CSCI0170

(Formerly CS017)

CS: An Integrated Introduction

Offered this year and every year

Fall 2022

CSCI0170/0180 is an introductory sequence that helps students begin to develop the skills, knowledge, and confidence to solve computational problems elegantly, correctly, efficiently, and with ease. The sequence is unique in teaching both the functional and imperative programming paradigms---the first through the languages Scheme and ML in CSCI0170; the second through Java in CSCI0180. The sequence requires no previous programming experience. Indeed, few high school students are exposed to functional programming; hence even students with previous programming experience often find this sequence an invaluable part of their education.

Although students are taught to use programming languages as tools, the goal of CSCI0170/0180 is not merely to teach programming. On the contrary, the goal is to convey to students that computer science is much more than programming! All of the following fundamental computer science techniques are integrated into the course material: algorithms, data structures, analysis, problem solving, abstract reasoning, and collaboration. Concrete examples are drawn from different subareas of computer science: in 0170, from arbitrary-precision arithmetic, natural language processing, databases, and strategic games; in 0180, from discrete-event simulation, data compression, and client/server architectures.