If you do not yet code and want to learn, this Specialization has a goal to soften the learning curve for Python. It has four main objectives:
To inspire you to code To help you think in code To teach you technical concepts to code To give you useful examples of things to do in code
There is a steep learning curve on learning to code, and that is why this Specialization emphasizes motivation. You have to want to learn to code and stick with it through multiple learning activities and your own experimentation, research, and practice. This single Specialization will not teach you to code. It will, however, get you started with a mindset for coding, understanding of Python technical concepts, and an appreciation of what can be done with Python to access and interact with data on the Internet. These skills are increasingly essential for researchers.
The wealth of data that is now available to researchers who can use Python and other tools to access it is transforming academic disciplines, including the social sciences. But there's a gap between the questions about human nature that we know internet data can cast light on, and the raw, messy reality of code and data. Each course in this Specialization has code demonstrations that you run that show how to use Python to bridge the gap and to discover things about ourselves, our friends, each other, and society, as we interact with the Internet in code.
We look forward to being a part of your continuing education!
Overview
Syllabus
Course 1: Python Basics: Interacting with the Internet
- Offered by University of California, Davis. If you do not yet code and want to learn, this course is a great place to start. It will teach ... Enroll for free.
Course 2: Python Basics: Retrieving Online Data
- Offered by University of California, Davis. Python doesn't just represent numbers, but also text and other kinds of things. In technical ... Enroll for free.
Course 3: Python Basics: Automation and Bots
- Offered by University of California, Davis. Understanding the flow of running code is a major part of learning to think in code and of ... Enroll for free.
Course 4: Python Basics: Problem Solving with Code
- Offered by University of California, Davis. A lot of code is building up from the most basic primitive elements of the language to ... Enroll for free.
- Offered by University of California, Davis. If you do not yet code and want to learn, this course is a great place to start. It will teach ... Enroll for free.
Course 2: Python Basics: Retrieving Online Data
- Offered by University of California, Davis. Python doesn't just represent numbers, but also text and other kinds of things. In technical ... Enroll for free.
Course 3: Python Basics: Automation and Bots
- Offered by University of California, Davis. Understanding the flow of running code is a major part of learning to think in code and of ... Enroll for free.
Course 4: Python Basics: Problem Solving with Code
- Offered by University of California, Davis. A lot of code is building up from the most basic primitive elements of the language to ... Enroll for free.
Courses
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Python doesn't just represent numbers, but also text and other kinds of things. In technical terms, the parts of Python you'll learn are strings, lists, Booleans, errors, lists, and list manipulation. At a higher level you will learn how people use code to represent real-world ideas. In the process you'll use Python to automatically read Wikipedia and Spotify.
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If you do not yet code and want to learn, this course is a great place to start. It will teach you how to use existing Python code to interact with data on the Internet in fun new ways. Instruction focuses on the conceptual basics of the programming language as it relates to working with online data. You'll be introduced to Python arithmetic operators, variables, values, and modules. At a higher level, you'll experience what an API is and how it works by playing with cat memes. Separate from the technical part of coding, there's the psychological part. Topic lectures will address the human side of code, and make you feel more prepared to see yourself as someone who uses code. You won’t code from scratch yourself, but will use prepared code to accomplish tasks and see how it works. Additional code demonstrations are available in the honors module of the course to provide broad exposure to Python interactions with internet data.
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A lot of code is building up from the most basic primitive elements of the language to increasingly faithful and meaningful things. In this course you will see how to author more complex ideas and capabilities in Python. In technical terms, you will learn dictionaries and how to work with them and nest them, functions, refactoring, and debugging, all of which are also thinking tools for the art of problem solving. We'll use this knowledge to explore our browsing history, interrogate a tweet, and draw pictures.
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Understanding the flow of running code is a major part of learning to think in code and of coding itself. In this course we will study the flow of code through several demonstrations and walkthroughs. We'll experience turning logic into useful work by running Python that automatically reads all of Shakespeare, and by setting Python up to give you a call on the phone. In technical terms, this course will demonstrate Python loops, list comprehensions, and conditional statements, while at a higher level we'll discuss code style and good practices for code.
Taught by
Seth Frey
