete structures developed by the governing professional organizations ACM and IEEE. It serves students who have taken college level introductory courses in computing and mathematics. Following the principles in our adopted textbook, we aim to achieve breadth rather than depth, to teach mathematical reasoning as well as concepts and skills, and to help students learn to think and prove formally and precisely.

Prerequisites

Textbook

Essential Discrete Mathematics for Computer Science, by H. Lewis and R. Zax.

Course Content

Activities and Estimated Durations

Learning Outcomes

Course Attribute Descriptions

With the course topics and learning objectives, CSCI 122 introduces students to “formal, symbolic methods of analysis” and thus fulfills the Formal Analysis (FA) requirement.

Engaged Hours

In accordance with Clark’s accreditation, you are expected to participate in 180 hours of engaged academic time over the course of the semester. Weekly time expectations are detailed below:

Since the semester has 15 weeks, the total time commitment comes to 180 hours.

Grade Calculations

The following percentages are tentative and may be changed at the instructor’s discretion:

Policies and Miscellaneous

The official administrative business of this class will be conducted by email

Explanation of absence, etc. will be processed via email so that we both have a written record of what was agreed. Feel free to discuss in person but an email follow-up is required for the official record.

Attendance is expected

Attendance, asking questions, and participating in class activities are expected and will be reflected in your grade. To be counted as present, you must arrive before the class’s start time. If you must be absent, please contact me well in advance to let me know why you won’t be in class. Options may include attending class with the other section or remote attendance. Excused absences are reserved for medical or family emergencies, and will require make up work.

Computer use policy

You are welcome to use your own device to work on course assignments during class. However, do not use class time to work on other homework, check email, or surf the web. Such activities can be distracting to other students.

The “Attendance and Professionalism” grade includes your compliance with this policy.

Assignments are due on time

That is, at 11pm on the listed due date, with additional 59 minute courtesy time.

Plan your work accordingly: work on each exercise and assignment as soon as possible, ask questions, and get help early. Students are responsible for ensuring that assignments are correctly submitted. Homework must be submitted as described in the instructions (e.g., uploaded to Gradescope), and cannot be submitted via emails to the instructor. If you have a question or problem, seek help from the instructor or a TA immediately.

No special make-up work will be accepted after the end of the semester

In the event of a documented major medical problem, a grade of Incomplete will be given pending the submission of complete work. However, make up work “to improve one’s grade” will not be accepted.

Grades are not negotiable

Please don’t ask for changes to your grades. Just do the work and you’ll get the grade you deserve. Of course, please bring any clerical grading errors to my attention and I will gladly fix them.

Withdrawing from the course

If you feel that you want to drop or withdraw from the class, please come talk to me about it as early as possible. I want to help you succeed, but you need to ask for help.

Academic integrity: cheating and plagiarism

Unless otherwise specified, all assignments are independent work. On group assignments, you should collaborate within your group, but each student must write their own solution independently. Do not, under any circumstances, copy another person’s solution or show your solution to other students.

Academic integrity is a basic value for all higher learning. Simply expressed, it requires that work presented must be wholly one’s own and unique to that course. All direct quotations must be identified by source. Academic integrity can be violated in many ways: for example, by submitting someone else’s paper as one’s own; cheating on an exam; submitting one paper to more than one class; copying a computer program; altering data in an experiment; or quoting published material without proper citation of references or sources. Attempts to alter an official academic record will also be treated as violations of academic integrity.

To ensure academic integrity and safeguard students’ rights, all suspected violations of academic integrity are reported to the College Board. Such reports must be carefully documented, and students accused of the infraction are notified of the charge. In the case of proven academic dishonesty, the student will receive a sanction, which may range from an F in the assignment or course to suspension or expulsion from the University.

In addition to standard definitions of plagiarism, with respect to this course, plagiarism is also defined to include:

You may not publish your solutions in a way that could compromise their utility as pedagogical tools.

Note that I will run automatic plagiarism detection software on assignments, which I will use as a starting point to investigate suspected plagiarism.

If you have any questions about these matters, please consult the instructor.

Welcoming class atmosphere

I strive to make this course welcoming and productive for all students. Please let me know what name and pronoun you prefer to be called. Please bring any issues or concerns to my attention.

Students with Disabilities

Clark University is committed to providing students with documented disabilities equal access to all university programs and facilities. Students are encouraged to register with Student Accessibility Services (SAS) to explore and access accommodations that may support their success in their coursework. SAS is located on the second floor of the Shaich Family Alumni and Student Engagement Center (ASEC). Please contact SAS at accessibilityservices@clarku.edu with questions or to initiate the registration process. For additional information, please visit the SAS website.

Title IX Reporting

Clark University and its faculty are committed to creating a safe and open learning environment for all students. Clark University encourages all members of the community to seek support and report incidents of sexual harassment to the Title IX office (titleix@clarku.edu). If you or someone you know has experienced any sexual harassment, including sexual assault, dating or domestic violence, or stalking, help and support is available.

Please be aware that all Clark University faculty and teaching assistants are considered responsible employees, which means that if you tell me about a situation involving the aforementioned offenses, I must share that information with the Title IX Coordinator, Brittany Rende (titleix@clarku.edu). Although I have to make that notification, you will, for the most part, control how your case will be handled, including whether or not you wish to pursue a formal complaint. Our goal is to make sure you are aware of the range of options available to you and have access to the resources you need.

If you wish to speak to a confidential resource who does not have this reporting responsibility, you can contact Clark’s Center for Counseling and Professional Growth (508-793-7678), Clark’s Health Center (508-793-7467), or confidential resource providers on campus: Prof. Stewart (als.confidential@clarku.edu), Prof. Palm Reed (kpr.confidential@clarku.edu), and Prof. Cordova (jvc.confidential@clarku.edu).

Disclaimer

The instructor reserves the right to make changes to any information contained in this syllabus at any time during the semester. Any substantial changes will be announced.