CSE429: Algorithms for Modern Computing Systems

Syllabus:

• Students enrolled in this class are responsible for reading and comprehending the contents of this syllabus.
• Students enrolled in this class accept responsibility for the material presented in this syllabus.
  • Consider the material presented in this syllabus as a contract between student and instructor.
• If you have any questions concerning this syllabus or how it applies to you, please ask me.

Teaching Environment:

• All lectures will be presented remotely, via Zoom.
• Lectures will be recorded and recordings will be made available to the students.
  • Historically, students who rely on the recordings, rather than attending and remaining focused during lectures, do poorly in this course.
  • Students who do well in this course typically attend and participate in lectures, reviewing the recordings as needed.
• All exams will be held on campus, in person. No exceptions.
• If this format is of concern, please consider taking another course.
  • Feel free to contact me or an appropriate academic advisor for options about potential alternative courses.

History of CSE4/529: I have been teaching this course for 35+ years. It was originally labeled CS4/531 and then CSE4/531. In 2013, it was relabled as CSE4/529 to distinguish it from a traditional course in algorithms, which retained the label of CSE4/531. Note that students are permitted to take both a course in algorithms for modern compute systems (CSE4/529) and a course in traditional sequential algorithms (CSE4/531).

Beginning with the 2023-24 academic year, CSE429 and CSE529 have been separated. Specifically, during the 2023-24 year, CSE529 will be taught to graduate students only during Fall of 2023. Similarly, CSE429 will be taught to undergraduate students only during Spring of 2024.

Prerequisites: Calculus I, Calculus II, Discrete Structures, and an upper level course in Data Structures and their Algorithms. In particular, CSE250 (Data Structures) is required and CSE331 (Introducation to Algorithms) is highly recommended.

Students are responsible for the material in chapters 1-13 of Introduction to Algorithms, by Cormen, Leiserson, Rivest, and Stein. This includes, for example, asymptotic notation, recurrence equations, and quicksort. In addition, students are also responsible for pointers, lists, stacks, queues, binary trees, and balanced trees (e.g., AVL, Red/Black, B-trees).

• Note that many students struggle in this course because they are unprepared in terms of the prerequisite material.
• There will not be any significant review of the prerequisite material in class.
• It is your responsibility to have an excellent command of this prerequisite material, including the mathematics, data structures, algorithms, and methodologies discussed.
• It is your responsibility to have excellent programming skills in high-level languages.
• There will be homework problems and readings in the zyBook listed below that focus on and assist you with solidifying your skills on the prerequisite mathematical, algorithmic, and programming materials.

Academic Integrity:Plagairism in any way, shape, or form, will earn you an F in the course with a notation on your transcript that the F was a result of Lack of Academic Integrity. In addition, other sanctions will likely be sought, including, but not limited to, being dismissed from the university.

• Any work that is handed in for a grade must be done completely and exlusively by you. No exceptions. No second chances.
• It is your responsibility to read and observe the departmental policy and university policy on plagiarism and academic integrity.
• Lectures will be presented remotely. The Zoom links will be provided in your Learning Management System (LMS), which is currently being migrated from Blackboard to D2L/Brightspace, which is referred to locally as UBLearns. Zoom lectures will be recorded, and you will have access to those recordings via the LMS. These recordings are made available to the students in this class for the sole purpose of reviewing material for this class. Such recordings may not be distributed in any way, shape, or form, as discussed below. A violation of this policy will have significant consequences, as outlined below.
• Students may not record lectures or any presentations associated with this class in any way, shape, or form. This includes, but is not limited to, video and audio recordings, still images via screen shots, and the like.

  All materials utilized in this course are for the educational benefits of the students in this course, period. As such, students may not take pictures or take screen shots, record, reproduce, transmit, distribute, upload, or provide such course material to any person, site, organization, or system without my permission. Violations of this policy will result in academic and legal penalties, including those available through University policy, New York State laws, and Federal (United States) laws. At a minimum, it is likely that you will receive an F in the course with a notation on your transcript that it was due to lack of Academic Integrity.
  
  Such course materials include, but are not limited to, textbook(s), PowerPoint slides, exams, quizzes, drawings/annotations on "whiteboards," slides, or any other material provided for this class, as well as, lectures, lecture notes, review (Q&A) sessions, and so forth, all regardless of format (e.g., PPT, Word, PDF, CSV, and on and on).

University Information:

• All undergraduate students are responsible for reading and understanding the Undergraduate Educational Affairs Syllabus.