Course Calendar
See the course overview for details on the course content and prerequisites.
Textbook: This course will not use a textbook. Ron Rivest has compiled a comprehensive list of readings on cryptography and computer security. If you are interested in going deeper into any topic, or if you need ideas for your final project, these references are a great place to start. An optional supplementary read is "A Graduate Course in Applied Cryptography" by Boneh and Shoup.
Course policies: Please read them carefully. You are responsible for knowing and following all of the policies—especially the collaboration policy and the policy on AI assistants (GPT and friends). Please do not make us sad, and yourself even more sad, by violating the collaboration policy.
Warning: We may change any content on this website, including the calendar, at any time.
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
| feb 2🎬 Lecture 1, sd Overview of crypto; Overview of class, Cryptographic Hashing First day of classes |
feb 3 Published: Pset 1 |
feb 4🎬 Lecture 2, sd Symmetric Encryption: Construction from PRF |
feb 5 | feb 6🎬 Recitation 1, all Number Theory Review DUE: Review course policies. DUE: Read about final project |
| feb 9🎬 Lecture 3, sd Symmetric-key primitives I |
feb 10 | feb 11🎬 Lecture 4, sd Symmetric-key primitives II |
feb 12 | feb 13🎬 Recitation 2, all Choosing a project topic DUE: Pset 1 DUE: Post final project idea on Piazza |
| feb 16 Presidents' day |
feb 17🎬 Lecture 5, sd Diffie-Hellman Key Exchange and Public-key Encryption Published: Pset 2 Optional reading: New Directions in Cryptography (1976) Monday classes held |
feb 18🎬 Lecture 6, sd Rabin, RSA, Why post-quantum crypto? |
feb 19 | feb 20 DUE: Project proposal |
| feb 23 Snow day |
feb 24 | feb 25🎬 Lecture 7, sd Public-key Encryption: Constructions from LWE (Regev) |
feb 26 | feb 27🎬 Recitation 3, all Review - LWE DUE: Pset 2 |
| mar 2🎬 Lecture 8, sd Private Information Retrieval Discuss your project with TAs |
mar 3 Published: Pset 3 Discuss your project with TAs |
mar 4🎬 Lecture 9, sd Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE) 1 Discuss your project with TAs |
mar 5 Discuss your project with TAs |
mar 6 Recitation 4, all Project meetings DUE: By this date, meet with a TA to discuss your project Discuss your project with TAs |
| mar 9🎬 Lecture 10, sd FHE 2 |
mar 10 | mar 11🎬 Lecture 11, sd Interactive Proofs and Zero Knowledge |
mar 12 | mar 13 |
| mar 16🎬 Lecture 12, sd Secret sharing |
mar 17 | mar 18🎬 Lecture 13, sd Secure Multiparty Computation DUE: Pset 3 |
mar 19 | mar 20🎬 Recitation 5, all MPC Review |
| mar 23 Spring break |
mar 24 Spring break |
mar 25 Spring break |
mar 26 Spring break |
mar 27 Spring break |
| mar 30🎬 Lecture 14, sd MPC: Applications Discuss your project with TAs |
mar 31 Published: Pset 4 Discuss your project with TAs |
apr 1🎬 Lecture 15, sd Sumcheck Discuss your project with TAs |
apr 2 Discuss your project with TAs |
apr 3 Recitation 6, all Project meetings DUE: By this date, meet with a TA to discuss your project Discuss your project with TAs |
| apr 6🎬 Lecture 16, guest Guest lecture by Jim Bidzos |
apr 7 | apr 8🎬 Lecture 17, guest Guest lecture by Ron Rivest |
apr 9 | apr 10🎬 Recitation 7, all Midterm Review DUE: Pset 4 |
| apr 13🎬 Lecture 18, sd GKR Protocol |
apr 14 | apr 15 Midterm quiz |
apr 16 | apr 17 DUE: Project check in |
| apr 20 Patriots' day |
apr 21 DROP DATE |
apr 22🎬 Lecture 19, sd zk-SNARKs |
apr 23 | apr 24 |
| apr 27🎬 Lecture 20, sd Oblivious RAM |
apr 28 | apr 29🎬 Lecture 21, sd Open questions |
apr 30 | may 1 |
| may 4🎬 Project presentations |
may 5 | may 6🎬 Project presentations |
may 7 | may 8 |
| may 11🎬 Project presentations |
may 12 DUE: Final project report Last day of classes |
may 13 | may 14 | may 15 Final exam period |
| may 18 Final exam period |
may 19 Final exam period |
may 20 Final exam period |
may 21 | may 22 |
Course website design courtesy of PDOS and Katrina LaCurts.