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Reading Reflections

Each reflection asks you to read one article, sit with it, and write honestly about what you think. You pick one option from a short list, write a three-part reflection, and then discuss your reading with a small group in class.

There are four reflections across the quarter, one every other week. Together they trace an arc: from skepticism about formal methods, through evidence and honest limits, to open questions about the future.

Reading Reflection 1

Due: Friday, April 3 at 5:00 PM | 50 points

This quarter opens with a provocation: what if formal methods are not worth it? Before we start writing solver-aided code, we read the critics.

Reading Reflection 2

Due: Friday, April 17 at 5:00 PM | 50 points

In Reading Reflection 1, you engaged with the skeptics. Now see what happened when real engineers actually tried formal methods at scale.

Reading Reflection 3

Due: Friday, May 1 at 5:00 PM | 50 points

Reading Reflection 2 showed formal methods working. Now hear what even the believers admit they cannot do.

Reading Reflection 4

Due: Friday, May 15 at 5:00 PM | 50 points

AI is changing everything about how software gets built. What role does verification play when machines write the code?