Vanderbilt is helping students to become the next Sherlock Holmes. A code-breaking class, titled “Cryptography: the History and Mathematics of Codes and Code-breaking,” was offered this summer as part of Vanderbilt’s Master of Liberal Arts and Science program, which is aimed at adult learners returning to the university classroom. The class not only taught students how to create and break different codes and ciphers using mathematical processes, but also covered the history of code-breaking from the ciphers used by Julius Caesar to the encryption codes used today in electronic commerce. At the end of the summer, a different kind of final put students’ skills to the test. A scavenger hunt, incorporating all the codes, ciphers and mathematical ideas studied during the semester, led students around campus and finally to the finishing location: TGI Friday’s. There, a meal and the prize — a spray-painted cat in a treasure chest — greeted students. “It’s the most fun I’ve had in a long time,” said Lacy Tite, a student in the class, “but you definitely had to use the methods of decryption we learned about. If we had done the hunt at the beginning of the semester, I think most of us would still be out there trying to figure it out!” Using unorthodox methods for a course’s final is not that unusual in the MLAS program. Many MLAS courses have a practical component, involving visits to places of interest and a chance for the students to gain a real life look at what they are studying. “The course on opera involved attending dress rehearsals and speaking with the director and performers at the Nashville Opera, for example,” said Martin Rapisarda, associate dean and director of the MLAS program. The code-breaking class was more popular than most MLAS classes with a total of 18 students, compared to the average of 12. Derek Bruff, a senior lecturer in mathematics, assistant director of the Center for Teaching and the creator of this course, attributes this to the class’s blend of history, mathematics and current events, as well as to the fun nature of the class. “There’s an appeal to cracking a code that made the class fun,” Bruff said. “It’s a nice feeling of accomplishment when you crack a code and figure out the secret message all on your own.” Bruff wants undergrads to experience a hands-on, multi-disciplinary learning approach, too. He intends to propose the course as a first-year writing seminar for the 2010-2011 academic year. “Given the twin focus on math and history as well as the big questions we discussed in class, I think it would work well as a writing seminar,” Bruff said. “I often find that undergrads aren’t always as up on current events — such as national security issues relevant to this course — as adult learners, but this would be a useful way to help undergrads connect their coursework to the outside world.” Although many students were first attracted to the class due to its multi-disciplinary nature, they soon realized they could apply the class to their everyday lives. “I’m a web developer and designer for Vanderbilt,” Tite said. “As I deal with online security and encryption in my job, learning about the foundations of cryptography leading up to the most sophisticated encryption techniques in use today was very applicable.”