CS 2135: Programming Language Concepts (A01)

General Information Lectures: MTRF 9:00-9:50, AK 116 Course Staff and Office Hours Discussion Board Textbook Course Software Materials and Notes Lecture Schedule and Notes Assignments and Due Dates Labs Related Readings and Humor Policies and Procedures Grading Administrative Policies

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Course Description and Objectives

Programming languages are one of the most important, yet generally underrated, technologies in computing. This course introduces students to some of the key concepts underlying programming languages. In particular, the course will address the following questions:

• What is a programming language?
• How can we understand and implement programming languages?
• How can we approach programming languages as technologies?

We will explore these questions through two main avenues.

• We will implement the fundamental concepts behind both functional and object-oriented programming languages.
• We will study languages as technologies using web programming as a case study.

By the end of the course, students are expected to develop skills in modeling and implementing simple languages, in understanding the impact of certain key features of programming languages, and in functional programming.

Recommended Background

The course will assume that you already have experience programming in some object-oriented language (such as C++ or Java). The course does not assume experience in a particular language, or with functional programming. You should, however, already have written programs with conditionals (ifs), structures (records), lists, and trees; CS2005 should provide adequate preparation. Students lacking this background should speak to the instructor before attempting the course.