Learn the Java programming language: its syntax, idioms, patterns, and styles.
Become comfortable with object oriented programming: Learn to think in objects
Learn the essentials of the Java class library, and learn how to learn about other parts of the library when you need them.
If there's one thing all these topics boil down to, one thing I'm going to emphasize above all else in this class, it is this:
It is not enough just to write code that works. It is as important--perhaps more important--to write code well; not merely code that works, but code that is legible, maintainable, reusable, fast, and efficient.