Subject to change. Be sure to check readings and assignments for changes up to a week before due.
Labs and problem sets will be posted as they become available...
| Sep 14 | Introduction, and an example
Problem set 1, due Sep 21 |
| Sep 19, 21 | What's in a computer; CPU, memory, disks, etc.
Reading: article on How microprocessors work Problem set 2, due Sep 28 |
| Sep 26, 28 | How machines are made. Bits, bytes, and representation.
Reading: Intel web pages on how chips are made and Moore's Law. Whatis has some very short articles on bits, bytes, and binary; as usual, How Stuff Works has a useful longer article. Lab 1: Windows NT, Netscape, Telnet, mail, FTP Problem set 3, due Oct 5 |
| Oct 3, 5 | Software and algorithms
Reading: Some suggested reading ... Lab 2: HTML and web page design Problem set 4, due Oct 12 |
| Oct 10, 12 | Languages, programming; Visual Basic
Reading: a tutorial on the VB environment; you might also look at a much longer tutorial. Some of these links seem to have died recently; here are a couple of others: one, another. Lab 3: Advanced HTML Problem set 5, due Oct 19 |
| Oct 17, 19 | Visual Basic. Operating systems
Reading: Dave Farber's testimony in the Microsoft trial on the nature of software development; an essay about operating systems, the first quarter of which is fun. Lab 4: Introduction to Visual Basic / Programming fundamentals |
| Oct 24, 26 | File systems, information storage. Applications, real-world programming
Reading: Professor Mahoney's Freshman seminar on The World of the Computer has a lot of interesting reading, including a Unix oral history. Take-home midterm, due Oct 27 5PM. No lab, no problem set due this week. Problem set 6, due Nov 9 |
| [fall break] | |
| Nov 7, 9 | Networks & communications, Internet
Reading: Skim some of the Internet history papers Lab 5: More Visual Basic / user interfaces Problem set 7, due Nov 17 |
| Nov 14, 16 | World Wide Web; cookies and viruses
Reading: browse around in the following Web history Lab 6: Graphics Problem set 8, writing assignment, due Dec 7 |
| Nov 21 | Security and privacy
Reading: what do they know about you? No problem set or lab this week |
| Nov 28, 30 | Nov 28: Guest lecturer: Eszter Hargittai, Sociology.
Nov 30: Cryptography. Reading: FAQ on cryptography Lab 7: Sound and multimedia |
| Dec 5, 7 | Dec 5: Guest lecturer: Perry Cook, Computer Science.
Dec 7: Compression & error detection. Reading: The Heavenly Jukebox, Charles C. Mann, The Atlantic Monthly, September 2000. Lab 8: Spreadsheets Writing assignment due Dec 7 |
| Dec 12, 14 | Napster and intellectual property. Cellular telephony. Wrapup
No more labs or problem sets! |
| [Christmas holiday] | |
| Sometime during reading period | Review session, if anyone expresses an interest |
| Saturday, January 27,
8:30 AM [sic], EQuad C-207 | Final exam
Registrar's Official Exam Schedule page |