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Reading List

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We do not recommend that you purchase textbooks before you arrive and do not require you to undertake reading. However, we appreciate you may like to do a little of this, particularly in areas which will be new to you or which you think you will find challenging. Also, please see below if you've little or no experience with programming.

Reading

When undertaking background reading we recommend that you begin gently by using accessible vidoes and online resources, before focusing on texts in areas that will be immediately relevant to your course. Below, you will find some relevant resources if you do wish to consult preparatory texts. However, by the time you read this you may not have the time to do much in the way of background reading - do not be concerned by this, your course does not assume that you've read any of the associated textbooks. If you are interested in taking a look, to help you identify relevant resources we have shown which areas would be most useful for each of our courses. The resources books listed in each area are widely available online, in public libraries and at the University of Warwick.

Programming practice

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 from the beginning 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 programmes. There are many helpful tutorials and resources on the internet, such as those provided by Codecademy https://www.codecademy.com/. However, we have also prepared some introductory resources for you to follow which we recommend to take you through the basics an, if you have a little more time, challenge you to be a bit more creative as well! If you get stuck with anything or want to ask a question we'll provide a forum for you to post your queries.

Written resources

Computer Science: Architecture, Computer Science, Programming
Computer Science and Business Studies: Business, Computer Science, Programming
Computer Systems Engineering: Architecture, Computer Science, Programming
Discrete Mathematics: Computer Science, Mathematics, Programming

Architecture

Introductory resources: KA Number Systems, TEDx on Internet of Things

  • A. Clements, Principles of Computer Hardware, Oxford University Press, 2006
  • A. S. Tanenbaum, Structured Computer Organization, Pearson Education, 2009
  • B. W. Kernighan and D. Ritchie, The C Programming Language, Prentice Hall, 1988

Business

Introductory resources: Bill Gross on Startup Failure

  • C. Grey, A very short, fairly interesting and reasonably cheap introduction to studying organizations, SAGE Publications, 2012
  • C. Morris and E. Thanassoulis, Essential Maths: For Business and Management, Palgrave Macmillan, 2007
  • A. Thomas and A. M. Ward, Introduction to Financial Accounting, McGraw-Hill, 2009

Computer Science

Introductory resources: Harvard CS Intro, Partovi TEDx

  • D. Harel, Algorithmics: The Spirit of Computing, Addison Wesley, 2003
  • A. K. Dewdney, The New Turing Omnibus, Palgrave Macmillan, 2004
  • D. Harel, Computers Ltd: What They REALLY Can't Do, Oxford University Press, 2003

Mathematics

Introductory resources: O'Reilly's Introduction to Discrete Mathematics

  • M. Liebeck, A Concise Introduction to Pure Mathematics, CRC Press, 2010
  • M. Hart and D. Towers, Guide to Analysis, Palgrave Macmillan, 2001
  • A. F. Beardon, Algebra and Geometry, Cambridge University Press, 2005
  • B. Gaulter and M. Gaulter, Further Pure Mathematics, Oxford University Press, 2001

Programming

Introductory resources: Code Academy, Processing

  • Y. D. Liang, Introduction to Java Programming, Pearson Education, 2012
  • B. Cornelius, Understanding Java, Addison Wesley, 2001
  • H. Schildt, Java: A Beginner's Guide, McGraw-Hill Osborne, 2014

Study Skills

Introductory resources: Samford University's College Study Skills Videos

  • A. Northedge, The Good Study Guide, Open University Press, 2005
  • S. Cottrell, The Study Skills Handbook, Palgrave Macmillan, 2013
  • P. Creme and M. R. Lea, Writing at University: A Guide for Students, Open University Press, 2008