Undergraduate Students:

Homework (other than programs): 20%

Programming Assignments: 40%

Midterm: 15% (if two midterms, 7.5% each)

Final Exam: 25%

Graduate Students:

Homework (other than programs): 20%

Programming Assignments: 40%

Midterm: 15% (if two midterms, 7.5% each)

Final Exam: 25%

Notes: there will be additional programming work. The final exam will have additional questions and will be graded more strictly. Update of 2020-03-18, edited 2020-03-20, 2020-04-02, 2020-04-13, and 2020-04-14: Graduate students may satisfy the extra work requirement in one of two ways: (1) Prepare a 5-10 page report or a slide deck suitable for a 15-minute presentation (in PowerPoint or pdf) on an advanced topic or an important paper in compilers. If a paper is chosen, the report or slide presentation would summarize it, explain its major contributions, and weaknesses or scope for improvement. Good choices are the topics and papers mentioned in the "Further Reading" sections of each chapter of [M] and in Appendix D of [R]. Other topics and papers may be chosen. The instructor needs to approve the topic or paper. Or: (2) Do Assignement 4 in [R]; more precisely, do Lab 3 as described by Dr. Andreas Abel at http://www.cse.chalmers.se/edu/year/2018/course/DAT151/laborations/lab3/lab3.html.
The extra work (report, slide presentation, or extra code) is due on May 1 at 23:59.

The numeric scores are translated to letter grades as follows: [90-100] = A, [87-90[ = B+, [80-87[ = B, [77-80[ = C+, [70-77[ = C, [67-70[ = D+, [60-67[ = D, [0-60[ = F. However, In order to pass the course with a grade of C or better, a minimum raw score of 60% on the midterm(s) and final exam is needed. There are different ways of computing this cumulative grade. I expect that it will be computed by weighing the percentage score of each test by its weight in the overall course score. In this way, for example, effects due to the different number of points assigned to each midterm are eliminated. The instructor has the final say in setting the algorithm for computing the cumulative test grade.

Homework must be turned in typed; exceptions will be made for assignments requiring figures or unusual formatting. Homework turned in late is subject to a 10% per day penalty, subject to the provision that no credit is given to homework turned in after the beginning of class following the one when the homework is due.

Each student is expected to attend all classes for this course and is responsible for all material covered in class or assigned. In particular, absence from more than nine scheduled classes, whether excused or unexcused, may result in a grade penalty.

Each student must follow the University Honor Code and turn in his or her work. You are encouraged to discuss the material you study, but you must do your homework individually, unless an assignment is explicitly designated as a team assignment. The minimum grade penalty for a violation will be a zero on the work involved. In addition, an honor code violation will be subject to the sanctions described in the USC Community Handbook and Policy Guide. The following paragraph, written by Professor Duncan Buell, clarifies the distinction between "learning from a discussion" and "turning in someone else's work": If, after having participated in a group activity, you can walk away, put the books down, have lunch, and then come back afterwards to re-create from your own head the material and techniques you discussed as a group, then you can legitimately say that you have learned from the group but the work you turn in is your own.