CSC 107 - Explorations in Agent-Based Modeling

Centenary College of Louisiana
Wright 110
MWF 9-10 - Spring 2010

Instructor: Dr. Mark Goadrich

Contact Info
mgoadric@centenary.edu
104 Wright Building
(318) 869-5194


Overview | Syllabus | Labs | Projects | Exams | Grading


Evaluation

Please fill out the Mid-Semester Evaluation.

Course Details

Textbooks

The Perfect Swarm
by Len Fisher, 2009
Complexity: A Guided Tour
by Melanie Mitchell, 2009
Micromotives and Macrobehavior
by Thomas Schelling, 1978
Turtles, Termites, and Traffic Jams
by Mitchel Resnick, 1997

Software

NetLogo
Northwestern University
Scratch
MIT

Overview

Ever wonder how birds can fly in formation without a leader? How traffic jams occur even without an accident? How neighborhoods can become segregated even with tolerant people? How ants coordinate and communicate optimal foraging? CSC 107 explores how computers and mathematics can be used to model these complex phenomena in the world through the simple behavior of agents and their interactions over time. We will examine the mathematical properties that emerge from these agent interactions and discover some underlying mechanisms common across many fields.

Disabilities

Centenary assures students with disabilities equal opportunity to reach the same level of achievement as other students. Strict confidentiality will be maintained on students with disabilities. Services for students with disabilities are available through the Counseling Center, located on the ground floor of Rotary Residence Hall, phone (318) 869-5424.

Honor Code

All students are bound by the Honor System. The Honor System is applicable to all academic work. See the Centenary College Handbook for the complete Honor Code. All code you write and turn in for a grade is understood to be pledged. You may discuss topics with other students and tutors, but all code you write must be your own, and you must be able to explain to me how it works. In this course, it is a violation of the honor code to look at code from previous semesters or in other students' directories.

Extensions

Extensions and rescheduling for labs, projects, exams and quizzes are only given when circumstances beyond your control (e.g. being sick, choir or sports travel) prevent you from completing a project on time. You must notify me either by email or phone of your circumstances well in advance of the due date. No extensions are given for requests made within three days of the due date.

Quizzes and Participation

You are encouraged to attend class and participate in discussions every day. Sporadically throughout the semester, there will be short quizzes covering material from the previous class. These quizzes will serve as records of your attendance, and in total they will comprise 5% of your final grade. Active participation in class discussions will comprise another 5% of your final grade. This will be awarded for answering questions, asking questions, presenting material, etc.

Extra Credit

Extra credit for this course can be earned by participating in the Centenary Math Problem of the Week (POTW). Each reasonable submission will be worth an additional 0.5% toward your final grade, CC me with your submission for credit. A maximum of 7% extra credit can be applied to your final grade.

Syllabus

Labs

Much of your experience with programming in this course will be through weekly labs and homeworks, which will comprise 35% of your final grade. Each lab will be assigned in class with time allotted to work through the materials, and will be due at the beginning of the next class period. All labs and homeworks are weighted equally within the Lab portion of your final grade.

You may discuss concepts and ideas with your classmates, but the code you turn in must be your own. You will be graded not only on correctness, but also technique, documentation and evaluation of your solution. Further details on the grading standards and handin instructions for each lab and homework will be given when they are assigned.

You will be handing in your lab work on the remote cs server, and instructions to do so will be included in each lab. For in-class work and notes, you should purchase a USB Flash Drive, the bookstore has 1GB for around $7.00.

LabNameAssignedDue
0Who are you?Jan 11thJan 11th
1Wisdom of CrowdsJan 15thJan 22nd
2Voting TheoryJan 25thJan 29nd
3Cellular AutomataFeb 1stFeb 5th
4Termites and SegregationMar 1stMar 5th
5Population and EvolutionApril 5thApr 15th

Projects

You will have one final project in this course for a total of 20% of your final grade. More details concerning the project can be found on the Project.

This project will be due and presented during the final exam period for this class, May 4th, 8-11 am. (Seniors will present April 30th, 9am.)

You may work with a partner on this project.

Exams

There will be three in-class exams, each worth 12% of your final grade.

Grading

Your final grade for this course will be based on the Labs, Projects, Quizzes, Exams and Participation described above.
Grading Scale
90-100A
80-89B
70-79C
60-69D
0-59F
Weights
Labs35%
Project20%
Quizzes5%
Participation4%
Exam 112%
Exam 212%
Exam 312%

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© Mark Goadrich, Centenary College of Louisiana