Course Description -

• J. Kleinberg and E. Tardos. Algorithm Design. Addison Wesley, 2005 (i.e., 1st edition).

• T. Cormen, C. Leiserson, R. Rivest, and C. Stein. Introduction to Algorithms. MIT Press, Second Edition.

• Introduction and representative problems
• Basic algorithm analysis
• Graph algorithms
• Greedy algorithms
• Divide and conquer
• Dynamic programming
• Network flow
• Computational intractability

Exams: There will be one quiz and three in-class exams. The quiz and exams are closed book and closed notes.

Any schedule conflicts involving exam dates must be reported to the instructor within one week of the announcement of the exam date.

Please do not ask the following types of questions in your e-mail (although they are appropriate for office hours):

• Here is my understanding of X. Am I right (or is this correct)?
  (You can do this for just about everything and in many different ways. And the instructor and the TAs do not have the bandwidth to be able to reply to too many such questions.)

• I don't understand X. Could you explain X to me?
  (It is difficult to give detailed explanations of concepts over email. And, it is your responsiblity to come to lectures and ask questions during lectures if there is something you do not understand.)

• Quiz:   10%
• Exam 1:   30%
• Exam 2:   30%
• Exam 3:   30%

Please also note the following:

• The above percentages will be used to calculate your total score. Final grades (A,B,C,D,or F) will be determined using a modified curve (i.e., we won't necessarily assign an equal number of failing grades as passing grades) based on this total score. In addition, the scale given below will be used. No other methods will be considered. (So, please do not ask the instructor to take how much you have improved since the beginning of the semester into account. You are expected to try your best from the beginning!)

• The instructor will use the following cutoffs. Let G be your final score, as calculated according to the above given percentages. Then, if G is 80% or above, you will get some form of an A (A+, or A, or A-); if G is 65% or above (but below 80%), you will get some form of a B (B+, or B, or B-); if G is 50% or above (but below 65%), you will get some form of a C (C+, or C, or C-). If G is below 50%, you might receive a D or an F. Depending on the class average, the percentages for each grade category might go down, but they will not go up.

• We will assign grades of C and below to individuals who do not perform satisfactorily in the above areas. (i.e., you should not assume a B- or even C if you perform unsatisfactorily.) However, we hope that everyone will perform well.

• All submitted work is your own work! No group work (which is to be submitted) is allowed. We will act harshly at any sign of copying.

• We will not assign incompletes unless it is for a documented medical reason (in accordance with USC policy).

Please make sure that you have read the Academic Integrity Policy of this course.

Any student caught cheating will be given zero credit and will be disciplined.

It is the student's responsibility to submit their work to the instructor on time. 

You are expected to read the relevant parts of the required text in detail. Not all details will be covered in class.

We expect you to attend every class meeting. If you do happen to miss a session, you are responsible for finding out what material was covered and if any administrative announcements were made. You must do so BEFORE the next session (e.g., if there is an assignment given during the missed session, you are still responsible for completing it by the next week along with the other students).