Math 187A (Fall 2026)

Lecture Time: MWF 1 to 1:50pm
Lecture Location: HSS 1330
Textbook: An Introduction to Cryptography, by Shishir Agrawal. Available online via this link.

Discussion Section: 

• Section 001: Wednesday, 4:00pm-4:50pm at SOLIS 111

• Section 002: Wednesday, 5:00pm-5:50pm at SOLIS 111

• Section 003: Wednesday, 4:00pm-4:50pm at HSS 4025

• Section 004: Wednesday, 5:00pm-5:50pm at HSS 4025

Course Personnel:
Instructor: Karthik Ganapathy Venkitachalam
Teaching Assistant for Sections A01: JD Flynn
Teaching Assistant for Sections A02: JD Flynn
Teaching Assistant for Sections A03: Jasper Liu
Teaching Assistant for Sections A04: Jasper Liu
Note: To contact us, please use Piazza. The system is highly catered to getting you help fast and efficiently from classmates, the TA, and myself. Rather than emailing questions to the teaching staff, I encourage you to post your questions on Piazza. If you have a question that is fairly long, please come to office hours and speak to me directly.

Office Hours:
Karthik: Monday 4:15pm-5:45pm, Friday 11am-12:30pm at APM 1230
JD: Tuesday 5:15pm-6:15pm and Thursday 5:15pm-6:45pm at HSS 4012
Jasper: Tuesday 10:00am-12:30pm at HSS 4070

Quizzes:
There will be five quizzes in class on the following dates: October 05, October 14, October 28, November 13, November 30. Each quiz is cumulative but the emphasis will be what was covered the previous three or four lectures leading up to it. If you miss any of the five quizzes, you can take a makeup quiz on December 04. Aside from this, no makeup quizzes will be given. Each quiz is equally weighted.

Reading Assignments:
You will be assigned sections of the textbook to read every week, and you are expected to fill a form answering some basic questions based on these readings. Each reading assignment is equally weighted.

Reflection Assignments:
There will be three reflection assignments which will be posted on Canvas. They will be due on October 12, November 18, and December 04. The first reflection assignment is worth 1% of your overall grade; the second and third are worth 2.5% each.

Final Exam:
It is on Monday, December 7, 2026 from 11:30am-2:29pm at HSS 1330. No makeup final will be given in this course.
Note: It is standard Math Department practice to utilize different versions of exams, both within each lecture's exam, and between lectures whose exams are at different times.

Regrades: Regrade requests for Quizzes and the Final may be made using the built-in regrade request feature in Gradescope. Typically, you are given one week from when the scores are released to submit regrade requests. For the Final and later quizzes, this window will be greatly shortened.

Grading Policy:

To ensure fairness and recognize different paths to success, your final grade will be calculated using the highest score from three grading rubrics: 

1. 9% Reading Assignments; 6% Reflection Assignments; 45% Final; 40% Quizzes

2. 9% Reading Assignments; 6% Reflection Assignments; 35% Final; 50% Quizzes

3. 9% Reading Assignments; 6% Reflection Assignments; 60% Final; 25% Quizzes

The first rewards students who stay consistent with quizzes and assignments, the second protects against having a single off day during finals, and the third provides an opportunity to demonstrate mastery on the final exam even if earlier work was weaker. 

The final grades will be at least as generous as the standard ones (97.00 - 100.00 A+; 94.00 - 96.99 A; 90.00 - 93.99 A-; 87.00 - 89.99 B+; 84.00 - 86.99 B; 80.00 - 83.99 B-; 77.00 - 79.99 C+; 74.00 - 76.99 C; 70.00 - 73.99 C; <70.00 F).

Attendance Policy: You are expected to attend every session of the lectures and discussion section you are enrolled in. Students who do not attend class rarely succeed in this course.  If you must miss class for any reason, it is your responsibility to catch up on the material. You are also responsible for the information given in any announcements made during class. Please note that lectures will NOT be recorded.

Academic Integrity: Academic dishonesty is considered a serious offense at UCSD. Students caught cheating will face an administrative sanction which may include suspension or expulsion from the university. Using LLMs for any assignments will be considered a form of academic dishonesty. 

Accommodations: Students requesting accommodations for this course due to a disability must provide a current Authorization for Accommodation (AFA) letter issued by the Office for Students with Disabilities (https://osd.ucsd.edu/.) Students are required to discuss accommodation arrangements with instructors and OSD liaisons in the department in advance of any exams or assignments.

Food Support for Students: If you are skipping and stretching meals, or having difficulties affording or accessing food, you may be eligible for CalFresh, California’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, that can provide up to $298 a month on a debit card to buy food. Students can apply at benefitscal.com/r/ucsandiegocalfresh. And don’t forget to recertify every six months to continue receiving benefits.

The Hub Basic Needs Center empowers all students by connecting them to resources for food, stable housing and financial literacy. Visit their site at basicneeds.ucsd.edu.