COMSC-122: Prog Concepts & Methods I

Fall 2025 Sam Bowne

Online, Programming Concepts & Methodologies I5
Online live Tue 6:00 - 9:00 pm

To attend class online:
https://twitch.tv/sambowne

For interactive help, connect to:
https://zoom.us/j/4108472927
Password: student1

Schedule · Projects · Syllabus · Outline

Class Description

This course introduces the discipline of computer science with practical hands-on problem solving using a "high level" computer programming language. The course will include basic syntax and semantics of a "high level: language, variables, types, expressions, assignment, basic computation, simple I/O conditional and iterative control structures, functions, and parameter passing, structured decomposition, program design, programming style, algorithms, and problem solving strategies, overview of programming languages, binding, visibility, scoping, and lifetime management.

Textbook

Think Python (free, online)

Quizzes

The quizzes are multiple-choice, online, and open-book. However, you may not ask other people to help you during the quizzes. You will need to study the textbook chapter before the lecture covering it, and take the quiz before that class. Each quiz is due 30 min. before class. Each quiz has 5 questions, you have ten minutes to take it, and you can make two attempts. If you take the quiz twice, the higher score counts.

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Schedule

DateDueTopic
Tue 8-26 1. Programming as a way of thinking
Tue 9-2Quiz Ch 1 and 2 2. Variables and Statements
Tue 9-9Quiz Ch 3 and 4 3. Functions
4. Functions and Interfaces
Tue 9-16Quiz Ch 5 5. Conditionals and Recursion
Tue 9-23Quiz Ch 6 6. Return Values
Tue 9-30Quiz Ch 7 and 8 7. Iteration and Search
8. Strings and Regular Expressions
Tue 10-7Quiz Ch 9 9. Lists
Tue 10-14Quiz Ch 10 10. Dictionaries
Tue 10-21Quiz Ch 11 and 12 11. Tuples
12. Text Analysis and Generation
Tue 10-28Quiz Ch 13 13. Files and Databases
Tue 11-4Quiz Ch 14 14. Classes and Functions
Tue 11-11No Quiz Holiday: No Class
Tue 11-18Quiz Ch 15 and 16 15. Classes and Methods
16. Classes and Objects
Tue 11-25Quiz Ch 17 17. Inheritance
Tue 12-2No Quiz TBA
Tue 12-9No Quiz Last Class: No new material
Tue 12-9
through
Fri 12-19		  Final Exam available online.
You can only take it once.
All Quizzes due 30 min. before class

Projects

Prepare a Python Environment

Recommended

VP 11: Python 3 on Google Colab (10)
VP 12: Debugging in Google Colab (10)

Optional

VP 10: Python 3 Installed Locally (10 extra)
ML 125: Jupyter Notebook on a Mac M1 (10 extra)

Python Basics

VP 100: Strings  50
VP 110: Bytes and Files  25

Networking with Python

VP 200: Port Scanning  35
VP 210: HTTP  70

Cryptography with Python

VP 300: Password Hashes  85
VP 301: Caesar Cipher  52

Python Madness

VP 400: Machine Learning  50
C 510: Quantum Computing  20

Curriculum Public View

Last Updated: 5-6-25 9:50 am