CSCI 140: Discrete Structures Syllabus

The COMPLETE syllabus is on the course D2L. The class policies, professionalism, and email etiquette are a necessary part of the syllabus. 

Dr. Nazli Hardy 

  1. The CSCI 140 course modules on D2L are generally for listing assignments and supplementary presentations. Handouts are only supplemental – important materials will be presented in class, so, attendance is critical.

  1. If you miss any class or assignment, it is your responsibility to connect with a classmate for notes given during class, and then review that material.  

  2. This is a math/ logic class. We will be solving for problems on the board and using paper. No laptops are allowed during class (unless it necessary as determined by Learning Services)
  3. Class Policies [the syllabus is not complete without the class policies] Read class policies

Catalog DescriptionDiscrete mathematical structures and their application to computer science including formal mathematical notation and proofs, algorithms, computer-related arithmetic, propositional logic, predicate logic, set theory, relations, functions, matrices, and combinatorics.

Prerequisite:  Placement in MATH 160 or higher and a sincere interest in learning.

ObjectivesThe successful student will learn the fundamental notation and concepts of discrete structures, learn techniques for proving things about and manipulating structures, and have an appreciation of formal axiomatic systems.

Recommended TextbookDiscrete Mathematics with Applications, 4th Edition Susanna S. Epp DePaul University

Course Outline:

Major Topics Covered
A. Number systems
B. Propositional Logic
C. Predicate Logic
D. Sets
E. Relations
F. Functions
G. Vectors and Matrices
H. Mathematical Induction
I. Combinatorics
J. Graph Theory

Grading:

Exam 1:  25 %

Exam 2:  25 %

Exam 3: Finals week 30 %: [Finals week]

Assignments: 20 %

Final Letter Grades are based on the following weighted scale:

93 – 100:  A      90-92.9:  A-   86 – 89.9:  B+  82 – 85.9  B  79 – 81.9: B-

76 – 78.9:  C+   73 – 75.9:  C  70 – 72.9 C-

66 – 68.9:  D+   63 -65.9:  D    60 – 62.9  D-      <59.9:  Fail

The syllabus is subject to any necessary/ unavoidable changes so be sure to check in occasionally.

All work must be submitted on the assigned date or it will not be accepted – barring acceptable emergencies. Check website for important dates. Please provide documentation if you miss the deadline to hand in work.

Keep Up With the Work Do not wait last minute to complete labs or to study for exams

Attendance/ Exams/ Due Dates

Homework Policy & Deadlines:  No late homework will be accepted. If your assignment is incomplete, come to class, turn in what you have for partial credit. Homework is due in class, as a hard copy. As a critical teaching/ learning tool, we review the homework together.

If you miss class on the day homework due because of illness or emergency, do the following: 

a) email the work you have done before the class starts (for this work to be considered) because we review the answers in class.

b) bring the hard copy of what you emailed to my next office hours to, review with me (otherwise you will no be assigned any grade). 

Important to note:

If you are consistently absent on days the assignments are due, documentation will be necessary, i.e. the late homework will not be accepted without acceptable documentation.

We go over the answers in class, so the outlined process must be followed.

If you have not done the homework, it is best for you to come to class so that you can continue to learn with the class as we go over the answers.

Attendance:  All students are expected to regularly attend classes, be prepared for class by doing the assigned work, and having completed any assignments. Only previously approved and university-recognized absences are excusable. Excessive (>3) unexcused absences may result in your course grade being lowered one letter grade. Contact me prior to any absence (if possible) in order to be excused. In addition, all students are required to take exams during assigned times and to hand in work on the assigned date. The university attendance policy is found here: 

Exams:  There are no make-up exams – if you miss a test, you will receive a zero. Exam make-ups will only be permitted due to extraordinary circumstances, and require written documentation.  

Email Etiquette & Professionalism: Your communication reflects on you, and I expect all class communication to be professional. During Mon-Fri, I respond to email within 24 hours. Please resend your email if you do not hear back during any weekday, or talk to me in class/ office hours.  

Email Format 

Dear Dr. Hardy [address recipient] 

  1. q1
  2. q2 
  3. …. 

Name of student [sign off with your name/ class section] 

My “4 Cents for Students” on professionalism can be found here: https://blogs.millersville.edu/nmollah/professionalism/

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Tutoring for CSCI 140 

https://www.millersville.edu/computerscience/  

Desire2Learn (D2L): is our course management system. You can find the website at https://millersville.desire2learn.com/, and will need to log in using your Millersville credentials. 

Technology Help/ IT Help Desk: 717-871-7777

Special Needs:  Anyone requiring special accommodations should contact me as soon as possible before any exams or assignments are due. Additionally, students with disabilities who believe that they may need accommodations in this class are encouraged to contact the Office of Learning Services at 352 Lyle Hall (717-871-5554) as soon as possible to enhance the likelihood that such accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion.

Graded Work and Academic HonestyThe exams cover material from class lectures & assignments – and they are cumulative by nature.  There are NO make-up exams, so if you miss an exam you will receive zero credit, barring extenuating circumstances. Please provide documentation if you cannot take the exam at the assigned time for your class

Copying or extensive collaboration on assignments is not permitted and may result in failure of the course and expulsion from the university. You may discuss approaches to solving a problem. However, if someone else types on your keyboard or you copy code or paragraphs from someone else or somewhere else, you are committing academic dishonesty. Finding or purchasing a solution on the Internet or elsewhere and submitting it as your own work is plagiarism and may result in expulsion from the university.

Being caught committing academic dishonesty requires a report to the Associate Provost and can have very serious consequences, including possible expulsion from the university.

It would also be an academic honesty violation to look up information or communicate with anyone about an exam or try to circumvent the systems set up to ensure that everyone has fair and equal conditions for taking exams. Consult MU’s Academic Policies for more details.

Sharing:  It is the premise in this course that students learn three different ways: (1) by attentive listening during lectures; (2) by doing things themselves; and (3) by sharing information and ideas with other students. This last item is important to the learning process, but it cannot be allowed to overshadow the importance of the other two items. Students are encouraged to share ideas and to discuss common problems. Much of this course is founded on the principle of cooperative learning, meaning that you will learn from each other, generally in a team format. You are expected to be responsible to your teammates and shoulder your fair portion of the workload. This will be enforced in two ways: (1) team members will evaluate each other’s efforts with each project, and (2) students who shirk their responsibility to the team will be removed from the team and given no credit for the team’s work.

Plagiarism:  The preceding policy should not in any way be taken as approval of the act of plagiarism. Plagiarism shall be treated as the serious offense that it is. Acts of plagiarism shall be dealt with as severely as is permissible by university policy, including possible failure in the course. Multiple acts of plagiarism may result in expulsion from the university.

Plagiarism shall be regarded as any copying, in whole or in part, of material from any source, without explicit credit to the source. In addition, any copying from another student’s assignments, past or present, shall be treated as plagiarism. All students involved in an act of plagiarism shall be treated the same as concerns this policy, including any student who knowingly allows his or her work to be copied.

Title IX: Millersville University and its faculty are committed to assuring a safe and productive educational environment for all students. In order to comply with the requirements of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and the University’s commitment to offering supportive measures in accordance with the new regulations issued under Title IX, the University requires faculty members to report to the University’s Title IX Coordinator incidents of sexual violence shared by students. The only exceptions to the faculty member’s reporting obligation are when incidents of sexual violence are communicated by a student during a classroom discussion, in a writing assignment for a class, or as part of a University-approved research project. Faculty members are obligated to report to the person designated in the University Protection of Minors policy sexual violence or any other abuse of a student who was, or is, a child (a person under 18 years of age) when the abuse allegedly occurred. 

Information regarding the reporting of sexual violence and the resources that are available to victims of sexual violence is set forth at: www.millersville.edu/titleix

Counseling Reminder: Students sometimes face mental health or drug/alcohol challenges in their academic careers that interfere with their academic performance and goals. Millersville University is a caring community and resources are available to assist students who are dealing with problems. The Counseling Center (717-871-7821) is an important resource for both mental health and substance abuse issues. Additional resources include: Health Services (871-5250), Center for Health Education & Promotion (871-4141), Campus Ministries, and Learning Services (717-871-5554).

Student Conduct and Community Standards Handbook studentcodeofconduct.pdf (millersville.edu)

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