An introduction to some of the most important formal models of computation, and their application to real-world computing problems.
Credit hours: 4.0
Prerequisites: CSC172, MTH150; no exceptions
Class: Mon-Wed 1400-1515 Wegmans 1400
Web: BlackBoard and www.cs.rochester.edu/u/ferguson/csc/173/Fall2023/
Students may NOT add this course after the end of the second week of the semester. Students adding the course after term starts (but before the end of the second week of the semester) are still responsible for meeting all course deadlines. It is strongly recommended NOT to start this course late.
If changes to this syllabus are necessary, they will be announced on BlackBoard.
Prof. George Ferguson <ferguson@cs.rochester.edu>
Office: Wegmans Hall 2103 (see instructor website for office hours)
Teaching Assistants:
Study Sessions (updated 29 Sep 2023):
This course is an introduction to some of the most important formal models of computation, and their application to real-world computing problems. We learn the formal models, we learn the techniques for analyzing and understanding formal models, we implement something related to the formal models, and we learn how theory and practice go hand in hand in Computer Science.
The course consists of five units:
We will use the C programming language for all projects in this course. We will not spend much time learning C specifically. You will need to adapt what you know from earlier Computer Science courses to programming in C if you don’t know it already. A guide, an online tutorial, and additional resources are available from the instructor’s CSC website:
Textbook: Aho and Ullman, Foundations of Computer Science.
This book is excellent and also out of print. This is good news for you, since that means that it is available free on the web: http://infolab.stanford.edu/~ullman/focs.html
Additional readings and resources will be assigned as needed and posted to BlackBoard.
Course calendar (including readings, assignments, and exam dates):
www.cs.rochester.edu/u/ferguson/csc/173/Fall2023/calendar.html
Grading: Each unit will be equally weighted in the final grade:
Letter grades will follow the Official University of Rochester Grading Scheme. The following table is an estimate of how the numeric grades will map onto the letter grades (subject to change):
| A: Excellent | ≥90% |
| A-, B+ | |
| B | ≥80% |
| B-, C+ | |
| C: Minimum Satisfactory Grade | ≥70% |
| C-, D+ | |
| D: Minimum Passing Grade | ≥60% |
| E: Fail | <60% |
All appeals of grades must be made within ONE WEEK of the grade being posted (sooner at the end of term or as announced).
All assignments and activities associated with this course must be performed in accordance with the University of Rochester’s Academic Honesty Policy. More information is available at: www.rochester.edu/college/honesty
You will learn the most if you do all the work in this course ON YOUR OWN.
That said, collaboration on projects is permitted, subject to the following requirements:
Avoid sites like GitHub and StackExchange for the duration of this course.
Note also that posting homework and project solutions to public repositories on sites like GitHub is a violation of the College’s Academic Honesty Policy, Section V.B.2 “Giving Unauthorized Aid.”
The University of Rochester respects and welcomes students of all backgrounds and abilities. In the event you encounter any barrier(s) to full participation in this course due to the impact of disability, please contact the Office of Disability Resources. The access coordinators in the Office of Disability Resources can meet with you to discuss the barriers you are experiencing and explain the eligibility process for establishing academic accommodations. You can reach the Office of Disability Resources at: disability@rochester.edu; (585) 276-5075; Taylor Hall.
Students with an accommodation for any aspect of the course must make arrangements IN ADVANCE through the Disability Resources office. Then, as instructed by the office, contact the instructor to confirm your arrangements. Do not leave this until the last minute.
We hope that you will want to attend class (lecture), but attendance is NOT required. However if you choose not to attend, you may miss important announcements or information about the course.
This course follows the College credit hour policy for four-credit courses, including lectures and study sessions.
Students are expected to do significant work outside of class time. This supplementary work on homework, projects, and exam preparation may require up to twice again as many hours of effort per week.
This course follows the University policy regarding incompletes:
A grade of “I” should be given only when there are circumstances beyond the student’s control, such as illness or personal emergency, that prevented the student from finishing the coursework on time. Students are expected to contact their instructors directly, and as soon as possible, when these situations occur. Students should also consult their course syllabus for relevant policies. Under no circumstances can the “I” grade be given for a student who wished to:Awarding an incomplete is always at the discretion of the instructor.
- Do additional work after the course deadline to improve a grade
- Redo the coursework in a subsequent semester to improve the current grade
Computer crashes, malfunctions, and catastrophic loss of files are NOT valid excuses for not submitting work on time. CSC173 students are Computer Scientists. You should know how to deal with this by now. Backup your files regularly to at least one external drive and/or cloud storage.
Network connectivity problems are also NOT an excuse for not submitting work to BlackBoard on time. CSC173 students are all familiar with BlackBoard, for better or worse. Upload early just in case.
Students who are unable to attend or complete any part of the course due to illness should contact the instructor AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. Please note that the University Health Service (UHS) does not provide retroactive excuses for missed classes. Students who are seen at UHS for an illness or injury can ask for documentation that verifies the date of their visit(s) to UHS without mention of the reason for the visit.
Students with extended or severe illness should contact the College Center for Advising Services (CCAS) for advice and assistance.
Students with an appropriate excuse for missing any exam or project deadline must make arrangements IN ADVANCE.
Please also note Section V.7 of the College’s Academic Honesty policy regarding “Unauthorized Recording, Distribution or Publication of Course-Related Materials.”