The Digital Age

Announcements

• Wednesday, March 28:  I hope everyone has had a good break! You should have an email from me about your HW5 web site. Have a look at your classmates' creative web sites!
  
• Thursday, March 8: The essay assignment is posted.
  
• Friday, February 24: You can access the MathLAN remotely to edit your web site from your own computer. Grinnell's Technology Consultant Corps provides instructions for connecting to the MathLAN from MacOS and from Windows.
• Sunday, February 5: Homework 0 grades are (finally!) posted on PWeb. You can read answers to question about the course and answers to questions about me.
  
• Wednesday, February 1: If you want to learn about what can go wrong with character encodings, read the Wikipedia article on mojibake.
• Friday, January 27: Tutoring starts this Sunday! Tutors will be in our classroom every evening but Friday and Saturday, from 7 to 11 p.m.
  
• Wednesday, January 18: Welcome! Read the course syllabus and check the schedule for next week.

About this course

Welcome to CSC 105! The college catalog says this course is a "study of core topics and great ideas in the field of computer science, focusing on underlying algorithmic principles and social implications." We will address questions that will give you a new perspective on the everyday uses of computing, such as, How do the parts of a computer work together? How are digital images and music stored? What happens when I browse a web page? Why are some web sites easier to use than others? Are there things that computers can't do? With hands-on class activities, we will create, discover, and gain a better intuition of computational phenenomena.  Because this technology does not exist in a vacuum, we will also discuss computing's role in society and the ethical issues involved.  In short, we will answer the questions (and question the answers) that should make you responsible and well-informed citizens of the digital age.

Objectives

• Fluency in basic computing concepts, components, and operation
• Learning how computers can be used to solve problems and create new things
  
• Sharpening analytical and problem-solving skills
• Understanding legal, social, and ethical implications of both existing and potential technologies

Is this course for me?

YES! Seriously, if you are at all interested in what computers can (and cannot) do, then this overview of computer science is for you. Although computing and its uses are constantly evolving, many basic concepts and skills remain the same. Knowing these will prepare you well for understanding future technologies.

This course assumes some basic computing skills: word processing, email, and web browsing. This course assumes no prior experience with programming or computer science.

How to be successful in this class

Don't be afraid to try things. It's very unlikely that you will break the computer, and even if you do it can almost certainly be fixed.

Also remember that computers have no common sense or compassion. They are complex, and sometimes they do things we don't expect. If things go wrong in ways you don't understand, don't blame yourself. Ask for help from me or the class mentor.

Janet Davis (davisjan@cs.grinnell.edu)