In this introductory computer science course, students will learn to combine computer code with visual art to create their own website. They will become familiar with computer networks and file systems as they learn to build standards-based web pages from the ground up using HTML5 and CSS. Students should be prepared to flex their creative muscles: coding topics will be balanced with a discussion of good visual design and layout, including digital graphics production and manipulation using Adobe Photoshop. Also known as “The Internet Classroom” (TIC), this course includes an exploration of the Internet as a social medium, and students will investigate the sociological, biological, and even philosophical impacts of the ubiquitous online world.

This course will introduce students to object-oriented programming in Java. In the first half of the course, students will be introduced to essential programming building blocks, beginning with the idea of a variable. From there, students will learn about common control structures, including “if” statements and “for” loops. Students will also learn about simple data structures, such as the Array. With this knowledge, students will move on to study object-oriented programming concepts and how to apply these to their work. During the second half of the course, students will demonstrate their creative potential by authoring artificial intelligence agents for two simple two-dimensional computer games.

Ever wanted to build your own Facebook? This course will teach students how to build complex, dynamic websites using PHP and JavaScript. This course expands on the concepts in Elements of Web Design and Programming in Java. Students will become familiar with several new languages and the basics of database design. Particular attention will be paid to the reading and comprehension of programming APIs, allowing students to continue to grow as independent computer scientists.

In the early days of computer science, the relationship between hardware and software was simple enough to allow students to see an overall picture of how computers worked. The complexity of computer systems today makes it difficult to paint such a picture. Students in this course will explore computer systems’ atomic elements and principles, starting with the binary number system, logic gates, and fundamental programming concepts. From there, students will learn about clocked logic, memory hierarchy, and instruction set architecture. This knowledge will culminate in students creating a working virtual CPU capable of executing simple programs. Students will also investigate the history and social implications of computing, and follow current trends in technological fields.