2021 Faculty Courses Liberal arts and basic science courses Basic science and technology courses
Computer Science I 3b(CS1)
- Academic unit or major
- Basic science and technology courses
- Instructor(s)
- Yoshio Nakamichi
- Class Format
- Lecture/Exercise
- Media-enhanced courses
- -
- Day of week/Period
(Classrooms) - 1-2 Wed (W631)
- Class
- 3b(CS1)
- Course Code
- LAS.I121
- Number of credits
- 0.50.50
- Course offered
- 2021
- Offered quarter
- 3Q
- Syllabus updated
- Jul 10, 2025
- Language
- Japanese
Syllabus
Course overview and goals
The essence of “computation” is quite simple: four basic arithmetic operations, zero test, and iteration. What is executed on computers is a “program” consisting of such very simple operations. Computer Science is a field of science and engineering that investigates various methods for realizing what we want to do as “computation” so that it can be executed on computers. This course introduces key concepts and methods for analyzing tasks and problems from the computational viewpoint. This new view should be a key to not only using of computers but also for understanding things in any other fields of science and engineering.
Course description and aims
At the end of this course students are able to:
1) Explain how various objects are encoded as binary strings and processed in computers.
2) Understand how a computation is specified as a program.
3) Explain basic concepts used in programming such as variable, branch, iteration, array, and subroutine.
4) Understand the basic structure of computers as a software system as well as a hardware system.
Keywords
Digitalization, basis of computation, computer architecture, program, programming, software, operating system
Competencies
- Specialist skills
- Intercultural skills
- Communication skills
- Critical thinking skills
- Practical and/or problem-solving skills
Class flow
This class is conducted as a remote class. During the class,
programming exercises will be conducted along with lectures. Homework
and report assignments to confirm understanding will be given in the
class. There are also some quizzes in the class.
Course schedule/Objectives
| Course schedule | Objectives | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | Introduction to the basis of computation: digitalization, basic operations for computation, program | Write basic programs for simple tasks. |
| Class 2 | Programming exercise by using basic operations. | Understand a way to construct programs and execute them on a computer. |
| Class 3 | Basic programming tools: Array | Understand the concept of array and its usage. |
| Class 4 | Programming exercise by using arrays. | Construct programs using array. |
| Class 5 | Basic programming tools: string, subroutine | Understand the notions of string and subroutine and their usage. |
| Class 6 | Programming exercise by using strings and subroutines. | Construct programs for string processing by using subroutines. |
| Class 7 | Introduction to computer architecture and computer software systems. | Understand the basics of computer architecture and software systems. |
Study advice (preparation and review)
To enhance effective learning, students are encouraged to spend approximately 100 minutes preparing for class and another 100 minutes reviewing class content afterwards (including assignments) for each class.
They should do so by referring to textbooks and other course material.
Textbook(s)
None required.
Reference books, course materials, etc.
Osamu Watanabe, Computer Science (in Japanese), Maruzen Science Pallet, 2015, ISBN 978-621-08972-9.
Other materials are either provided during class or can be found on OCW-i.
Evaluation methods and criteria
Grades will be based on homework, report assignments and quizzes given in class.
Related courses
- LAS.I111 ： Information Literacy I
- LAS.I112 ： Information Literacy II
- LAS.I122 ： Computer Science II
Prerequisites
In this class, a PC (Windows PC or Mac) is required to attend the
class remotely and to conduct programming exercises. It is also
desirable to have completed Information Literacy I (LAS.I111).