The Æ Course

What you have in your hands represents a departure from the traditional introduction to computer science textbooks. Indeed, we have coined the term "CS 0" to describe the course that this text/disk package embodies. Because this package is different, a few words of introduction and encouragement are in order.

We wrote the text and prepared the lab disks for the same reason we suspect many other authors do: We simply couldn't find an existing package that suits our needs. As at many other schools, our introductory course was a programming course that served two audiences: those who wanted an introduction to the subject and those who intended to major in computer science (or at least take some courses beyond the introductory level). And, as at many other schools, the approach simply didn't work well. Because of the wide range of talents and backgrounds of the students we were constantly performing a balancing act, trying to move slowly enough not to lose the bottom half of the class and quickly enough not to bore the students with some prior experience. The bimodal nature of the course was difficult to deal with, both for us and the students. Even more problematic was our perception that students were finishing the introductory course with the firm impression that computer science was nothing but programming. This attitude did a disservice to those wanting a taste of the discipline and frequently left our majors in shock when they later discovered that being a programming whiz counted for little in their subsequent courses.

"You get too soon old and too late smart," the saying goes. Having taught a programming introductory course for seven years, we finally realized that something had to be done and, more importantly, we realized that what had to be done was something that hadn't been done before, at least not in computer science. Consider introductory courses in other disciplines--English 101 does not consist solely of having the students complete writing exercises; of course, the students typically have a number of essays to write, but they are also exposed to the broad historical trends in literature, they are introduced to the forms of literature, and they are given the critical apparatus necessary to make sense of the material they read. The students enrolled in Physics 101 are likewise learning to manipulate laboratory equipment while being exposed to the material in context--perhaps learning about Galileo, Maxwell, and Einstein, certainly exploring the major divisions of the subject, and being exposed to the social, political, and moral implications of the use and misuse of physical discoveries.

Introductory courses in computer science, on the other hand, typically tend to suffer from one or more major shortcomings:

• Equating computer science with programming. One of the things we hear again and again from our students is the mistaken idea that computer science is programming. Of course, computer professionals do write programs from time to time. Computer science, though, steps back from programming and, like physics, seeks to formulate and understand the general principles that govern the objects of its study, which for us are computers and their programs. The study of computer science is related to the production of songs. The product is important, but the study of the principles behind the product is vastly more so: It is nearly impossibly to produce the product without some understanding of the principles.
• Confusing training with education. Another popular form of the introductory course is what we call "Getting Acquainted With 4th Dimension, WriteNow, and Excel." A slightly more elevated version of this course also exists in the form "So You Want a Career in MIS?" Neither version has much to do with the discipline of computer science, and, given the rapid advances in the field, both run the risk of providing specific training in technologies that will be out of date by the time the students graduate.
• Concentrating on effects at the expense of causes. In an attempt to avoid alienating their audience by introducing technical material, some introductory courses sidestep computer science almost entirely, stressing instead the social consequences of the computerization of society. Done poorly, such a course can become what one of our colleagues calls the "People Magazine Goes to MIT" approach. Done well, though, this approach can be valuable. We feel that it is important for every citizen to be aware of the possibly consequences of the use of technology, but we also feel that to understand the implications of technology it is necessary to understand the technology itself. We believe that along with questions of what computers should and should not do, our students should also be aware of what they can and cannot do, both by virtue of the current state of the art and theoretical limitations.

We set out to design a true survey course, presenting a serious disciplinary point of view, firmly grounded in a liberal arts tradition. The collective experience of the authors (we have taught this course for five years now), our students, and our many faithful adopters seems to indicate that this approach--the Æ approach to CS 0--overcomes the aforementioned shortcomings while serving all of the course's constituencies.

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