CSC 533: Programming Languages
Spring 2024

9:30-10:45 TR Eppley 119

Dr. David Reed 209A Hitchcock      x2583 DaveReed@creighton.edu

This course is concerned with the concepts and practice of programming languages. The first part of the course will focus on general programming language concepts such as binding, type checking, and memory management. The implementation of these concepts in different languages will be examined, with special attention paid to Java and C/C++. The second part of the course will focus on different programming paradigms: procedural, object-oriented, and functional programming. Java, C++, and JavaScript will be studied as hybrid languages, combining both procedural and object-oriented features with varying design goals. Clojure will be studied as an example of a completely different programming paradigm, one which focuses on functional composition as opposed to state transformation or object interaction. In addition, groups of 2-3 students will each research and present an overview of a modern scripting language (e.g., perl, php, python, ruby, R, scala).

The specific goals of this course are:

• To understand and be able to articulate the issues involved in designing, implementing, and evaluating programming languages.
• To appreciate the strengths and tradeoffs between different programming paradigms, including procedural, object-oriented, and functional.
• To develop a working knowledge of Java, Clojure, and a modern scripting language.

Students are expected to attend classes in person and adhere to all Creighton community standards, including behaving in a respectful manner and contributing to a positive learning environment. Disruptive or disrespectful behavior may result in removal from class. Laptops are allowed and many students have found the ability to work along with the instructor very helpful.

If you must miss a class because of an emergency, you are expected to notify the instructor as soon as possible. If you are sick, contact the Student Health Education and Compliance Office (402-280-2735) immediately and follow their recommendations. Be aware that all class materials posted on Blueline, including quizzes, tests and discussions, are considered to be copyrighted and are intended to be used only by students enrolled in the class, for the purposes of fulfilling the course objectives. Recording lectures without permission or sharing any of these materials with others outside of the course will be considered "misuse of academic resources," as defined in the Creighton University Student Handbook.

There will be 5-7 homework assignments, most of which will involve programming. Assignments will be submitted electronically via the class BlueLine site and will be due at midnight on the date specified. Late assignments will receive up to 75% of full credit if they are handed in within one week of the specified due date. After one week, no credit will be given. The group project will involve researching a modern scripting language and giving a 20-minute presentation on that language to the class. In addition, there will be 6-8 module quizzes (with the lowest quiz grade dropped), a midterm exam and a cumulative final exam. Grades will be determined as follows:

homework assignments	40 %
group project/presentation	10 %
module quizzes	05 %
midterm exam	20 %
(cumulative) final exam	25 %

At the minimum, departmental grading cutoffs for the final average will apply. That is, 93-100% guarantees an A, 90-92% an A-, 87-89% a B+, 83-86% a B, 80-82% a B-, 77-79% a C+, 73-76% a C, 70-72% a C- and 60-70% a D. Depending on class performance, some shifting of grades (in an upward direction only) may occur as final letter grades are assigned.

Regular attendance is expected of all students. If you must miss class for a legitimate reason, it is your responsibility to make up missed work. Quizzes and Assignments will not be rescheduled except in extreme circumstances. It is expected that all students check their Creighton email accounts regularly. Official announcements, such as assignment revisions or class cancellations, will be distributed through Creighton email.

Creighton's policy on cheating and plagiarism is spelled out in the Student Handbook, with college procedures available online. In addition to this, the following guidelines hold pertaining to programs. Programs are to be completed by each student independently, with no outside assistance in program design or implementation (which includes AI tools). You may converse with other students about general course material or simple debugging (e.g., "Do you know what this error message means?"), but any questions regarding homework assignments should be directed at the instructor only.

Violations of this policy will be dealt with severely, with possible outcomes including negative scores on the assignment and failure in the course. In the case of programming assignments, you are encouraged to start early so that there is time to seek help from the instructor as the need arises.