FTS-100: Secrets, Secret Codes,
and Privacy
Fall 2005
Project assignment
In this project, you will research a topic related to cryptology, write
a 4-6 page paper, create a poster, and give a 10 -15 minute
presentation. In order to do this, you will need to decide on a
few topics that you think might interest you and then find out enough
basic information about each one to decide if that's the one you want
to explore. Once you've picked a topic, you will need to
read and teach yourself enough background information to
understand it and then investigate the topic more fully. Finally,
you need to write an expository paper that explains your topic to an
audience of your peers, create your poster, and prepare and give
your presentation.
Your project should use at least three sources, including no
more
than one website. (Note: Journal articles available on the web do
not count as a website.) Your documentation style should follow
MLA
guidelines.
Some possible topics include:
- A particular cipher system that we haven't covered in class
(Hill, Enigma, stream ciphers, ...)
- A historical overview of a particular period (World War II
ciphers)
- A biography of one of the people who made major contributions to
the field (turing, Shannon, ...)
- Quantum cryptography
- Digital signatures
- Error-checking codes
- Error-correcting codes
- Steganography
- Zero-knowledge protocol
- Gimps and Mersenne primes
- Different techniques for prime testing or factoring
- PGP
- DNA encryption
- US cryptography export policy
In class, we will talk about several phases of writing,
including:
- looking for sources ( perhaps another library day)
- reading/ taking notes/ pulling it all together
- avoiding plagiarism
- writing a first draft
- writing a second draft
- peer review
- writing the final draft
The project will be graded on
- quality of sources
- integration of material
- clarity of writing
- attention to audience
- coherence
- style
- mechanics
- oral presentation
- poster
Last modified:11/2/5