Time and location: WF 12:30pm-1:45pm, KAP 427&nbsp

Office hours: W F 1:45-3:15 (or by appointment), KAP 248E

Text: Probability: Theory and Examples (4th ed.), by Richard Durrett

Instructor: Jianfeng Zhang, KAP 248E, (213)740-9805, jianfenz@usc.edu, www-bcf.usc.edu/~jianfenz
Grader: Hyun-Jung Kim, kim701@usc.edu

Midterm Exam: Will cover Chap 4 and 5. The exact date will be announced later.
Final Exam: Take home exam

Course Description: In this course we will cover Chapters 4, 5, 6, 8 in the textbook. The topics include Random Walks, Martingales, Markov Chains, and Basic properties of Brownian Motion. If time allows, we may also cover some other topics which students feel interested in.

Grading Policies: 30% on homework, 25% on Midterm Exam, and 45% on Final Exam.

Homework: Homework will be assigned every two weeks in class. You are allowed and even encouraged to discuss the problems with others, but each one should write down the final solutions independently.

Midterm Exam: It will be taken in class, open book, open notes, but non-cooperative. The Midterm Exam will cover Chapters 4 and 5.

Final Exam: It will be a take home exam, and will be handed out two weeks before the deadline.

Missed Exams: There will be NO makeup exams. You must take the Final Exam in order to get the grade. If you miss the Midterm Exam with VALID reasons, I will assign your grade based on your Final Exam and Homework.

Feedback and Questions: It is very useful to get feedback and questions, both inside and outside class. You are very welcome to visit me during my office hours. You can also make appointments to see me at other time.

Statement for Students with Disabilities: Any student requesting academic accommodations based on a disability is required to register with Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of verification for approved accommodations can be obtained from DSP. Please be sure the letter is delivered to me (or to TA) as early in the semester as possible. DSP is located in STU 301 and is open 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The phone number for DSP is (213) 740-0776.

Statement on Academic Integrity: USC seeks to maintain an optimal learning environment. General principles of academic honesty include the concept of respect for the intellectual property of others, the expectation that individual work will be submitted unless otherwise allowed by an instructor, and the obligations both to protect one’s own academic work from misuse by others as well as to avoid using another’s work as one’s own. All students are expected to understand and abide by these principles. Scampus, the Student Guidebook, contains the Student Conduct Code in Section 11.00, while the recommended sanctions are located in Appendix A: http://www.usc.edu/dept/publications/SCAMPUS/gov/. Students will be referred to the Office of Student Judicial Affairs and Community Standards for further review, should there be any suspicion of academic dishonesty. The Review process can be found at: http://www.usc.edu/student-affairs/SJACS/.