CS/ECE 374A fa22: About This Course

CS/ECE 374 covers fundamental tools and techniques from theoretical computer science, including design and analysis of algorithms, formal languages and automata, computability, and complexity. Specific topics include regular and context-free languages, finite-state automata, recursive algorithms (including divide and conquer, backtracking, dynamic programming, and greedy algorithms), fundamental graph algorithms (including depth- and breadth-first search, topological sorting, minimum spanning trees, and shortest paths), undecidability, and NP-completeness. The course also has a strong focus on clear technical communication.
Prerequisites
We assume that students have mastered the material taught in CS 173 (discrete mathematics, especially induction) and CS 225 (basic algorithms and data structures). Note that “mastery” is not the same as “exposure” or even “a good grade”. If you got a C+ or worse in CS 173, we strongly recommend retaking 173 before taking 374.
Requirements
This course is required for all undergraduates majoring in Computer Science majors (in both Engineering and LAS) and Computer Engineering.
Postrequisites
CS/ECE 374 is a prerequisite for at least the following classes:
Coursework
Grades will be based on weekly written homeworks, and weekly done problems on Prairie Learn, two midterms, and a final exam. See the grading policies for more details.
Difficulty
Many students consider 374 to be a challenging course in the undergraduate CS/CE curriculum. On the other hand, we believe (and employers and alumni seem to agree) that 374 is also a very useful course in the undergraduate CS/CE curriculum.

Class Resources

Web site
Almost everything—course policies, detailed schedule, lecture notes, lecture videos, homeworks, homework solutions, head-banging problems, etc.—can be found here. Hey, look! You found it!
Lecture notes
There is no required textbook. Lecture notes will be posted to the course web site as the semester progresses. You should also look at a wide variety of additional resources (see the link at the bottom of this page). Some older lecture notes and/or slides are already available:
Videos
All lectures will be recorded, and links to lecture videos will be added to the schedule web page as the semester progresses. However, we strongly encourage students to attend the lectures in person to get the most out of them. Videos from several past semesters are available:
Gradescope
We will use Gradescope for homework submission and grading. Anyone can sign up for access to the site with their favorite alias and email address. Go here for access.
EdStem
We will use EdStem for online discussions. Go here for access. We strongly encourage posting questions on any course-related topic to Piazza rather than emailing the course staff. You can even post your questions anonymously. (However, we can only give you extra credit for helpful posts if you post them using your real name.)
Etc.
You can find a long list of other useful resources on a separate page.

Last modified: Mon 2022-08-22 18:10:21 UTC 2022 by Sariel Har-Peled