Explorations: To really learn about computer security,
students must tinker and explore. To encourage such exploration, 10% of
the semester grade will be comprised by an exploration grade. Each
student must participate in at least 2 exploration exercises which will be
announced regularly throughout the semester. Each exercise is worth a
maximum of 5 points and a minimum of 1 point. The number of points
assigned for each exercise will be determined by the number of students
who complete the exercise. For example, if only 1 student completes the
exercise, it will be worth 5 points for that student. If 2 students
complete an exercise, it will be worth 4 points for each student. If 3
students complete an exercise, it will be worth 3 points for each
student. If 4 students complete an exercise, it will be worth 2 points
for each student. If 5 or more students complete an exercise, it will be
worth 1 point for each student. Each student must earn 10 points
throughout the semester to receive full credit for this part of the grade.
Research Paper: Each student will write a research paper on a
topic of his/her choosing. To find a topic, the student should search the
archives of Crypto-Gram,
CSO Online or a favorite security
web site. The choice of paper topic is due Thursday, March 3. An
annotated bibliography for the paper is due Thursday, March 31.
The first draft of the paper is due Thursday, April 14. The final
draft of the paper is due Thursday, April 28. Additional details
about this research paper will be provided in a separate handout.
Chapter Presentations: Every student will be responsible for
presenting two chapters of the Schneier text to the rest of the class.
These presentations will be done in groups of two. In the week before a
group's chapter is due, the group will meet with me to explain their plan
for the presentation. In addition, the group must prepare a summary/study
guide for the chapter to hand out to the other students in the class. The
grades for these two chapter presentations comprise 10% of the semester
grade.
MidTerm Exam: There will a midterm examination on Thursday,
March 17. This exam will comprise 10% of the semester grade. No
makeup exams will be given.
Final Project: Every student will be expected to complete a
semester project. The project will be presented to the rest of the class
during the last two weeks of classes. The details of the project will be
distributed early in the semester. The final project and presentation
will comprise 20% of the semester grade.
Final Exam: The final exam will comprise 20% of the semester
grade and will be split into two parts. The take-home portion of the exam
will be handed out on Thursday, May 12 and will be due during the
scheduled final exam period (Thursday, May 19, 2:30-5pm). The
in-class
portion of the final exam will be given during the scheduled final exam
period (Thursday, May 19, 2:30pm-5pm). Do not plan to leave Plymouth
before this date. NO early exams will be given.