DCS111

This course is an introduction to computational thinking and problem solving via programming, designed for students interested in applying computation to the humanities and text analysis. It frames computation as a process of designing systematic solutions to problems; implementing, testing, and verifying those solutions; and making the solutions accessible to other scholars and investigators. Students learn fundamentals of computer programming using Python, including basic data structures, flow control structures, functions, recursion and elementary object-oriented programming, as well as discussion of higher-level concepts including abstraction, modularity, reuse, testing, and debugging. By the end of the semester, students develop an understanding of computational problem solving and gain experience implementing that problem solving in the context of text analysis.