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CSE 60111: Complexity and Algorithms
Spring 2026
Course Policies and Syllabus

Class meeting time: TuTh 12:30-1:45pm
Class location: 356A Fitzpatrick


Course Staff

Table of contents


Course Description:

A study of theoretical foundations of computer science and a selection of important algorithm techniques. Topics include the classes of P and NP, the theory of NP-completeness, linear programming, advanced graph algorithms, parallel algorithms, approximation algorithms, and randomized algorithms.

Course Outline

The course covers a broad set of topics in algorithms design and analysis, with an emphasis on their applications. The goal is to cover tools and algorithms that give students the ability to recognize which tool or method to apply to problems, become reasonably proficient at using these tools; and be able to reason about the correctness and performance of the resulting algorithms. After a review of basic data structures and algorithmic principles, we will investigate topics from areas such as randomized algorithms, hashing and streaming, flows and linear programming, convex optimization, approximation, and dimension reduction, depending upon student interest in various topics.

Course Materials

The material of the class will primarily come from the following references, both available freely online: In addition, I pull material from the following texts, all of which are excellent references if you find yourself in need of a different explanation or proof style to understand some of the concepts. (Note that all of these additional references are available in the library or can be purchased cheaply from a used bookseller; you can also look at them in my office, if you want to look them over.)

Attendance Policy

In general, I won't be taking attendance in lectures. However, you will miss important material if you are not present, including homework discussion/hints as well as discussion about the final project. You are responsible for any material covered in class; this includes course material as well announcements such as changes in due dates, extra hints or corrections, etc. I will do my best to also post these in the lecture notes on the schedule page, but that is a courtesy and not a requirement, so please plan accordingly! If you will miss a lecture, I'd suggest checking with a fellow student, since my tablet does occasionally fail. You're also welcome to check in with me with any questions.

Graded work:

Percentages

Letter grades will be based on each students overall percentage of awarded points according to the following formula.
Student percentage above 93% will result in a grade of A or better.
Student percentage above 90% will result in a grade of A- or better.
Student percentage above 87% will result in a grade of B+ or better.
Student percentage above 83% will result in a grade of B or better.
Student percentage above 80% will result in a grade of B- or better.
Student percentage above 77% will result in a grade of C+ or better.
Student percentage above 73% will result in a grade of C or better.
Student percentage above 70% will result in a grade of C- or better.
Student percentage above 60% will result in a grade of D or better.
Student percentage below 60% will result in a grade of F.

Any modification to this scale at the end of the year will be in favor of the students. That is we may later decide to award an A to a student who is slightly below the cutoff, but we certainly will not deny an A from someone who is above the cutoff.

Regrade Requests

I am happy to regrade any assignments which you think were unfair or incorrect. Please email me a written explanation of your question; you are also welcome and encouraged to come discuss it with me, as that can often be helpful in understanding the issue better.

Life Clause policy

In general, late assignments will not be accepted or graded. However, life does happen, and occasionally emergencies come up. So, once per semester, you are welcome to get a 3 day extension, with no questions asked or no details needed, on any homework assignment. Please email myself and the TAs before 11;59pm on the due date, if you choose to exercise this.
Note that this policy does *not* apply to Persusall readings. I will drop your lowest three readings at the end of the semester, so that if you miss one or two due to travel or illnes, it will not hurt that portion of your grade.

Policy on Children in class

For any student raising children, I understand that minor illnesses and unforeseen disruptions in childcare often put parents in the position of having to chose between missing class to stay home with a child and leaving him or her with someone you or the child does not feel comfortable with. 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. (You are likely to meet mine at some point this semester!) All exclusively breastfeeding babies are welcome in class as often as is necessary to support the breastfeeding relationship. Because not all women can pump sufficient milk, and not all babies will take a bottle reliably, I never want students to feel like they have to choose between feeding their baby and continuing their education. You and your nursing baby are welcome in class anytime. I ask that all students work with me to create a welcoming environment that is respectful of all forms of diversity, including diversity in parenting status. In all cases where babies and children come to class, I ask that you sit close to the door so that if your little one needs special attention and is disrupting learning for other students, you may step outside until their need has been met. Non-parents in the class, please reserve seats near the door for your parenting classmates. (Policy adapted from Dr. Melissa Cheyney)

Academic Integrity

As I am sure you are all aware, Notre Dame students are expected to abide by Academic Code of Honor Pledge. “As a member of the Notre Dame community, I acknowledge that it is my responsibility to learn and abide by principles of intellectual honesty and academic integrity, and therefore I will not participate in or tolerate academic dishonesty." In addition: “All students must familiarize themselves with the Honor Code on the University’s website and pledge to observe its provisions in all written and oral work, including oral presentations, quizzes and exams, and drafts and final versions of essays.” When in doubt about whether something is allowable, don’t assume that you are right – ask me first.

In the context of this course, I encourage students to discuss general course material, which includes working on homework or practice problems, or discussing projects and sharing ideas. You are also allowed to turn in homework assignments in pairs. I also encourage you to discuss problems with other students, but please be careful to write up all solutions separately in your own group, and do not copy any material from another student. As a good rule of thumb, make sure to write your solutions without using any notes or papers written while talking to anyone other than your partner.

You are allowed to use outside sources of information in this class, including textbooks and webpages. If the complete and correct answer is on page 263 of the textbook, the best solution you can submit is "See page 263 of the text." Period. However, if you find a solution from any other source, such as a web page, a journal paper, a different algorithms textbook, or your mom, you must rewrite the solution in your own words, and you must properly cite your sources. Assume the graders have access to all the official course material, but nothing else. While we strongly encourge you to use any outside source at your disposal, please remember that the homework is supposed to demonstrate that your understanding material, not just how to use Google or LLMs. In particular, verbatim copying is worth NOTHING, and will be considered a violation of the academic integrity policy. (Note that I'm also pretty good with google as well as ChatGPT, so I wouldn't recommend copying!) We strongly encourage you to use any printed, online, or living resource at your disposal to help you solve homework problems, but you must cite your sources.

This is not an exhaustive list!

In general, just remember that submitting someone else's work without giving them proper credit is plagiarism, even if you have the other person's explicit permission. Submitting someone else's work without giving them proper credit is plagiarism, even if that “someone else” is a computer program. Citing your sources will not lower your homework grade.

Allowing someone else to use your ideas without giving you credit is also an academic integrity violation.

Students who violate academic integrity policies will be reported to the department, particularly in cases where relevant sources are not cited or in cases of direct copying of another student's work. First time offenses on homework will result in a minimum of a failing grade on the assignment in question, with egregious or repeated offenses resulting in failure in the course.

Accommodations and disability services

It is the policy and practice of The University of Notre Dame to provide reasonable accommodations for students with properly documented disabilities. Students who have questions about Sara Bea Accessibility Services or who have, or think they may have, a disability are invited to contact Sara Bea Accessibility Services for a confidential discussion by emailing at sarabeacenter@nd.edu or by phone at 574-631-7157. Because the University’s Academic Accommodations Processes generally require students to request accommodations well in advance of the dates when they are needed, students who believe they may need an accommodation for this course are encouraged to contact Sara Bea Accessibility Services at their earliest opportunity. Additional information about Sara Bea Accessibility Services and to learn more about the student process for requesting accommodations, please visits Accessibility Support. As an instructor, I encourage you to utilize these services, and feel free to reach out if you'd like to discuss how this might help in the context of this specific class.

Learning environment

The University of Notre Dame is committed to a safe and excellent education for all student enrolled, regardless of background. I share that commitment and strive to maintain a positive learning environment based on open communication, mutual respect, and non-discrimination. In this class we will not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, age, economic class, disability, veteran status, religion, sexual orientation, color or national origin. Any suggestions as to how to further such a positive and open environment will be appreciated and given serious consideration.