Computer Science as an elective

Computer science is the science, technology and application of machine-based processing and transmission of information. It combines theory, methods, analysis and construction, application and effects of the use of systems in information technology in one discipline.

This makes computer science more than a mere science or technology: its logic and tools permeate almost all academic disciplines, all aspects of the business world and all technological innovation; this includes the humanities. Vast amounts of research and development would not have materialised, or at the very least would not be at today's level without computer science.

A Computer Science elective is offered to students enrolled in other degree programmes to give them the necessary prerequisites to make informed decisions in their professional career on things such as computer systems configuration, designing and creating databases and information systems, planning and implementing software projects or purchasing and implementing software solutions.

Those who have studied the CS elective are unlikely to find themselves in a position where they have to work on projects that require advanced computer science knowledge – however, in all probability they will need to work together with computer scientists on a regular basis. When doing so it is beneficial to be able to explain one's ideas, aims and the task in hand using the terminology and concepts computer scientists work with on a daily basis. It is also advantageous to have a basic understanding of what computer science is about, which methods and processes are involved, and what effects these will have.

Who is the elective intended for?

The elective is intended for students enrolled in one of the following programmes:

B.A. European Studies
B.A. Media and Communication
B.A. Language and Text Sciences
M.A. European Studies
M.A. International Cultural and Business Studies
and students of the undergraduate Law programme specialising in IT and Communication Law

The faculty is currently planning a separate Computer Science elective for additional degree programmes.

Syllabus

Introduction to Computer Science:

Information and data
Computer model
Computer history
Modern computers, their components and peripheral devices
Operating systems
Data storage
The principle of caching
What is an algorithm?
What is a program?
Programming languages, compilers and interpreters
Regular Expressions and patterns
Scripting languages
Internet languages (basic HTML)
The World Wide Web

Introduction to Software Technologies:

Elementary algorithms
Elementary programming
Data modelling using UML
Principles of obbject orientation
Principles of software engineering

Introduction to Information Systems:

Elementary logic
ER modelling
Relational database systems
SQL statements
Databases and the Internet

Introduction to Internet Computing:

The Internet
Rudimentary internet protocols
Elementary computer communication
Web architectures
Mark-up languages (HTML and XML)
Introduction to IT security