CSC 221 Course Syllabus ^* (3 credit hours)

Course Outline

1. Mathematical Preliminaries
2. Finite Specification of Languages
3. Regular Languages
4. Finite Automata
5. Context-Free Languages
6. Pushdown Automata
7. Turing Machines
8. The Chomsky Hierarchy
9. Decidability and Computability

Course Materials

• There are no required texts.
• On Library Reserve
  
  • Sudkamp, Languages and Machines, 1997.
  • Sipser, Introduction to the Theory of Computation, 2nd ed. Course Technology, 2005.
• The course web page, at http://www.cs.oswego.edu/~wender/Classes/221/, contains slides and other information.

Grading

• A 10-minute quiz will be given approximately each week through the end of the semester, beginning the second week of classes.
  Quizzes are open index card. You may have one 3x5 index card for each quiz. The semester quiz grade is computed as the sum of all quiz grades, minus the lowest quiz grade, normalized to 100.
• One (or possibly two) design papers. These will be take-home, and are to be typed. The last paper will be due during finals week.
  If you find the solution elsewhere, you must cite the source(s).
• Final Grade Calculation:
  • You will fail the course if you do not turn in the assigned design paper(s).
  • However, a passing grade(s) on your design paper(s) does not entitle you to a passing grade for the course. It only entitles you to receive a letter grade for the course. I will assign + and - based on the design paper(s).
  • Grades are not curved.
• Letter Grades

  A 90- | B 80-89 | C 70-79 | D 60-69 | E below 60

Communication Policy

Please contact me only by email at the address listed above.

Please provide the following information in any email that you send:
Subject: CSC221
Put your full name and your Oswego email address in the Body of the email.

Additional Information

• Disability Support Services .
• Intellectual Integrity .
• The Computer Science Department's policy on cheating .
  • The minimal penalty will be -maximum grade for an assignment/assessment for all parties involved. Additional actions may be initiated if deemed appropriate.
  • With regard to design papers, you may discuss general "conceptual" issues with others and consult any books, etc., but the work is to be done by you. Any scholarly work you find which provides you information to the solution you must cite as sources in a bibliography.
    Evidence that you have have not cited sources, or that another or others have contributed significantly to your work, or both, will result in failure in the course, or worse.
• Students are expected to have a mathematical background in elementary set theory, propositional logic, functions and relations (from high school). Precalculus (MAT 120) and/or Discrete Mathematics (MAT 215) are/is highly desirable.
• This is a fast-paced course! It is in your best interest to stay on top of the material and do all homework. If you have difficulty with the course: see a CSA volunteer (look for fliers around the building) sign up for tutor; attend help sessions; discuss the situation with me (during office hours and by appointment). Do not wait until it is too late!
• Written assignments are due at the end of class on the due date. Late assignments will not be accepted.
• There are no makeup quizzes.
• Requests to make up quizzes or hand in written assignments late rarely will be permitted unless accompanied by a written medical excuse. If missing a quiz is unavoidable, you must notify me sufficiently beforehand. (An hour before class is not deemed sufficient.)