CS 101 is a general introduction to computers and their applications that assumes no previous knowledge of the subject. CS101 introduces computers and their uses in the arts and sciences -- what they are, how they work, how they can be programmed, what they can and cannot do. It is for people who read about such topics as VLSI or WWW and want to understand them, for people who need to have data processed on the job, and for people who see the computerization of our society and ask about the meaning of it all.

My philosophy in teaching CS101 is to spend less time on the operational aspects of computers and more time on the more conceptual aspects of computation, which are likely to survive the rapid changes in standards and technology. The challenge in adopting this philosophy is to convey the science of computing to an audience that is not equipped with the sophisticated mathematics necessary to digest the concepts to be learned. Having taught CS-101 almost annually since 1991, it is my belief that despite this seemingly insurmountable difficulty, non-concentrators are capable of appreciating the intricacies of computer science, if appropriate simplifications and analogies are used effectively.

The following are the Home Pages of my latest offerings of CS101.

• CS101-B1: F'97
• CS101-A1: F'95
• CS101-A1: S'95

Created on: 1995.08.24
Updated on: 1997.08.15
Maintainer: Azer Bestavros