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Department of Computer Science

Preparing for your Studies at DCS

Congratulations on obtaining a place to study in the Department of Computer Science! There is no expectation to study or purchase any books before you arrive, but the information on this page is designed to provide some useful resources should you wish to prepare.

We start with some general video content that introduces you to the discipline of Computer Science.


Partovi TEDx Computer Science is for Everyone

In this exceptional year, it is possible that it has been some time you have had the intellectual challenge of lectures, homeworks and tests. Graham Cormode, Professor at DCS and a Director at the Alan Turing Institute, suggests that you may want to use the Mind Your Decisions Youtube channel to keep your Maths skills sharp.

If you would like to dig in to something more advanced, you could explore the Lex Fridman Podcast. One episode we recommend is this (long) conversation with Scott Aaronson.

Programming

If you have no previous experience of programming you may find it useful to familiarise yourself with a basic introduction. When you arrive, you'll find that our introductory module takes you through everything but if you are not used to programming it will be beneficial for you to find out a little before you start and try writing some small code. Jonny Foss, one of our Teaching Fellows, created an online resource for gently learning Python: howtoprogram.dcs.warwick.ac.uk. Try it out but don't worry if it is not your thing.

There are many other helpful tutorials and resources on the internet, such as those provided by Codecademy https://www.codecademy.com/.


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Reading Lists

We do not recommend that you purchase textbooks before you arrive and do not require you to undertake reading. Instead, you may find it more useful to read good fiction and non-fiction to broaden your language and communication skills. If you are looking for a nice thick book that you can download and read at your leisure, one book that might be for interest, as it explores the connections between Computer Science, music and arts, is Godel, Escher, Bach, by Douglas Hofstaddter, available to downloadLink opens in a new window.
However, we appreciate you may like to prepare, particularly in areas which will be new to you or which you think you will find challenging.

Computer Science

  • Algorithmics: The Spirit of Computing. D. Harel, Addison Wesley, 2003
  • The New Turing Omnibus. A. K. Dewdney, Palgrave Macmillan, 2004
  • Computers Ltd: What They REALLY Can't Do. D. Harel, Oxford University Press, 2003
Programming
  • Introduction to Java Programming. Y. D. Liang, Pearson Education, 2012
  • Understanding Java. B. Cornelius, Addison Wesley, 2001
  • Java: A Beginner's Guide. H. Schildt, McGraw-Hill Osborne, 2014
Architecture
  • Principles of Computer Hardware. A. Clements, Oxford University Press, 2006
  • Structured Computer Organization. Pearson Education, 2009
  • The C Programming Language. B. W. Kernighan and D. Ritchie, Prentice Hall, 1988
Online

Computer Science

  • Algorithmics: The Spirit of Computing. D. Harel, Addison Wesley, 2003
  • The New Turing Omnibus. A. K. Dewdney, Palgrave Macmillan, 2004
  • Computers Ltd: What They REALLY Can't Do. D. Harel, Oxford University Press, 2003
Programming
  • Introduction to Java Programming. Y. D. Liang, Pearson Education, 2012
  • Understanding Java. B. Cornelius, Addison Wesley, 2001
  • Java: A Beginner's Guide. H. Schildt, McGraw-Hill Osborne, 2014
Mathematics
  • A Concise Introduction to Pure Mathematics. M. Liebeck, CRC Press, 2010
  • Guide to Analysis. M. Hart and D. Towers, Palgrave Macmillan, 2001
  • Algebra and Geometry. A. F. Beardon, Cambridge University Press, 2005
  • Further Pure Mathematics. B. Gaulter and M. Gaulter, Oxford University Press, 2001
Online

Computer Science

  • Algorithmics: The Spirit of Computing. D. Harel, Addison Wesley, 2003
  • The New Turing Omnibus. A. K. Dewdney, Palgrave Macmillan, 2004
  • Computers Ltd: What They REALLY Can't Do. D. Harel, Oxford University Press, 2003
Programming
  • Introduction to Java Programming. Y. D. Liang, Pearson Education, 2012
  • Understanding Java. B. Cornelius, Addison Wesley, 2001
  • Java: A Beginner's Guide. H. Schildt, McGraw-Hill Osborne, 2014
Architecture
  • Principles of Computer Hardware. A. Clements, Oxford University Press, 2006
  • Structured Computer Organization. Pearson Education, 2009
  • The C Programming Language. B. W. Kernighan and D. Ritchie, Prentice Hall, 1988
Online

Computer Science

  • Algorithmics: The Spirit of Computing. D. Harel, Addison Wesley, 2003
  • The New Turing Omnibus. A. K. Dewdney, Palgrave Macmillan, 2004
  • Computers Ltd: What They REALLY Can't Do. D. Harel, Oxford University Press, 2003
Programming
  • Introduction to Java Programming. Y. D. Liang, Pearson Education, 2012
  • Understanding Java. B. Cornelius, Addison Wesley, 2001
  • Java: A Beginner's Guide. H. Schildt, McGraw-Hill Osborne, 2014
Business
  • A very short, fairly interesting and reasonably cheap introduction to studying organizations. C. Grey, SAGE Publications, 2012
  • Essential Maths: For Business and Management. C. Morris and E. Thanassoulis, Palgrave Macmillan, 2007
  • Introduction to Financial Accounting. A. Thomas and A. M. Ward, McGraw-Hill, 2009
Online