University of Utah

School of Computing

Multiagent Systems

CS 6380
Spring Semester 2008
WEB 1248  TH 12:25- 1:45
Instructor: Thomas C. Henderson

Overview of Course

Course Objectives

The course covers fundamental notions of: Methods will be applied to a practical application (in Matlab).

Prerequisites

The prerequisite is  knowledge of programming, data structures, processes, and language syntax, Matlab and C; (CS 5300/6300 preferred).

Course Description

We will work on understanding multiagent systems. 

Software Used to Support Class

Students will develop on a Unix environment in Matlab. 

Required Materials

We will use:

Multiagent Systems, edited by Michael Wooldridge, Wiley, 2002 (required)

Assignments

There are 3 major types of assignments:

Class Syllabus

The lectures will cover the text on the following schedule:
 
                 Date                 Topic   Material (Wooldridge)      Problem Assignments




Weeks 1 and 2
 Intro to Agents, Matlab, Simulation
 Chapters 1,2
  Problem 1
Weeks 3 and 4
 Deductive Agents
 Chapter 3
 TBA
Week 5
 Reasoning Agents
 Chapter 4
 TBA
Week 6
Reactive Agents
 Chapter 5
 TBA
Weeks 7 and 8
 Agent Negotiation
 Chapter 6
 TBA
Weeks 9 an 10
 Agent Communication
 Chapter 7
 TBA
Week 11 Spring Break!
 Spring Break!
Weeks 12 and 13 Agent Communication
 Chapter 8
 TBA
Weeks 14 through 16
 MultiAgent Systems
 Chapter 9
 TBA

Class Schedule and Assignments

The lectures and assignments will cover the text as we progress through the quarter. Class attendance is mandatory. Assignments will usually be handed out on Tuesday and due Thursday of the next week.

Instructor

Thomas C. Henderson, Professor

E-Mail:   tch@cs.utah.edu
Phone:     801-581-3601
Fax:         801-585-3743
Office Hours (3450 MEB):    In-class and by appointment.

Grading Information

The grading distribution will be as follows:
 
Problems:        50%
Project:            40%
In-Class:          10%

Your are expected to make a good effort on all assignments.  I will assign a grade based on how reasonable your solution is given the difficulty of the assignment, the time required, and the style and content of the solution.  Very few jobs evaluate performance on a very quantitative point system; my goal is to look at all your work, and to assign a grade based on your participation, effort and results.  It's better to ask questions before and during an assignment, than to try and understand what went wrong after it's due.  The proportions given above delineate how I intend to apportion the weight of the various work in the course.

Assignment Due Time

Unless otherwise stated in an assignment, all assignments will be due by classtime on the assignment due date. The time that we use for an assignment is the last modified time of the source file in the student's directories. Be careful not to overwrite a file and wipe out its last modified time.

Appeals Procedure

See the Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities, located in the Class Schedule for more details.  Also, see:

  http://www.coe.utah.edu/dean_coe/t_guidelines.html

Assignment Late Policy

No late work is accepted. 

Individual Work

The purpose of the assignments is to improve your skills at solving problems and demonstrating that you understand the class material. Collaboration with other class members is acceptable in understanding problems or software tools. For any individual assignments or work turned in, you must do your own work. Using someone else's work or giving someone else your work is considered plagiarism and will be dealt with using standard College and University procedures.

Registration

See  http://www.coe.utah.edu/dean_coe/t_guidelines.html for the full academic calendar and withdraw guidelines. 

American with Disabilities Act (ADA)

The University conforms to all standards of the ADA. If you wish to qualify for exemptions under this act, notify the Center for Disabled Students Services, 160 Union.