Class Time

Classes start the week of 09/10. They will be held during the 9:00-10:20 AM ET block on Tuesdays and Thursdays. All meetings will be recorded, and the videos will be uploaded to the class materials page.

The zoom link for all classes is https://brown.zoom.us/my/aagarwal.

Welcome

Thanks for your interest in our course!

In the past fifty years, computing has irrevocably changed subjects like engineering, physics, and biology, and it is now starting to do the same for the social sciences and humanities. You stand at the cusp of a new computing revolution.

We offer a supportive environment that, combined with your hard work, will put you at the front of this wave. With the skills you get in this course, you should be able to contribute much more effectively to your chosen field, whatever it is, as computation takes a larger role over time.

The course will be held synchronously. Students are encouraged to attend live lectures. However, recorded sessions will also be available.

Waitlist

We only have so much room in the classroom, so if you would like to take the course, please add yourself here, and we'll do our best to admit as many people as possible

If we can't admit you this semester, you will be considered for next semester. In any case, to be admitted to the course, you must attend every class, and do the homework assignments.

Finally, if you have special circumstances (e.g., you enrolled last semester but talked to us about taking it this semester instead), we'll take that into account. Remind us if it looks like we've forgotten. For now, don't sweat it.

Background

We require no prior computer science or mathematical background! As long as you are interested in learning, you have all the background we need.

If you have done any prior programming, this is probably not the class for you. See here for other CS classes you can take.

Workload

You've probably heard legends about computer science workloads. Some of the legends are true, many are not. Either way, CS 3 is not your typical computer science course.

We expect you to put in roughly 6-8 hours per week (including class time). Depending on your perspective, this can seem like a little or a lot. All the course staff are available to help you, but learning the material in this course requires a time investment.

We require people to use laptops for the course. Since the classroom doesn't have any computers, you'll be required to bring a laptop to class to do the work. If you don't have a laptop, talk with the course staff — we will direct you to resources that have laptops available.