Henry Leitner
COMPSCI 1 | Spring 2025 | Course Listing
Tuesday & Thursday, 10:30 AM – 11:45 AM
An introduction to the most important discoveries and intellectual paradigms in computer science, designed for students with little or no previous background. Explores problem-solving and data analysis using Python, a programming language with a simple syntax and a powerful set of libraries. This course covers basic data types and collections (lists, dictionaries, tuples, and sets), control flow, recursion, supervised machine learning via regression, visualization, information hiding and encapsulation using classes and objects, and introduces the analysis of program performance. Presents an integrated view of computer systems, from switching circuits up through compilers, and examines theoretical and practical limitations related to unsolvable and intractable computational problems. Other topics include the social and ethical dilemmas presented by such issues as software unreliability, algorithmic bias, and invasions of privacy.