ITCS 6010/8010: Complex Adaptive Systems: Self-Organization

Room:                       130 Woodward Hall Instructor:                Mirsad Hadzikadic Office:                        Woodward 443E Phone:                      704-687-8643 Email:                        mirsad@uncc.edu Office hours:           MW 3:30-4:30pm Textbook:                None

Reference Texts “Hidden Order,” by John Holland, Reading, Mass.: Helix, 1995.

Course Description Self-organization is a process where the organization of a system spontaneously increases. The effect of the environment is minimal. New, emergent properties appear. Emergence is a property of complex adaptive systems; ant colonies, networks of neurons, the immune system, the Internet, and the global economy are a few examples where the behavior of the whole is much more complex than the behavior of the parts.  This course will cover those and similar topics in an instructor lead, self-exploratory manner.

Course Topics 1.         Complexity 2.         Emergence 3.         Examples 4.         Implementation 5.         Evaluation 6.         Analysis 7.         Presentations

Grading Policy (Attendance is mandatory for all class meetings) Midterm          25% Project            50% Final               25%

Academic Integrity Policy Students have the responsibility to know and observe the requirements of The UNCC Code of Student Academic Integrity (See UNCC Catalog). This code forbids cheating, fabrication, or falsification of information, multiple submission of academic work, plagiarism, abuse of academic materials, and complicity in academic dishonesty. There are no special requirements regarding academic integrity in this course. The code will be strictly enforced and is binding on the students. Grade and academic evaluations in this course include a judgment that the student's work is free from academic dishonesty of any type; and grades in this course therefore should be and will be adversely affected by academic dishonesty. Students who violate the code can be expelled from UNCC. The normal penalty for a first offense is zero credit on the work involving dishonesty and further substantial reduction of the course grade. In almost all cases the course grade is reduced to an F. Copies of the Code can be obtained from Dr. Lejk in the College of IT or the Dean of Students Office. Standards of academic integrity will be enforced in this course. Students are expected to report cases of academic dishonesty to me immediately.