I hear, I forget.Reading We will work through The Code Book and Invitation to Cryptology deliberately, and dates for sections of these books are listed on the schedule. We will discuss Secrets and Lies and Crypto near the end of the semester, so you will want to be reading these two books in advance of those discussions. Reading these two books early will be of some assistance as you formulate topics for your research project. Cryptonomicon is a novel, and you will be expectred to be reading it uniformly through the semester. For example, you should be one-fourth of the way through by the time we have the first examination. Puzzles The Codes and Ciphers book has 20 puzzles. The schedule indicates on every other Monday just where you should be in working through this book. Discussions You will be organized into groups for weekly email discussions. Original submissions are due by midnight Friday each week, and conscientious efforts are worth three points. Replies to others' postings are worth 1 point each, and are due by midnight on Sunday. Please begin the subject line of each message with "Math 133" and be sure to include me on your distribution. Your discussion may concern any of the readings assigned to date. Research Project A major portion of this course will be a research project on some public-policy or societal aspect of cryptology. It will include both written and oral presentations, along with early drafts. A more detailed description of the assignment will be distributed. Examinations There will be four one-hour exams - see the attached sheet for tentative dates. The final exam will be given at 4 P.M. on Wednesday, December 17. The final exam cannot be given at any other time, so be certain that you do not make any travel plans that conflict, and also be aware that I will allow you to work longer on the final exam than just the two-hour scheduled block of time. Grades Grades will be based on the following breakdown: Exams - 35%; Discussions - 20%; Practicums - 10%; Research Project - 20%; Final - 15%. Homework, attendance and improvement will be considered for borderline grades. Scores will be posted on the World Wide Web at http://buzzard.ups.edu/courses.html. No work will be accepted late. A reminder about withdrawals - a Withdrawal Passing grade (W) can only be given during the third or fourth weeks of the semester, after that time (barring unusual circumstances), the appropriate grade is a Withdrawal Failing (WF), even if your work has been of passing quality. See the attached schedule for the last day to drop with an automatic `W' and please read The Logger about these often misunderstood grades. Attendance Daily attendance is required and expected, and is a pretty good idea. Syllabus Please read the distributed syllabus for a discussion of the purpose of this course - both as a freshman seminar within the core curriculum and as a course in cryptology for the educated citizen.
I see, I remember.
I do, I understand.
- Chinese Proverb
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