Syllabus

Description of Course

An introduction to mathematical concepts for Computer Science. Topics include first-order logic and logical arguments, proof techniques with an emphasis on mathematical induction, sets, relations and functions, properties of integers, counting methods, probability, and recurrences.

Course Prerequisites or Co-requisites

Student must have earned a C grade or higher in (CSC 120 or CSC 127B or CSC 227).

Instructor and Contact Information

• Instructor: Rebecca Faust
• Email: rjfaust+sum21csc245@email.arizona.edu
• Office Hours: T 10am-12pm & W 2-4pm (additional hours by appointment). Held via Zoom (link on D2L).
• TA’s: Ash Reed, Vatsav Sethupathi, Richard Spence, & Mary Eskandari
• TA Email: rachelreed@email.arizona.edu, vatsav14@email.arizona.edu, rcspence@email.arizona.edu, & maryameskandari@arizona.edu
• TA Office Hours:
  • Ash Reed - Th & F 2-4pm (MST). Hosted via Zoom (the link is available on D2L).
  • Vatsav Sethupathi - M & W 10am-12pm
  • Richard Spence - F10am-12pm
  • Mary Eskandari - Th 3-5pm
• Course Webpage: https://rjfaust.github.io/teaching/summer2021/csc245

Course Format and Teaching Methods

This class will be taught entirely online. I will try to release all of the lecture videos for the week a the beginning of the week but I strongly recommend you pace yourself and watch them throughout the week. Lectures will be posted on D2L, using Playposit to host the lectures and add question within the lectures. Lectures will have a due date and completing the videos (and questions within the videos) by these dates will count towards your class participation grade. Due dates for all assignments and exams will be in MST (Tucson Time).

Pandemic-Related Information

• Academic advising: If you have questions about your academic progress this semester, or your chosen degree program, consider contacting your department’s academic advisor(s). Your academic advisor and the Advising Resource Center can guide you toward university resources to help you succeed. Computer Science major students are encouraged to email advising@cs.arizona.edu for academic advising related questions.

• Life challenges: If you are experiencing unexpected barriers to your success in your courses, please note the Dean of Students Office is a central support resource for all students and may be helpful. The Dean of Students Office can be reached at 520-621-2057 or DOS-deanofstudents@email.arizona.edu.

• Physical and mental-health challenges: If you are facing physical or mental health challenges this semester, please note that Campus Health provides quality medical and mental health care. For medical appointments, call (520-621-9202. For After Hours care, call (520) 570-7898. For the Counseling & Psych Services (CAPS) 24/7 hotline, call (520) 621-3334.

• Exams: The midterm exam will open on July 8th and must be completed by 11:59pm on July 9th. The exam will be hosted on either Gradescope or D2L’s quiz tool. Students may start the exam at anytime in the given window and will be given 90 minutes to complete it. To ensure students get the full 90 minutes, they must start the exam before 10:29pm on July 9th. Final exam information: The final exam will be on August 11th. It will be an online exam hosted through either Gradescope or D2L’s quiz tool. Students can start the exam at anytime on August 11th and will have 2 hours to complete it. To ensure students get the full 2 hours, they must start the exam before 9:59pm on August 11th.

• Equipment requirements: For this class you will need regular access to the following:
  • A reliable internet signal for watching lecture videos, uploading assignments, etc.
  • A computer capable of running a browser that supports D2L and Gradescope.
  • A webcam and microphone to participate in office hours and so we can observe you during exams, should we deem it necessary.
• Class Recordings: All lectures are pre-recorded and will available via D2L.
  • Lecture videos will be released at the start of the week and must be watched by the following Sunday. This is recorded via Playposit.
  • Lecture videos will only be available via D2L, not the course webpage. Students may not modify content or re-use content for any purpose other than personal educational reasons. All recordings are subject to government and university regulations. Therefore, students accessing unauthorized recordings or using them in a manner inconsistent with UArizona values and educational policies are subject to suspension or civil action.

Course Objectives

• Course goal: Students will learn the mathematical concepts and practices most useful for Computer Science.

• Course Objectives:

  1. Learn and apply principles of logic to construct sound arguments.
  2. Learn several proof forms and construct complete proofs using those forms.
  3. Learn a variety of fundamental mathematical principles and apply them to solve problems relevant to the study of computer science.

Expected Learning Outcomes

1. Reconstruct concept definitions and explain how more advanced concepts are defined in terms of more basic concepts.
2. Given a set of hypotheses, determine whether or not a given conclusion logically follows from them.
3. Given a non-trivial provable conjecture, construct a complete and logically sound proof that convincingly argues the truth of the conjecture.
4. Demonstrate ability to convert between logic and set expressions.
5. Solve specific types of recurrence relations and prove that the solutions define the same sequences as the original relations.
6. Given a counting problem, produce the correct quantity of potential outcomes by identifying and applying the appropriate counting concepts.

Course Content

Required Texts or Readings

• Required: Discrete Mathematics and its Applications (Rosen), U.S. 8th ed., McGraw-Hill, 2019. Do not buy an international edition or an earlier edition!

• Optional Supplemental Texts:

  • Student Solutions Guide (8th edition, Kenneth Rosen, McGraw-Hill, 2019) offers more complete solutions to odd-numbered exercises in the textbook.
  • Proof-centeric books
    • How to Prove It (2/e, Velleman, Cambridge, 2006)
    • Book of Proof (Richard Hammack, 2013)
  • Mini-discrete-structures books that exist online:
    • How to write proofs (Larry W. Cusick)
    • An Active Introduction To Discrete Mathematics and Algorithms (Charles A. Cusack, David A. Santos, 2014)
    • Introduction to Higher Mathematics (Patrick Keef, David Guichard)

Lecture Topics

Topic Schedule

Below is the planned schedule for the semester. However, it is subject to change as the semester goes on. A weekly schedule will be provided on the class webpage at he start of each week. Note, because the course is entirely online, I will do my best to release all of the lectures for the current week at the start of the week and they must all be completed by the end of the week. However, some weeks I may choose to release videos throughout the week rather than all at once.

Assignments and Examinations: Schedule/Due Dates

Below is a projected schedule of topics and assignments. Assignments will be released on Friday morning (with the exception of the first assignment which will be released the first day of class) and due the following Friday at 11:59pm. Note, all due dates are in MST (Tucson Time).

Participation (17% of final grade)

Because the course is online and asynchronous, I cannot use standard measures for participation (attendance and participation in lecture sessions). As such, participation will be measured through completion of lecture videos and quizzes.

• Lecture Videos (5% of final grade) Lecture videos can be found under “Content” on D2L. They will be organized by week. For the given week, all lecture videos must be completed by the end of the following weekend (i.e. for week 1 which starts on June 8th, videos must be completed by Sunday June 14th). I will do my best to release lecture videos by the end of the Sunday of the current week but there may be weeks where I release some at the beginning, and the rest throughout the week. Completion of videos will be tracked through Playposit. I will use Playposit to host the videos and insert questions into them. Completion of these questions (and correctness of your answers), will determine your participation grade for that lecture. Note, these questions will not be designed to be difficult, but rather to keep students engaged and show that they actually watched the lectures.

• Quizzes (12% of final grade) Starting in the second week, there will be a weekly quiz on Tuesdays, with the exception of exam weeks. The quiz for a given week will be released Tuesday morning and must be submitted by Midnight that same Tuesday. These quizzes are designed to give students an idea for the types of questions they will see on exams. I do not intend students to need to spend more than 10-15 minutes answering them. Quiz questions will be on the material from the previous week. Quizzes will be worth 10 points and may be handwritten or typed (preferred). They will be released on the course webpage and must be turned in through Gradescope. We will do our best to return quizzes before the homework is due on Friday.

Homework (48% of final grade)

Homework assignments designed to give you hands on experience with topics in preparation for the exams.

• Frequency: Beginning the first week of courses, students will be assigned 1 homework assignment per week. Homework assignments will be assigned on Friday and will be due the following Friday at 11:59 p.m.(MST). However, the TA’s and I will not guarantee a response to questions sent to us after 5pm the day the homework is due. The exception to this schedule is the first week, where the homework will be assigned on the first day of classes Monday (6/7) but will still be due that Friday (6/11). The week of exams, homework assignments will not be graded, they will solely be for practice on the topics of the prior week. However, I strongly recommend you at least attempt some of the problems on practice assignments as those topics will still be covered by exams.
• Content With the exception of the first assignment, homework assignments will cover the material covered the week it is assigned.
• Submission: Homework will be submitted on Gradescope.
• Legibility: A this time, I will not require you to type your homework. However, I strongly encourage you to type your homework assignments, specifically with Latex. Homework assignments that are not legible, may not be graded. I will offer 5% extra credit per assignment for typed homework. However, if legibility becomes too much of an issue, I will switch from offering 5% of extra credit to requiring typed homework for 5% in the grading rubric (meaning hand-written homework will get at most a 95%). I strongly recommend learning Latex and using Overleaf (it is free and easy to use). To make this easier, I will provide Latex templates for each homework so you simply need to add your response below each question, along with a document of commonly used symbols for you to refer to.
• Incomplete or Incorrect Homework: On the due date, turn in what you have written for your assignment, whether it is complete or not. Show your work! Partial credit can still be given for incomplete or incorrect answers/assignments if sufficient work is shown.
• Scoring: Typed homework will be awarded 5% extra credit. Feedback for individual assignments will be posted on Gradescope, along with the grading rubric used.
• Discussing Your Score: If you do not understand why you lost points for a problem or want to hear feedback for improvement, feel free to come to us to discuss it. I ask that you first meet with a TA (as they will be grading your homework) and come to that meeting with specific questions and concerns. If after meeting with them, you are not satisfied, you can arrange a meeting with me to discuss your concerns. Note, that if you are looking to dispute your score, you must do so within a week of receiving your score and feedback. You may still ask questions about an assignment after a week but it will not result in a score change.
• Late Assignment Policy: No late assignments will be accepted. Homework is due by 11:59 p.m.(MST) on the specified due date. Unless exceptional circumstances occur, homework will not be accepted after that time.

Midterm (15% of final grade)

There will be one midterm on July 8th. It will be hosted on either Gradescope or D2L’s quiz tool and will be 90 minutes long. It will be open book and course materials, but not open internet. It will be released on Thursday and must be completed before 11:59pm the following day. It will be written to take 60-90 minutes and will cover material up to the week prior. Note, it is intended to be closed internet so I ask that you not use the internet when completing it. If we determine that you have used the internet, steep penalties will be applied (See the section on Academic Dishonesty).

• Regrade Requests If you feel your exam was graded incorrectly, you may submit a request for me to regrade it within a week of receiving the graded exam. In the request you must specify in detail what you think was misgraded. However, when I receive a regrade request, I will regrade **the entire exam**. This could lead to you getting a lower grade than you originally had if there were other grading errors in your favor so carefully look over your exam before submitting a regrade request.

Final Exam (20% of final grade)

The final will be on August 11. It will be cumulative and cover all material from the course, with an emphasis on the last half. It will be hosted on Gradescope or D2l. There will be an enforced time limit of 2 hours. Students must start the exam before 9:59pm to ensure the have sufficient time to complete it.

Subject to change notice: I reserve the right to change the means by which I give you the final exam. If after the midterm, there have been sufficiently few Academic Dishonesty cases, I will give the final as stated above. However, if that is not the case, I may switch the format and require students to complete the exam in 2 hours using Examity. I would prefer not to use Examity, but will do so if I believe that it is the only way to properly assess students knowledge of the course material.

The date and time of the final exam or project, along with links to the Final Exam Regulations, https://www.registrar.arizona.edu/courses/final-examination-regulations-and-information, and Final Exam Schedule, [http://www.registrar.arizona.edu/schedules/finals.htm]

Course Policies

Academic Dishonesty

Students are encouraged to share intellectual views and discuss freely the principles and applications of course materials. However, graded work/exercises must be the product of independent effort unless otherwise instructed. It is not acceptable to ‘borrow’ solutions or part of solutions from other people or have other people write your homework. Finding solutions on the internet is a violation of academic dishonesty! You may, however, discuss assignment requirements and high-level concepts with other students (and are in fact encouraged to). In addition, you may ask the TA’s and myself questions about assignments but do not expect us to simply give you the answer. As a rule of thumb, if you wouldn’t ask the question on piazza, you probably shouldn’t be asking it to your classmate.

Uploading material from this course to a website other than D2L (or the class piazza) is strictly prohibited and will be considered a violation of the course policy and a violation of the code of academic integrity. Obtaining material associated with this course (or previous offerings of this course) on a site other than D2L (or the class piazza), such as Chegg, Course Hero, etc. or accessing these sites during a quiz or exam is a violation of the code of academic integrity. Any student determined to have uploaded or accessed material in an unauthorized manner will be reported to the Dean of Students for a Code of Academic Integrity violation, with a recommended sanction of loss of credit equal to 150% of the assignment in question (described below).

If we determine that a student or students violate this policy, all involved student’s will, at a minimum, receive 0 points for the assignment in question (including exams) and additionally will lose points equivalent to 50% of the assignment in question. In other words, students will lose 150% on the assignment in question. Additional sanctions are possible depending on the circumstances of the offense(s) and the policies of the department, university, and Arizona Board of Regents, up to and including expulsion from the university.

Students are expected to adhere to the UA Code of Academic Integrity as described in the UA General Catalog. See http://deanofstudents.arizona.edu/academic-integrity/students/academic-integrity. Please take the time to read this policy; ignorance of the policies is not an acceptable excuse for their violation.

Selling class notes and/or other course materials to other students or to a third party for resale is not permitted without the instructor’s express written consent. Violations to this and other course rules are subject to the Code of Academic Integrity and may result in course sanctions. Additionally, students who use D2L or UA e-mail to sell or buy these copyrighted materials are subject to Code of Conduct Violations for misuse of student e-mail addresses. This conduct may also constitute copyright infringement.

Absence and Class Participation Policy

Because the course is online, participation will be measured through students completing the lecture videos. Lecture videos will be hosted on Playposit and will have questions interspersed to help keep students engaged. Completion of these videos by the set deadline will count towards class participation. Furthermore, there will be weekly quizzes (with the exception of the first week) that will also count towards participation.

The UA’s policy concerning Class Attendance, Participation, and Administrative Drops is available at http://catalog.arizona.edu/policy/class-attendance-participation-and-administrative-drop
The UA policy regarding absences for any sincerely held religious belief, observance or practice will be accommodated where reasonable: http://policy.arizona.edu/human-resources/religious-accommodation-policy. Absences pre-approved by the UA Dean of Students (or dean’s designee) will be honored. See https://deanofstudents.arizona.edu/absences

Makeup Policy for Students Who Register Late

Students who register after the first class meeting may make up missed assignments at a deadline set in consultation with the instructor.

Course Communications

We will primarily communicate through email (rjfaus+sum21csc245@email.arizona.edu) and Piazza.

D2L will be used for posting lectures and grades.

Gradescope will be used for homework submissions, quizzes, and exams.

Grading Scale and Policies

• Grades will be assigned on the following scale:
  • A>=90%
  • 80%<=B<90%
  • 70%<=C<80%
  • 60%<=D<70%
  • E<60%
• Grading will be based on performance on the set of assignments, the midterm, the final exam, and class participation (completing quizzes and lecture videos).
  • Homework: 48%
  • Midterm Exam: 15%
  • Final Exam: 20%
  • Quizzes: 12%
  • Lecture Videos: 5%

Response Time

As per department policy, graded homework assignments will be returned before the next homework is due (thus within a week of the due date). Likewise, quizzes will be returned within a week of their due date as well. We will do our best to return and review the graded midterm by midweek of the week following the exam.

The instructor and TA’s will attempt to reply to all emails and piazza posts within 24 hours of receiving them (48 on weekends and holidays). If you submit a question less 24 than hours before an assignment is due, you risk not getting an answer before the deadline.

Requests for incomplete (I) or withdrawal (W)

Requests must be made in accordance with University policies, which are available at http://catalog.arizona.edu/policy/grades-and-grading-system#incomplete and http://catalog.arizona.edu/policy/grades-and-grading-system#Withdrawal, respectively.

Dispute of Grade Policy

All grades you wish to dispute must be done within a week of receiving the graded assignment. For homework and quizzes, first set up a meeting with a TA to discuss it. If you are not satisfied with their response, you can then set up a meeting with me to discuss your assignment. For the midterm, as stated previously, if you feel your exam was graded incorrectly, you may submit a request for me to regrade it within a week of receiving the graded exam. In the request you must specify in detail what you think was misgraded. However, when I receive a regrade request, I will regrade **the entire exam**. This could lead to you getting a lower grade than you originally had if there were other grading errors in your favor so carefully look over your exam before submitting a regrade request.

Department and University Policies

Department of Computer Science Code of Conduct

The Department of Computer Science is committed to providing and maintaining a supportive educational environment for all. We strive to be welcoming and inclusive, respect privacy and confidentiality, behave respectfully and courteously, and practice intellectual honesty. Disruptive behaviors (such as physical or emotional harassment, dismissive attitudes, and abuse of department resources) will not be tolerated. The complete Code of Conduct is available on our department web site. We expect that you will adhere to this code, as well as the UA Student Code of Conduct, while you are a member of this class.

Classroom Behavior Policy

To foster a positive learning environment, students and instructors have a shared responsibility. We want a safe, welcoming, and inclusive environment where all of us feel comfortable with each other and where we can challenge ourselves to succeed. To that end, our focus is on the tasks at hand and not on extraneous activities (e.g., texting, chatting, reading a newspaper, making phone calls, web surfing, etc.).

Pronoun Preference

This course affirms people of all gender expressions and gender identities. If you prefer to be called a different name than what is on the class roster, please let me know. Feel free to correct instructors on your preferred gender pronoun. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me directly in class or via email (instructor email). If you wish to change your preferred name or pronoun in the UAccess system, please use the following guidelines: Preferred name: University of Arizona students may choose to identify themselves within the University community using a preferred first name that differs from their official/legal name. A student’s preferred name will appear instead of the person’s official/legal first name in select University-related systems and documents, provided that the name is not being used for the purpose of misrepresentation. Students are able to update their preferred names in UAccess. Pronouns: Students may designate pronouns they use to identify themselves. Instructors and staff are encouraged to use pronouns for people that they use for themselves as a sign of respect and inclusion. Students are able to update and edit their pronouns in UAccess. More information on updating your preferred name and pronouns is available on the Office of the Registrar site at https://www.registrar.arizona.edu/.

Threatening Behavior Policy

The UA Threatening Behavior by Students Policy prohibits threats of physical harm to any member of the University community, including to oneself. See http://policy.arizona.edu/education-and-student-affairs/threatening-behavior-students.

Accessibility and Accommodations

The Disability Resources Offices provides guidelines regarding accessibility and accommodations: http://drc.arizona.edu/instructors/syllabus-statement.

UA Nondiscrimination and Anti-harassment Policy

The University is committed to creating and maintaining an environment free of discrimination; see http://policy.arizona.edu/human-resources/nondiscrimination-and-anti-harassment-policy

Additional Resources for Students

UA Academic policies and procedures are available at http://catalog.arizona.edu/policies

• Campus Health
  http://www.health.arizona.edu/
  Campus Health provides quality medical and mental health care services through virtual and in-person care.
  Phone: 520-621-9202

• Counseling and Psych Services (CAPS)
  https://health.arizona.edu/counseling-psych-services
  CAPS provides mental health care, including short-term counseling services.
  Phone: 520-621-3334

• The Dean of Students Office’s Student Assistance Program
  http://deanofstudents.arizona.edu/student-assistance/students/student-assistance
  Student Assistance helps students manage crises, life traumas, and other barriers that impede success. The staff addresses the needs of students who experience issues related to social adjustment, academic challenges, psychological health, physical health, victimization, and relationship issues, through a variety of interventions, referrals, and follow up services.
  Email: DOS-deanofstudents@email.arizona.edu
  Phone: 520-621-7057

• Survivor Advocacy Program:
  https://survivoradvocacy.arizona.edu/
  The Survivor Advocacy Program provides confidential support and advocacy services to student survivors of sexual and gender-based violence. The Program can also advise students about relevant non-UA resources available within the local community for support.
  Email: survivoradvocacy@email.arizona.edu
  Phone: 520-621-5767

• Campus Pantry:
  Any student who has difficulty affording groceries or accessing sufficient food to eat every day, or who lacks a safe and stable place to live and believes this may affect their performance in the course, is urged to contact the Dean of Students for support. In addition, the University of Arizona Campus Pantry is open for students to receive supplemental groceries at no cost. Please see their website at: campuspantry.arizona.edu for open times. Furthermore, please notify me if you are comfortable in doing so. This will enable me to provide any resources that I may possess.

• Title IX:
  The University of Arizona is committed to removing educational barriers created by sex discrimination and sexual harassment. Sex discrimination under Title IX can include acts of violence based on sex, such as sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking. If you (or someone you know) has experienced or experiences any of these incidents, you have options for help at the University. The University of Arizona has staff members trained to support you in navigating campus life, accessing health and counseling services, providing academic and housing accommodations, helping with legal protective orders, and more.

  Please be aware that UA faculty and instructors who work with students are required to report allegations of sex discrimination to the Title IX Office. This means that if you tell me about a situation involving sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, or stalking that involves another student or employee, or that happens on campus or in a UA program, I must share that information with the Title IX Coordinator. Although I have to make that notification, you will have choices regarding whether or not you want to pursue a formal complaint against anyone on campus. 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 someone privately, you can contact any of the following on-campus resources:

  • Counseling & Psych Services (CAPS), https://health.arizona.edu/counseling-psych-services, 520-621-6490, 520-570-7898 (after hours)
  • Oasis Sexual Assault, Relationship Violence, and Trauma Services, https://health.arizona.edu/counseling-oasis (same phone as CAPS)
  • Campus Health, https://health.arizona.edu/home, (520) 621-6490
  • University of Arizona Ombuds, https://ombuds.arizona.edu/, (520)-626-5589
  • Title IX section on sexual assault support & resources (https://titleix.arizona.edu/titl-ix/sexual-harassment-violence) has more information, as well as a link explaining options if you have a concern, need assistance/support, or would like to file a complaint.

Confidentiality of Student Records

See http://www.registrar.arizona.edu/personal-information/family-educational-rights-and-privacy-act-1974-ferpa?topic=ferpa

Land Acknowledgement

The University of Arizona sits on the original homelands of indigenous peoples who have stewarded this land since time immemorial. Aligning with the university’s core value of a diverse and inclusive community, it is an institutional responsibility to recognize and acknowledge the people, culture, and history that make up the Wildcat community. At the institutional level, it is important to be proactive in broadening awareness throughout campus to ensure our students feel represented and valued.

Subject to Change Statement

Information contained in the course syllabus, other than the grade and absence policy, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.