From 0b0b06745af4015ecbea1d1f55f8d8bfd4588970 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Justin Hsu Date: Fri, 3 Aug 2018 18:04:42 -0400 Subject: [PATCH] Polishing. --- website/docs/format.md | 54 ++++++++++++++++++++-------------------- website/docs/syllabus.md | 5 ++-- 2 files changed, 30 insertions(+), 29 deletions(-) diff --git a/website/docs/format.md b/website/docs/format.md index ed66732..c924443 100644 --- a/website/docs/format.md +++ b/website/docs/format.md @@ -1,34 +1,34 @@ -Lectures will be loosely organized around four modules: differential privacy, -cryptography, language-based security, and adversarial machine learning. I will -give most of the lectures for the first module, on differential privacy. For -each of the remaining modules, I will give the first lecture introducing the -topic and background material. Then, each student will lead one lecture, +Lectures will be loosely organized around **four modules**: differential +privacy, cryptography, language-based security, and adversarial machine +learning. I will give most of the lectures for the first module (differential +privacy). For the other modules, I will give an introductory lecture surveying +the topic and background material. Then, each student will lead one lecture, presenting a paper and guiding the discussion. -The topics we will be reading and thinking about are from the recent research -literature---polished enough to be peer-reviewed and published, but not always -completely refined. Given that this is a graduate course, not all lectures are -set in stone and there is considerable flexibility in the topics. If you are -interested in something not covered in the syllabus, please let me know. +This is a graduate seminar, so not all lectures are set in stone and there is +considerable flexibility in the topics. If you are interested in something not +covered in the syllabus, please let me know! ## Readings and Homework -Paper discussions are a core component of this course. You are expected to read -papers before lecture, attend lectures, and participate in discussions. Before -every lecture presenting a paper, students are expected to read the paper -closely and understand its significance, including (a) the problem addressed by -the paper, (b) the main contributions of the paper, and (c) how the authors -solve the problem in some technical detail. +**Paper discussions** are a core component of this course. You are expected to +read papers before lecture, attend lectures, and participate in discussions. +Before every paper presentation, students are expected to read the paper closely +and understand its significance, including (a) the main problem addressed by the +paper, (b) the primary contributions of the paper, and (c) how the authors solve +the problem in some technical detail. -Most research papers focus on a very narrow topic and are written for a very -specific technical audience. It also doesn't help that computer science -researchers are generally not the clearest writers (though there are certainly -exceptions!). These +The topics we will be reading and thinking about are from the recent research +literature---polished enough to be peer-reviewed and published, but not always +completely refined. Most research papers focus on a very narrow topic and are +written for a very specific technical audience. It also doesn't help that +computer science researchers are generally not the clearest writers (though +there are certainly exceptions). These [notes](https://web.stanford.edu/class/ee384m/Handouts/HowtoReadPaper.pdf) by Srinivasan Keshav may help you get more out of reading papers. To help you prepare for the class discussions, I will also send out a few -questions at least 24 hours before every paper presentation. **Before** the +questions at least 24 hours before every paper presentation. **Before** eah lecture, you should send me brief answers---a short email is fine, no more than a few sentences per question. These questions are for your benefit---they are not meant to be very difficult or time-consuming and they will not be graded in @@ -36,11 +36,11 @@ detail. ## Course Project -The other main component is the course project. You will work individually or in -pairs on a topic of their choice, producing a conference-style write-up and -presenting their project at the end of the semester. This project should have -the potential to turn into a research paper or survey. Details can be found -[here](projects/details.md). +The other main component is the **course project**. You will work individually +or in pairs on a topic of your choice, producing a conference-style write-up and +presenting the project at the end of the semester. Successful projects may have +the potential to turn into an eventual research paper or survey. Details can be +found [here](projects/details.md). ## Grading and Evaluation @@ -54,4 +54,4 @@ Grades will be assigned as follows: The final project may be done individually or in groups of two students. Collaborative projects with people outside the class may be allowed, but please -check with me beforehand. +check with me first. diff --git a/website/docs/syllabus.md b/website/docs/syllabus.md index bb22673..6720515 100644 --- a/website/docs/syllabus.md +++ b/website/docs/syllabus.md @@ -9,8 +9,9 @@ make decisions in critical sectors (e.g., health care, automation, and finance). However, in deploying these algorithms presence of malicious adversaries is generally ignored. -This advanced topics class will tackle techniques related to all these -themes. We will cover the following broad topics. +This advanced topics class will tackle techniques related to all these themes. +We will cover topics drawn from the following broad areas, depending on student +interests: ### Differential Privacy - Basic properties and examples