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Syllabus

Instructor and Course Details

Instructor: Alexander R. Block
Email: arblock [at] uic [dot] edu

Drop-in Office Hours

Course Modality and Schedule: In-person only, BSB 289, 2:00 pm - 3:15 pm, Tuesday & Thursday.

Blackboard: https://uic.blackboard.com/ultra/courses/_279721_1/cl/outline

Gradescope: https://www.gradescope.com/courses/942742

Piazza: https://piazza.com/uic/spring2025/cs505

Course Announcements

Course information will primarily be conveyed using this website (see here). Course discussion will happen on Piazza. All course assignments and grades will be collected and returned through Gradescope. I will also send email notifications to the class with announcements.

You are responsible for checking this website and emails for any and all updates and information regarding the course, including homework assignments and schedule changes. You are also responsible for keeping up to date on Piazza for any corrections and/or clarifications regarding assignments, or other important information.

Blackboard will be used sparingly in this course, primarily for Homework, Midterm, Final Project, and Final Grades. For all technical questions about Blackboard, email the Learning Technology Solutions team at LTS@uic.edu.

Communication Expectations

Students are responsible for all information instructors send to your UIC email. Faculty messages should be regularly monitored and read in a timely fashion.

Please use Piazza private messages shared with the instructors (not just the professor or TA by name) if you wish to communicate with us directly. Please only use email for something that explicitly should be kept private only to that person.

Please email me if you face an unexpected situation that may impede your attendance, participation in class and exam sessions, or timely completion of assignments.

Course Information

CS 505 is a graduate-level introductory course to Computability and Complexity Theory. You will be expected to read, understand, and write formal (i.e., mathematic) proofs.

Prerequisites: For UIC students, CS 305 is listed as a prerequisite. However, most (if not all) topics covered will be self-contained in this course. As stated above (but in another way), you will need mathematical maturity to succeed in this course. That is, you should be comfortable answering questions of the form “prove or disprove the following statements.” If you are able to do this, then this course is for you; if you struggle with these types of problem, then this course may not be for you.

Brief list of topics to be covered (subject to change)

  • Turing machines and their equivalent computational models
  • Languages and Decidability
  • The class
  • The class , and -Completeness
  • Randomized Computations
  • Space Complexity
  • Interactive proofs;
  • (Time-dependent) Cryptography and Complexity Theory

Required and Recommended Course Material: No textbook is required for this course. Lectures will have all relevant information.

I will be closely following the book Computational Complexity: A Modern Approach by Aurora and Barak. I will additionally use material from Introduction to the Theory of Computation by Michael Sipser, Mathematics and Computation by Avi Widgerson, and Proofs, Arguments, and Zero-Knowledge by Justin Thaler.

I will give suggested additional readings for each lecture in relevant material freely available online.

Course Copyright: Please protect the copyright integrity of all course materials and content. Please do not upload course materials not created by you onto third-party websites or share content with anyone not enrolled in our course.

Disclaimer

The purpose of this syllabus is to give students guidance on what may be covered during the semester. I intend to follow the syllabus as closely as possible; however, I also reserve the right to modify, supplements, and/or make changes to the course as needs arise. All such changes will be communicated in advance through in-class annoucnements and in writing via this website and email.

Course Policies and Classroom Expectations

Grading Policies & Point Breakdown

Grades will be curved based on an aggregate course score and are not defined ahead of time. The score cut-offs for A, B, C, etc., will be set after the end of the course.

The course will have the following grade breakdown:

Task% of total grade
Homework40%
Midterm Exam25%
Final Project35%

Final Grade Assignments

My goal is to ensure that the assessment of your learning in this course is comprehensive, fair, and equitable. Your grade in the class will be based on the number of points you earn out of the total number of points possible, and is not based on your rank relative to other students. There are no set limits to the number of grades given (e.g., everyone can get an A if everyone does well). If the class average is at least 75%, then assigned letter grades will be based on a straight scale with the following thresholds:

GradeThreshold
A 90%
B80–89.9%
C70–79.9%
D60–69.9%
F 60%

If the class mean is less than 75%, then this scale will be adjusted to compensate.

Under no circumstances will grades be adjusted down (except in cases of course policy violation). You can use this straight grading scale as an indicator of your minimum grade in the course at any time during the course. You should keep track of your own points so that at any time during the semester you may calculate your minimum grade based on the total number of points possible at that particular time. If and when, for any reason, you have concerns about your grade in the course, please email me to schedule a time for you to speak with me so that we can discuss study techniques or alternative strategies to help you.

Regrade Policy

You are allowed to request one single regrade per homework assignment/non-final exam. Moreover, with every regrade request, you must submit the following information:

  • Which problems you are requesting a regrade for; and
  • The exact reason you are requesting a regrade.

I will be strict with this policy to ensure there are no frivolous regrade requests; i.e., do not request a regrade to try and argue for more points. You must have a specific and articulate reason for why you believe something was graded incorrectly. Finally, note that any regrade request can result in a score reduction if additional errors are discovered.

Homework Late Policy

All homework assignments are due by the beginning of class (2:00pm Central Time) on the day they are due. You may submit homework late, with a 25% point reduction per day of being late. On the fourth day of being late, you will receive zero points on the assignment, but it will still be graded in order to give you feedback.

In-class Participation

All course material will be primarily given through in-class lectures. However, as this is a graduate course, I will not require you to attend lecture, but it will be highly encouraged. You are responsible for submitting all assignments, taking the midterm exam, and completing the final project.

Note that though you are not required to attend lecture, I will not answer questions in office hours of the form “can you explain X?” when X was explained in class. By not attending lecture, you do not then get to ask me to teach you the lecture material in office hours.

Evaluation

Homework

There will be 4-5 homework assignments in this course, depending on our progress through the semester. Each homework assignment will be weighted equally when calculating your final grade. See here for more information about completing homework assignments.

Note that your lowest homework score will be automatically dropped from your final grade.

Midterm Exam

There will be an in-class midterm exam, covering topics from (roughly) the first half of the course. The tentative date for the midterm exam is Thursday, March 6, 2025, with an in-class review planned for the previous lecture on Tuesday, March 4, 2025. Please plan to attend class on this day for the midterm exam. I will notify all students once the midterm exam date is finalized, and will do so as soon as possible.

Final Project

In place of a final exam, there will instead be a final project. It will consist of both a written portion and an in-class presentation. Your grade will be assigned based on the written portion, the in-class presentation, and peer-evaluations as well. I will give more details about the final project as we get closer to the midpoint of the semester.

Academic Integrity

Consulting with your classmates on assignments is encouraged, except where noted. However, turn-ins are individual, and copying proofs from your classmates is considered plagiarism. You should never look at someone else’s writing, or show someone else your writing. Either of these actions are considered academic dishonesty (cheating) and will be prosecuted as such.

To avoid suspicion of plagiarism, you must specify your sources together with all turned-in materials. List classmates you discussed your homework with and webpages/resources from which you got inspiration and help. Plagiarism and cheating, as in copying the work of others, paying others to do your work, etc., is obviously prohibited, and will be reported (this includes asking questions and copying answers from forums such as Stack Overflow and Reddit).

I report all suspected academic integrity violations to the dean of students. If it is your first time, the dean of students may provide the option to informally resolve the case – this means the student agrees that my description of what happened is accurate, and the only repercussions on an institutional level are that it is noted that this happened in your internal, UIC files (i.e., the dean of students can see that this happened, but no professors or other people can, and it is not in your transcript). If this is not your first academic integrity violation in any of your classes, a formal hearing is held and the dean of students decides on the institutional consequences. After multiple instances of academic integrity violations, students may be suspended or expelled. For all cases, the student has the option to go through a formal hearing if they believe that they did not actually violate the academic integrity policy. If the dean of students agrees that they did not, then I revert their grade back to the original grade, and the matter is resolved.

If you are found responsible for violating the academic integrity policy, the penalty can range from receiving a zero on the assignment in question, receiving a grade deduction, or receiving an F in the class, depending on the severity of the violation.

As a student and member of the UIC community, you are expected to adhere to the Community Standards of academic integrity, accountability, and respect. Please review the UIC Student Disciplinary Policy for additional information.

GenAI

Since this course will be rigorous in formal (i.e., mathematical proofs), the use of GenAI is NOT allowed. As we will see, there are computational tasks that are impossible in any computational model, thus it is highly likely (and, indeed, expectd) that GenAI would answer any such questions incorrectly.

Failure to adhere to this policy will result in the following consequences:

  • First use: You will lose 50% of the points available on the assignment.
  • Second use: You will fail the assignment.
  • Third use: You will fail the course.

Accommodations

Disability Accommodation Procedures

UIC is committed to full inclusion and participation of people with disabilities in all aspects of university life. If you face or anticipate disability-related barriers while at UIC, please connect with the Disability Resource Center (DRC) at drc.uic.edu, via email at drc@uic.edu, or call (312) 413-2183 to create a plan for reasonable accommodations. To receive accommodations, you will need to disclose the disability to the DRC, complete an interactive registration process with the DRC, and provide me with a Letter of Accommodation (LOA). Upon receipt of an LOA, I will gladly work with you and the DRC to implement approved accommodations.

Religious Accommodations

Following campus policy, if you wish to observe religious holidays, you must notify me by the tenth day of the semester. If the religious holiday is observed on or before the tenth day of the semester, you must notify me at least five days before you will be absent. Please submit this form by email with the subject heading: “[CS 505] YOUR NAME: Requesting Religious Accommodation.”

Classroom Environment

Inclusive Community

UIC values diversity and inclusion. Regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, race, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, geographic background, religion, political ideology, language, or culture, we expect all members of this class to contribute to a respectful, welcoming, and inclusive environment for every other member of our class. If aspects of this course result in barriers to your inclusion, engagement, accurate assessment, or achievement, please notify me as soon as possible.

Name and Pronoun Use

If your name does not match the name on my class roster, please let me know as soon as possible. My pronouns are [she/her; he/him; they/them]. I welcome your pronouns if you would like to share them with me. For more information about pronouns, see this page: https://www.mypronouns.org/what-and-why.

Community Agreement/Classroom Conduct Policy

  • Be present by removing yourself from distractions, whether they be phone notifications, entire devices, conversations, or anything else.
  • Be respectful of the learning space and community. For example, no side conversations or unnecessary disruptions.
  • Use preferred names and gender pronouns.
  • Assume goodwill in all interactions, even in disagreement.
  • Facilitate dialogue and value the free and safe exchange of ideas.
  • Try not to make assumptions, have an open mind, seek to understand, and not judge.
  • Approach discussion, challenges, and different perspectives as an opportunity to “think out loud,” learn something new, and understand the concepts or experiences that guide other people’s thinking.
  • Debate the concepts, not the person.
  • Be gracious and open to change when your ideas, arguments, or positions do not work or are proven wrong.
  • Be willing to work together and share helpful study strategies.
  • Be mindful of one another’s privacy, and do not invite outsiders into our classroom.

Furthermore, our class (in person and online) will follow the CS Code of Conduct. If you are not adhering to our course norms, a case of behavior misconduct will be submitted to the Dean of Students and to the Director of Undergraduate Studies in the department of Computer Science. If you are not adhering to our course norms, you will not get full credit for your work in this class. For extreme cases of violating the course norms, credit for the course will not be given.

Student Parents

I know well how exhausting balancing school, childcare, and work can be. I would like to help support you and accommodate your family’s needs, so please don’t keep me in the dark. I hope you will feel safe disclosing your student-parent status to me so that I can help you anticipate and solve problems in a way that makes you feel supported. Unforeseen disruptions in childcare often put parents in the position of having to choose between missing classes to stay home with a child or leaving them with a less desirable backup arrangement. While this is not meant to be a long-term childcare solution, occasionally bringing a child to class in order to cover gaps in care is perfectly acceptable. If your baby or young child comes to class with you, please plan to sit close to the door so that you can step outside without disrupting learning for other students if your child needs special attention. Non-parents in the class, please reserve seats near the door for your parenting classmates or others who may need to step out briefly.

Academic Success, Wellness, and Safety

We all need the help and the support of our UIC community. Please visit my drop-in hours for course consultation and other academic or research topics. For additional assistance, please contact your assigned college advisor and visit the support services available to all UIC students.

Academic Success

Wellness

  • Counseling Services : You may seek free and confidential services from the Counseling Center at https://counseling.uic.edu/.

  • Access U&I Care Program for assistance with personal hardships.

  • Campus Advocacy Network : Under Title IX, you have the right to an education that is free from any form of gender-based violence or discrimination. To make a report, email TitleIX@uic.edu. For more information or confidential victim services and advocacy, visit UIC’s Campus Advocacy Network at http://can.uic.edu/.

Safety