URL: www.davidson.edu/academic/math/davis/csStmts.html
(See also a web survey of computer science curricula at Davidson's "Peer Institutions".)
From Carleton College:
The discipline requires precise thought, both in the large and with respect to details, a familiarity with various modes of thought and general problem solving, and an ability for expression of your ideas. The ever-increasing role of computers and their applications in our society has established the need for professional computer scientists who have a grounding in the liberal arts as well as a specialty in the rigors of computer science. A student majoring in computer science will be able to write well-organized, effective, and efficient programs; solve a variety of computational problems using the best techniques available; analyze the effect of their work in a larger context; and be prepared for future work in graduate school, in the computing industry, or in other areas requiring an intense familiarity with computer science.
From Pomona College:
Computer Science arose from investigations into the limits of calculation and mathematical proof. This research combined in the 1930's and 1940's with advances in technology and the ever-present to carry complex computations to create a new field.
Computer Science is concerned with the question, ``What can be automated?'' It is a science, but it is not about nature. Like a natural science, Computer Science has theoretical and experimental components. It is unlike the natural sciences in that computer scientists design some of their own objects of study. There are connections with linguistics, philosophy, and psychology, as well as applications in every discipline.
From Colgate University:
Computer Science is the study of algorithmic processes and the machines that carry out these processes. Computer Science is a mix of theory, application, design and experiment. Theory addresses questions on the limits of computation, the abstract properties of machine models, the complexity of algorithms and the formalization of programming languages. Applications include machine and systems design, the design and implementation of programming languages, artificial intelligence, natural language understanding, graphics and simulation. An important aspect of computer science is the development of methods for the systematic and accurate design of large systems, in hardware and software. Both applications and theoretical issues must be tested experimentally.
From Hamilton College:
Computer Science is the study of how information is organized and processed. It has both experimental and theoretical components which address the design, analysis, implementation, efficiency and application of algorithms and data structures. Because of the ever-expanding role of computing in society, the discipline is also subject to social and ethical debate. The fundamental question underlying all of computer science is "what can be automated?"
Computer Science at Hamilton
Some people are surprised that computer science can be taught at a college that prides itself on its liberal arts tradition.To faculty members in Hamilton's Computer Science Department, it seems perfectly natural. Even though the face of computer science is changing at a remarkable rate, the fundamental principles underlying the discipline are firmly rooted in mathematics, logic and language. It is the knowledge of these principles---those that best prepare students to both understand the current state of the art and adapt to an evolving field of study---that are addressed in the curriculum.
From Oberlin College:
A task force of the Association for Computing Machinery, the professional society for academic computer science, has recently issued a report on the core of the discipline. This report provides the following short definition:
"The discipline of computing is the systematic study of algorithmic processes that describe and transform information, their theory, analysis, design, efficiency, implementation, and application. The fundamental question underlying all of computing is, "What can be (efficiently) automated?" (Report of the ACM Task Force on the Core of Computer Science), New York, The Association for Computing Machinery, 1989.)
Computer science is not programming! Of course, most computer scientists are adept programmers. Most of our courses teach programming techniques along with other material. Our courses emphasize concepts, not programs. The main focus of Computer Science is the study of problem solving. In computer science courses we discuss all aspects of problem solving, from carefully stating problems so that they have well-defined solutions, to design strategies that will lead one step by step to solutions, to analytical techniques that allow one to evaluate and compare solutions. Along the way our students become skilled programmers, because programming is the medium that we use to discuss these concepts. Computer science is an attractive discipline for anyone interested in learning techniques for stating, solving, and analyzing problems.
From Swarthmore College:
Computer Science is the study of algorithms and the issues involved in implementing them. This includes the study of computer systems, methods to specify algorithms (for people and computer systems), and the formulation of theories and models to aid in the understanding and analysis of the properties of algorithms, computing systems, and their interrelationship.
The Computer Science Program is designed to provide students with a flexible set of offerings in computing that can be tailored to satisfy interests in various areas and at several levels of depth. All the courses emphasize the underlying, fundamental concepts of computer science, treating today's languages and systems as current examples of the underlying concepts. The Computer Science Laboratory provides up-to-date software and hardware facilities.
From Wake Forest University:
Computer Science is a relatively young academic discipline which developed in the 1950's and 1960's to fill the need for an organized study of computers and computation. Even though early developments in the field were made by persons trained in Mathematics, Logic, Physics and Electrical Engineering, Computer Science is today recognized as a discipline in its own right.
Unfortunately, there is a common misconception that Computer Science is computer programming. Although programming is an important means for communicating problem solutions, both to the computer and to other people, and it is true that computer scientists should be competent programmers, computer science also includes the study of algorithms, the process of computation, the representation and organization of information, and relationships between computers and users of computers.
Students majoring in Computer Science should be persistent, willing to devote time and effort to their studies and, perhaps most importantly, interested in the subject. Skill in abstract reasoning and symbol manipulation, creative ability, and both an interest in and aptitude for problem-solving are necessary for success. In fact, some people go so far as to say that the major benefit of coursework in Computer Science is the development of problem-solving skills.
From Bryn Mawr College:
Computer Science studies methods of solving problems, and processes which manipulate and transform information. It is the science of algorithms---their theory, analysis, design, and implementation. As such, it is an interdisciplinary field with roots in mathematics and engineering and applications in many other academic disciplines.
...
Both Bryn Mawr's minor and Haverford's concentration emphasize foundations
and basic principles of information science, rather than engineering or
data-processing applications. Both colleges believe this approach to be the
most consistent with the principles of scientific education in the liberal
arts. The aim is to provide students with skills which transcend short-term
fashions and fluctuations in computer hardware and software. Some of these
skills are mathematical, while others come from the rapidly growing and
maturing field of Computer Science itself.
From Earlham College:
Computer science at Earlham is a growing and exciting field of study. Our diverse faculty and varied facilities provide an environment that fosters an interdisciplinary approach to theory and practice in the field. One of the major goals of the computer science program is to provide students with a structured way to view the world. Computer science relies heavily on mathematics and has close ties to linguistics and logic.
The computer science program at Earlham is built on the fundamental pradigms of the discipline: theory, abstraction, and design. These three are woven throughout the program in an effort to bind the sometimes disparate topics of computer scienceinto a cohesive body of knowledge and experience.
Earlham's curriculum in computer science is modeled after recommendations from the ACM and the Computer Society of the IEEE. Because of the rapidly changing character of the field, we review the curriculum regularly. Our program is heavily influenced by the liberal arts mission of the College, in particular our interdisciplinary approach and our inclusion of the cultural, social, legal, and ethical issues surrounding computing within the curriculum. We hope to provide our graduates with the ability to make informed decisions about the appropriate use of technology in a variety of contexts.
From Kalamazoo College:
The program in computer science is designed to provide students with an exposure to the central theoretical concerns of this rapidly growing discipline, along with an understanding of the principal techniques and algorithms necessary to support meaningful applications.