CS 45600—Programming Languages
Purdue University
Spring 2014

Synopsis

CS 45600 provides an introduction to the study of programming languages as an intellectual discipline. The elements of this discipline include specifications based on abstract syntax, lambda calculus, type systems, and dynamic semantics. You must be comfortable with recursion and with basic mathematical ideas and notations for sets, functions, etc.

CS 45600 uses the case-study method to give you experience with languages that go beyond the simple imperative paradigm. Case studies will cover languages from the functional, logic, and object-oriented families. Example languages may include Standard ML, Smalltalk, Scheme, and Prolog.

Case studies are reinforced by suitable programming exercises. CS 45600 assumes previous experience programming in imperative languages like C, C++, or Java. Good programming skills are essential, and we assume some knowledge of C. Plan to complete ten or twelve programming assignments over the course of the term. The more interesting or amusing assignments include Hindley-Milner type inference, arbitrary-precision arithmetic, and some game-playing programs.

Note: CS 45600 does not cover implementation of conventional, imperative programming languages, which are covered in CS 35200 (Compilers).

For more information

• Complete abbreviated syllabus.
• Detailed syllabus and schedule
• Information about readings
• Homework assignments
• Grading standards
• Information about the course that every student must know
  • Prerequisites
  • Policies and procedures (homework, exams, etc.), including what sorts of collaboration are permissible.
  • We suggest that you prepare your theory homework using LaTeX. We also recommend the mathpartir package. You can download it directly or install it as a Debian package. You can also find out about many other useful LaTeX packages from the LaTeX Companion. There is a second edition, but the link is to the first edition because it's almost as useful and a lot cheaper.