CS 363 Comparative Programming Languages

Fall 2007

Prerequisite: Grade of C or better in CS 265 or CS 367

Catalog description: Key programming mechanisms described independently of particular machines or languages including control, binding, procedural abstraction and types. Systematically surveys diverse high-level language capabilities.

Instructor: Prof. Elizabeth White

Textbook: Programming Language Pragmatics, M. Scott, 2^nd edition, Morgan-Kauhmann, 2006.

Website: http://www.cs.gmu.edu/~white/CS363

This class will cover theoretical foundations of features found in modern programming languages.

Evolution of programming languages
Syntax and semantics representation,
Data and Control,
Types and Type Systems,
Procedural Abstraction,
Concurrency,
Language approaches such as imperative, object-oriented, functional logic based and scripting programming languages.

Grading

Programming Assignments (4 @ 10% each)

This class will require you to write programs in several different programming languages.

Homeworks (10%)
Exams: Exam 1 (15%), Exam 2 (15%) and Final (20%)

Policies:

All of the exams are closed book.
Programming assignments are to be individual efforts, meaning no sharing of code or discussion of problem solution allowed with anyone but me.
Late policy:
- One day: 10% deduction
- Two days: 30% deduction
- Three days: 50% deduction
- More than 3 days - no credit
You must turn in a working version of all programming assignments to pass the class (even if it receives no credit).

Honor Code

You are expected to abide by the honor code. Programming assignments and exams are individual efforts. Information on the university honor code can be found at:
http://jiju.gmu.edu/catalog/apolicies/honor.html

This semester I will probably be using similarity detection software to assist me in finding honor code violations, should they occur.