A person well-trained in computer science knows how to deal with algorithms: how to construct them, manipulate them, understand them, analyze them. This knowledge prepares him for much more than writing good computer programs; it is a general-purpose mental tool which will be a definite aid to his understanding of other subjects, whether they be chemistry, linguistics, or music, etc. The reason for this may be understood in the following way: It has often been said that a person does not really understand something until he can teach it to a computer, i.e., express it as an algorithm.
Donald Knuth
What is COMP 200?
This course is an introduction to computer science aimed at non-majors, especially social science and humanities students. The emphasis is on "Computational Thinking", i.e., how to articulate problem-solving. We will introduce programming in Python as one way to express solutions, and no prior programming experience is expected. Most examples will come from tasks related to social science and humanities.
What is COMP 130?
This course is an introduction to computer science aimed primarily at majors. The emphasis is on "Computational Thinking", i.e., how to articulate problem-solving. We will introduce programming in Python as one way to express solutions, and no prior programming experience is expected.
It is an experiment in offering an introductory major course in the spring as part of an alternate course sequence. We will attempt to prepare you for COMP 215 in the following semester. You would then take COMP 182 after these, instead of in between. You should be taking ELEC 220 this semester, also.