I'm currently learning JS, but am preferring to not learn CoffeeScript or jQuery yet, because I feel like I would be avoiding the nitty-gritty of the language with convenient frameworks that pave over some ugly spots. I know that JS is a bit of an aberration in that it has been around for so long in so many places yet has so many fundamental flaws, but it feels wrong that I would have to learn a framework that wraps around the language to protect me from the ugliness of the language. I'd rather face JavaScript full on first, suffer through the process, instead of jumping into CS.
Also, I never understood why some people advocate learning C++ before C. But that's a different debate...
I don't recommend learning CS before JS, because it's a different interpretation of JS, it isn't its own language. In fact, I'm glad I boned up on my Javascript skills (read "The Good Parts" and some solid tutorials) before moving to CoffeeScript.
Also, I never understood why some people advocate learning C++ before C. But that's a different debate...