Md. Irtiza Hossain

Md. Irtiza Hossain

He/him

Lecturer, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Brac University

CSE101: Introduction to Computer Science

Undergraduate course, BRAC University, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, 2025

Taught CSE101: Introduction to Computer Science across Summer 2025 and Fall 2025. This foundational course provides students with a broad overview of computer science disciplines, computer system architecture, spreadsheet data analysis, and introductory programming in Python.

Semesters Taught: Summer 2025, Fall 2025
Institution: BRAC University, Department of Computer Science and Engineering

Course Description

This course serves as an introduction to the discipline of computer science, exploring the foundational principles of computing systems and their ubiquitous role in modern society. Students explore computer architecture, binary data representations, computer networks, internet technologies, and cybersecurity fundamentals. Practical components emphasize data organization, spreadsheet modeling and analytics using Microsoft Excel, algorithmic problem-solving techniques, and foundational programming using Python.

Course Objectives

  • Introduce students to core computer science subfields, hardware architectures, and operating system basics.
  • Explain digital representations of data (binary, hex, text, image, sound) and logic gates.
  • Develop practical proficiency in spreadsheet modeling, statistical formulas, and data analysis using Microsoft Excel.
  • Teach algorithmic thinking and introductory computer programming with Python.
  • Examine cybersecurity, digital privacy laws, ethics, and contemporary trends in computing.

Course Topics & Outline

  • Introduction to Computing: History of computing, hardware/software interaction, and system architectures.
  • Data Representation: Binary, octal, hexadecimal systems, character encodings (ASCII, Unicode), and digital multimedia representation.
  • Computer Networks & The Internet: Network topologies, TCP/IP protocol suite, DNS, client-server models, and web technologies.
  • Spreadsheet Modeling with Excel: Formulas, logical and lookup functions (IF, VLOOKUP, XLOOKUP), data summarization, pivot tables, and charting.
  • Algorithmic Problem Solving: Flowcharts, pseudocode, control structures, and structured problem decomposition.
  • Programming with Python: Syntax, variables, expressions, conditional execution, iterative loops, functions, lists, and string manipulation.
  • Digital Security & Ethics: Cyber threats, encryption principles, privacy concerns, intellectual property, and ethical computing.
  • Modern Computing Paradigms: Overview of Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, cloud computing, and emerging trends.

Textbooks & Reference Materials

  1. Computer Science: An Overview, J. Glenn Brookshear and Dennis Brylow, 13th Edition, Pearson, ISBN: 9780134875460.
  2. Python Crash Course: A Hands-On, Project-Based Introduction to Programming, Eric Matthes, 2nd/3rd Edition, No Starch Press.
  3. Departmental lecture slides, interactive problem sets, and course materials provided via buX.