Course: MCS 591, Advanced topics in combinatorial theory:
Call no: 37067
Time: MWF 100-150pm
Place: 302 Adams Hall

Professor: Dhruv Mubayi
Office: 620 SEO
Tel: 3-8036
E-mail: mubayi@uic.edu
Course Web Page: http://www.math.uic.edu/~mubayi/591/591Fall14.html

Office Hours: M,W 11-12

We will cover a variety of topics about combinatorial structures including graphs, posets, hypergraphs, codes and designs. The emphasis will be on methods, and we will showcase these mainly via algebraic, enumerative and analytic techniques. The course should prove useful to anyone studying pure or applied mathematics or computer science.

Prerequisites: Undergraduate mathematics (algebra, analysis, probability, combinatorics) and the mathematical maturity of a graduate student.

Text: A course in Combinatorics, Van Lint and Wilson. We will try and cover roughly the first 15 chapters in this book and after that we will switch to class notes for Algebraic Methods, and some basic Discrete Fourier Analysis.

Grade: Your grade will be based on homework, and perhaps some class presentations.

Homework 1, Due Friday September 12

Homework 2, Due Friday September 26

Homework 3, Due Monday October 13

Homework 4, Due Monday October 27 (no late HW will be accepted)

Homework 5, Due Monday November 10 (no late HW will be accepted)

Homework 6, Due Monday December 1 (no late HW will be accepted)