Is javascript scripting? This one goes both ways at this point in my computer science studies... Is it scripting in the same sense as a Python script (for example)? 

Are they the same? 

I'm learning Javascript at the moment as part of a Web design textbook but at the very start of my programming lessons I got quite far in programming with Python and would like to finish it IF it is conducive to Web design.

Many thanks in advance to anyone who can help me here and I'll be sure to vote up the best answer for reputation.
JavaScript and Python are both interpretive languages (as opposed to compiled languages like Java) with JavaScript being (mostly) a client-side language and Python a server-side language.

You would do well to learn them both, especially JavaScript.