FSEM 092 Syllabus

Readings are to be done before the class period where they are listed.

		Assignments	Papers
Week 1: 8/31-9/4 Topics: introduction; simple substitution ciphers

Mon	Reading: read at least one of the following short stories (no journal entry required) The Adventure of the Dancing Men by Arthur Conan Doyle The Gold-Bug by Edgar Allan Poe Examples: New York Times blog entry on using codes to save space (might require creating a free account to access) The Anglo-American Telegraphic Code (1891)

Wed	Reading: (journal entry required) Singh: introduction (pages xiii-xvii) and chapter 1 Beutelspacher: introduction (pages vii-xiii) and chapter 1 () ( if you don't have time to complete the Beutelspacher reading for Wednesday, do it for next Monday) Notes: class notes (frequency analysis)	code-breaking assignment #1 due Wed 9/9
Week 2: 9/7-9/11 Topics: more sophisticated substitution ciphers

Mon	Reading: (journal entry required) Beutelspacher: introduction (pages vii-xiii) and chapter 1 Beutelspacher: section 2.1 Notes: class notes (homophonic and Playfair ciphers)

Wed	Reading: (journal entry required) Singh: chapter 2 Beutelspacher: sections 2.2-2.4 Notes: class notes (Vigenère cipher) Vigenère cracking exercise (handout from in-class activity)	code-breaking assignment #2 due Wed 9/16
Week 3: 9/14-9/18 Topics: more sophisticated substitution ciphers, transposition ciphers, perfect ciphers

Mon	Notes: class notes (autokey version of Vigenère cipher) Examples: partial solutions for code-breaking #1

Wed	no reading	code-breaking assignment #3 due Wed 9/23 handin Mon 9/28

Fri	— special class meeting 9/18 — Reading: (journal entry required) Singh, chapter 3 pages 101-124 (stop at the section "The Development of Cipher Machines - from Cipher Disks to the Enigma") Beutelspacher, sections 3.1-3.3 () ( if you don't have time to complete the Beutelspacher reading for Friday, do it for Monday 9/28)
Week 4: 9/21-9/25 Topics: library session

Mon	— library session 9/21: meet in the Learn Lab on the first floor of the library — Examples: partial solutions for code-breaking #2		journals due Mon 9/21

Wed	— no class 9/23 —	Enigma assignment due Mon 9/28
Week 5: 9/28-10/2 Topics: Enigma

Mon	Notes: cipher identification exercise (handout from in-class activity) full ciphertexts for cipher identification exercise solutions for cipher identification exercise Examples: solutions for code-breaking #3		code creation paper (Part 1) due Mon 10/5

Wed	Reading: (journal entry required) Singh: chapter 3 pages 124-142 (the rest of the chapter) Video: Decoding Nazi Secrets (journal entry required) video is on reserve in the library video handout
Week 6: 10/5-10/9 Topics: Enigma

Mon	Reading: (journal entry required) Singh: chapter 4 () ( if you don't have time to read the whole chapter for Monday, read through page 160 - stopping at the section "The Geese that Never Cackled" - for Monday and the rest of the chapter for Wednesday)	code-breaking assignment #4 due Wed 10/21	code creation paper critique (Part 2) due Fri 10/9

Wed	no additional reading (just finish Singh chapter 4 if you haven't already)
Week 7: 10/12-10/16 Topics: work on assignments		fall break

Mon	— no class 10/12 —

Wed	— no class 10/14 —	code-breaking assignment #4 (continued) due Wed 10/21	code creation paper revision (Part 3) due Wed 10/21
Week 8: 10/19-10/23 Topics: code paper; research paper; Navajo codetalkers and deciphering lost languages

Mon	Reading: (journal entry required) Singh: chapter 5 pages 191-201 (stop at the section "Deciphering Lost Languages and Ancient Scripts")

Wed	— meet in the library Multimedia Lab 10/21 — (first floor, off the atrium) Notes: annotated bibliography exercise (handout from in-class activity)		research paper: topic due Fri 10/23
			research paper: topic due Fri 10/23
Fri	— special class meeting 10/23 — Reading: (journal entry required) Singh: chapter 5 pages 201-242 (the rest of the chapter) () ( if you don't have time to complete the reading for Friday, finish it for Monday) Video: Cracking the Maya Code (journal entry required) watch video online transcript video handout Notes: class notes (comments on annotated bibliography, code talkers)		research paper: annotated bibliography due Wed 10/28
Week 9: 10/26-10/30 Topics: research paper; other applications of cryptology

Mon	no additional reading (just finish Singh chapter 5 if you haven't already) Notes: class notes (deciphering ancient scripts)

Wed	Notes: class notes (plagiarism) Safe Practices (includes the Safe Practices exercise from class)		research paper: first draft due Wed 11/4
Week 10: 11/2-11/6 Topics: research paper; computer-based encryption

Mon	Notes: class notes (proper quoting, paraphrasing, citing, bibliographies) paraphrasing exercise from class, with sample solutions	journals due Mon 11/2

Wed	Reading: (journal entry required) Singh: chapter 6 pages 243-252 (up to the section "God Rewards Fools") Notes: class notes (Lorenz cipher, shift registers)		research paper: second draft due Wed 11/11
Week 11: 11/9-11/13 Topics: computer-based encryption (algorithms)

Mon	Notes: class notes (cracking shift registers, DES)

Wed	Reading: (journal entry required) Singh: chapter 6 pages 252-292 (the rest of the chapter) Beutelspacher: sections 5.1-5.4 () ( if you don't have time to complete the Beutelspacher reading for Wednesday, do it for Monday 11/16) Notes: class notes (Diffie-Hellman key exchange, RSA intro)		research paper: final version due Mon 11/16
Week 12: 11/16-11/20 Topics: position paper; computer-based encryption (protocols and things you can do with encryption besides keep secrects)

Mon	no additional reading (just finish Beutelspacher sections 5.1-5.4 if you haven't already) Notes: class notes (RSA)		position paper: annotated bibliography due Mon 11/23

Wed	Reading: (journal entry required) Beutelspacher: chapter 4 Notes: class notes (user authentication)
Week 13: 11/23-11/27 Topics: computer-based encryption; cipher challenge

Mon	Notes: class notes (message integrity and authentication) Extra credit cipher challenge: log in to Blackboard, click on "Code Making & Code Breaking" under "My Courses", and go to the "Content" area to find the challenge		position paper: first draft due Mon 12/7
			position paper: first draft due Mon 12/7
Wed	— no class 11/25 —	Thanksgiving break
Week 14: 11/30-12/4 Topics: privacy, security, anonymity

Mon	Reading: (journal entry required) Singh: chapter 7 Notes: class notes (uses of crypto in the information age, PGP, SSL)		position paper: first draft (continued) due Mon 12/7

Wed	Reading: (journal entry required) Beutelspacher: chapter 6
Week 15: 12/7-12/11 Topics: steganography

Mon	Notes: class notes (steganography)		position paper: optional second draft due Fri 12/11

Wed	— meet in the library Multimedia Lab 12/9 — (first floor, off the atrium) Notes: PGP and steganography (handout from in-class activity)	journals due Wed 12/9
Reading Period and Exams: 12/12-12/18

Sat			position paper: final version due Tue 12/15

Sun

Mon

Tue	— class meets 8:30-11:30am 12/15 — (final exam timeslot) discussion about contemporary issues in cryptography / wrapup / movie	end-of-semester super deadline no work accepted after 12/15 11:30am

Wed

Thu

Fri

FSEM 092 Syllabus

Week 1: 8/31-9/4

Week 2: 9/7-9/11

Week 3: 9/14-9/18

Week 4: 9/21-9/25

Week 5: 9/28-10/2

Week 6: 10/5-10/9

Week 7: 10/12-10/16

Week 8: 10/19-10/23

Week 9: 10/26-10/30

Week 10: 11/2-11/6

Week 11: 11/9-11/13

Week 12: 11/16-11/20

Week 13: 11/23-11/27

Week 14: 11/30-12/4

Week 15: 12/7-12/11

Reading Period and Exams: 12/12-12/18