Programming and Data Processing (Spring 2024)

Abstract

This course is designed to give students a basic introduction to programming and data processing. Students will get a hands-on introduction to the Python programming language and how to work with tabular data. This will enable them to solve simple programmatic tasks as well as to get an idea of what the role of the programmer entails. After the course student will be able to discuss and reflect on challenges and opportunities derived from approaching the world through algorithms.

Description

The purpose of this course is to teach Python to students with no previous programming knowledge and with diverse academic backgrounds. It takes a slightly different approach than what is usually done within Computer Science or other technology-oriented programs.

This means that instead of putting focus on the fastest, most efficient or elegant forms of code, students will be instructed to prioritise transparency and readability. Creative ways of approaching code will be explored. Much emphasis will also be put on “critical” aspects of programming related to perspectives prevalent within the humanities and social sciences. The purpose of this is to give students tools to articulate and reflect on the challenges and opportunities which emerge out of attempting to solve real-world problems with algorithms, something which is in great demand by future employers.

Formal prerequisites

Intended learning outcomes

After the course, the student should be able to:

• Identify basic elements in a piece of code
• Use text-based tools for program development
• Analyse computational tasks through pseudo code
• Construct and manipulate tabular data in text format
• Solve programmatic problems by modifying existing code
• Develop simple programmatic solutions implemented in code

Ordinary exam