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CS 130Foundations of Rigorous Thinking
Prerequisites: Permision of instructor

Description:

  • A successful understanding of many scientific subjects requires the ability to reason about mathematical objects. This is a course which develops rigorous thinking skills: the ability to formally reason about abstract objects.The traditional way of achieving this goal is to teach the fundamental foundations of mathematics: logic and sets.
  • A familiar example from high school is Euclidean geometry, in which the properties of planar figures (formed by straightedge and compass) are deduced by formal proofs.The objects encountered (such as triangles and circles), are types of set abstractions that are built upon the more fundamental objects of point and line.The line-by-line proofs used to reason in this system are built upon the axioms of geometry and logical rules of deduction.
  • This course could serve students in many ways.In addition to providing non-science students with the tools to take regular computer science courses, it could also serve as a "transition" between calculus and higher mathematics for a potential mathematics student, or might be useful for the increasing number of students interested in cognitive science, neuro-science, psychology, and the philosophy of mind. With enough student interest, it could lead into a more advanced course in mathematical logic or set theory.
  • One of the unique features of the course will be the use of the cooperative learning paradigm, where students are split into groups of 3 to 4 to solve problems in a supervised fashion during class (typically the last third of an extended period) and present their results. Because of this discussion-oriented approach, the course will have the flavor of a 'Q' seminar. A combined laboratory component is also a possibility.

Course Materials:

Computer Science Courses

Courses listed in Brown are offered at Bryn Mawr College only, those in RED are offered at Haverford College only, those in BLACK are offered at both colleges. See current course catalog for offering schedules.

Introductory Courses

CS100 The World of Computing
CS110 Introduction to Computer Science
CS130 Foundations of Rigorous Thinking
CS205 Introduction to Computer Science
CS206 Data Structures
CS231 Discrete Mathematics

Core Courses


CS240 Principles of Computer Organization
CS245 Principles of Programming Languages
CS330 Algorithms: Design & Practice
CS340 Analysis of Algorithms
CS345 Theory of Computation

200-Level Electives

CS212 Computer Graphics
CS222 Introduction to Scientific Computing

CS235 Information and Coding Theory
CS246 Programming Paradigms

CS250 Computational Models in the Sciences

Systems Courses

CS350 Compiler Design
CS355 Operating Systems

Upper-level Electives

CS320 Numerical Analysis
CS361 Emergence

CS371 Cognitive Science
CS372 Artificial Intelligence
CS376 Androids: Design & Practice
CS380 Recent Advances in Computer Science

CS393 Advanced Topics in Computer Systems
CS394 Advanced Topics in Discrete Mathematics
CS450 Computing Across the Sciences