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Computers are everywhere. No matter your discipline or affiliation, it has become increasingly important to have more than just a passing understanding of these monsters of engineering. Often, knowledge of these tools can be the deciding difference between two competitors for jobs or research opportunities. Given this, it is surprising that most programs outside of engineering don't give students even a basic grounding in their use, much less how to truly control them. This series aims to correct that by providing an opportunity for students of fields other than computer science to learn how to at least understand software and (hopefully) even develop it. To this end, the course will be run in a non-intimidating manner. Most specifically, all terms used _will_ be explained. Students will (seriously) be provided crumpled up balls of paper to throw at the instructor if he says something that is not understood. Computer Science students will (probably) find this class _boring_ and *should not take it*. If a Computer Science student /does/ come to the class we reserve the option of throwing balls of paper at him until he leaves. Technically, this course is a continuation of last year's offering; however, having attended the class last year is not required to take it this year: this quarter's material compliments, but does not always require, the material from the previous offering. To the extent that it does, either some class time will be spent to review the material (for the more complicated concepts), or handouts will be provided to review/learn the background information and the instructor will be available for more specific explanations. Last year, "Computers as a Second Language" focused on the low-level architecture of these systems: examining the languages the physical machine is designed to speak and even building some of the parts of a computer out of simple circuits. This year, in "Software as a Second Language", the focus of the class will be on more directly applicable concepts. Students should leave the class with an understanding of the language C and how it maps to the top-end of hardware. To this end we will be reading through programs and doing programming exercises, both in and out of class. Instructor(s): Jay Freeman Time(s): Tuesdays and Thursdays, 4:45-6:15 pm Place(s): Old Little Theatre, Rm. 160B << Back |
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