We'll use two textbooks for this course. The first is Introduction to Programming using Java, by Arnow and Weiss, ISBN 0-201-31184-4, published by Addison Wesley Longman. I've ordered it through the Adelphi Bookstore, or you can buy it yourself from Amazon or some other source.
The second textbook is A Little Java, a Few Patterns, by Felleisen and Friedman, ISBN 0-262-56115-8, published by MIT Press. I've ordered it through the Adelphi Bookstore; it's also available from Bookpool and Amazon.
Other documentation will be provided on-line or in handouts. For example, see my List of Adages on Software Development and Design and the Object Oriented Programming FAQ.
The
syllabus
is available in LaTeX,
DVI, and
Postscript.
An
updated schedule will
contain
the latest updates to homework due dates, lecture topics, etc.
Please check the schedule regularly and keep up on the assigned reading!
If you want to learn how to use a computer (for word processing, spreadsheets, databases, Web browsing, email, etc.) and perhaps create your own Web page, but not write real computer programs yourself, you should probably take CSC 170, "Introduction to Computers and Their Applications", instead. That course is offered at almost the same times as this one, so if you realize after a few days that you're in the wrong course, you can switch without messing up the rest of your schedule.
If you are already familiar with the Pascal or C language and how to implement common data structures therein, and you're less concerned with learning object-oriented programming and Java, you may want to skip CSC 171 and CSC 172, going straight to Adelphi's sophomore-level computer courses, CSC 270 ("Survey of Programming Languages") and CSC 271 (how to use and program the Unix operating system). If you think so, please talk to your advisor (most likely Dr. Bloch).