CS 333 Programming Languages
Syllabus

In my office:

Tuesdays 4-5pm

Wednesdays 1-4pm

Thursdays 1-4pm

or by appointment over Zoom

Note: I often need to change my office hours to accommodate meetings.

Check the image of my calendar each week for updates.

Evening TA sessions will hopefully be in-person this semester, depending on the pandemic situation.

1. Students demonstrate an understanding of different language paradigms and implement algorithms in each paradigm.
2. Students demonstrate an ability to independently learn programming languages.
3. Students demonstrate an ability to describe the syntax, semantics and functionality of different languages in a common, rigorous manner.
4. Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between language and design.
5. Students work with partners to learn one or more languages and present them to the class.
6. Students present algorithms, languages, and their characteristics in an organized and competently written manner.

• Projects: 45%
• Weekly Homework: 10%
• Bi-weekly Quizzes: 15%
• Class Participation: 10%
• Final Exam: 20%

This course has eight programming projects helping you practice the knowledge you learned in class. Three of them are weekly projects, and the remaining five are bi-weekly projects. These projects are usually assigned on Wednesdays. The usual deadline is the following Thursday midnight (for weekly projects) or midnight of the second Thursday after the project is assigned (for bi-weekly projects).

Every project has two parts, one for the C programming language and the other for your selected language. You are expected to finish the C part individually. For the selected langauge part, you are expected to learn a programming language and complete this part by yourself or with a partner. If you want to work with a partner, you and your partner should learn the same language together from Project 2. Both team members should actively learn the selected language. The final exam relies on how well you know the selected language.

You should submit all your source code (C and the selected language) and a README.txt file to the fileserver and submit a Wiki report for the selected language. The submission details are listed in every project. Please follow the submission instruction to turn in your projects.

Projects are graded based on a 30 point scale. Late projects will receive a maximum score of 26/30, so handing in something on the due date is generally better than handing in a complete assignment late.

As you all have busy schedules, you may have one four-day extension you can use at your discretion over the course of the semester, excepting only the final project. That means that you may choose to hand in one project on Monday instead of Thursday. Please email Ying and let her know you are taking your extension before the deadline.

Homework helps you self-check your understanding of the course contents and get you prepared for the quizzes. Homework is usually assigned every Wednesday after the first week of class via email. The deadline is usually the following Friday at the beginning of the class.

The homework deadlines are hard deadlines. We will discuss the solution in Friday's class, so late submission will not be accepted. Homework will be graded in a binary fashion: if you hand in a reasonable attempt before deadline, you get a 1, otherwise a 0.

If you respond to the HW email by 10:30pm on Thursday, then Stephanie will provide feedback.

Bi-weekly quizzes are an opportunity for you to show me your understanding of the course. They should be quick and straightforward if you participate in class, study the notes, and complete the homework.

There will be a 10-15 minute online quiz on Moodle usually every other Friday. You have 20 minutes to complete the quiz. The quiz will open on Moodle from the end of Friday's lecture to the midnight of Sunday.

You have two ways to take the quizzes: you can bring your laptop and take the quiz in class; you can also leave the classroom when the quiz starts and finish it before the deadline.

You are expected to take the quiz individually. Please be responsible for yourself.

Each quiz may be made up when a prior request is made or there is a documented health issue. Please contact me immediately in the event of illness and other unforeseen circumstances, we will work out accommodations.

I understand that everyone has a bad day; the lowest quiz grade will be dropped.

You can find the quizzes via this Moodle link.

You are expected to attend every lecture and actively join the class discussions. Class discussion is a vital part of the learning experience. A good class discussion needs your contribution.

If you have to miss one or more lectures for any reason, please let me know in advance. I'm happy to work with you and direct you to the lecture notes and coursework.

Lecture notes will be posted in the Notes section of this webpage few hours after the class. If we have to switch to the remote model, video recordings will be posted in the Notes section too.

Participation also includes coming to my office hours or asking for help from the TAs. Don’t hesitate to come to my office hours or email me. I'm happy to help if you let me know your questions.

The final exam will be oral, and you are expected to finish it individually. Exam details will be given in the last class. There are no make-ups for the final exam.

There is no required textbook for this course. You are encourage to read the lecture notes. All lecture notes will be posted in the Notes section of the webpage.

The following textbook is recommended if you are interested in consulting an additional resource.

Allen B. Tucker and Robert E. Noonan: Programming Languages: Principles and Paradigms, Second Edition, McGraw-Hill, 2006, ISBN 978-0-07-286609-4.

Everyone will be programming in C and choosing one language from List A in this course. If you are interested in learning a second selected language as an extension, you can pick one from List A, B, or C. You are expected the selected langauge(s) that is new to you.

Also, check out the esoteric programming languages like Beatnik, Brainfuck, and Shakespeare.

Projects: Start working on the projects as early as possible. Ask TAs and me for help if you need. Talk with your peers about the course concepts.

Homework: Homework assignments help you self-check your understanding of the course contents and prepare you better for the quizzes. You are strongly encouraged to try out the homework questions before reading my homework solutions.

Quizzes: Study for the quizzes by doing the homework assignments. The lowest quiz grade will be dropped. So, your grade won't be affected by that single underperformed quiz.

Participation: Be active in class, asking questions and joining discussions. Come to Ying's office hours. Ask her or TAs for help if you have questions.

Final Exam: Learn your selected language and C language well enough during the semester and let yourself feel comfortable talk about these languages. Start working on the exam early after it's assigned.

This policy applies to anyone you work with other than your partner.

Computer science, both academically and professionally, is a collaborative discipline. In any collaboration, however, all parties are expected to make their own contributions and to generously credit the contributions of others. In our class, therefore, collaboration on homework and programming assignments is encouraged, but you as an individual are responsible for understanding all the material in the assignment and doing your own work. Always strive to do your best, give generous credit to others, start early, and seek help early from both your professors and classmates.

The following rules are intended to help you get the most out of your education and to clarify the line between honest and dishonest work. We reserve the right to ask you to verbally explain the reasoning behind any answer or code that you turn in and to modify your project grade based on your answers. It is vitally important that you turn in work that is your own. We do use automated plagiarism detection software, so please be sure to abide by these, rather minimal, rules. Reports of academic dishonesty are handled by an academic review board and a finding of academic dishonesty may result in significant sanctions. For more details on Colby's Academic Integrity policies and procedures, see colby.edu/academicintegrity.

• If you have had a substantive discussion of any programming project with a classmate, then be sure to cite them in your write-up. If you are unsure of what constitutes "substantive", then ask me or err on the side of caution. As one rule of thumb, if you see more than 10 lines of someone else's code, then you should cite them. You will not be penalized for working together.
• You must not copy answers or code from another student either by hand or electronically. Another way to think about it is that you should be talking English with one another, not program languages.

Colby College is a community dedicated to learning and committed to the growth and well-being of all its members.

As a community devoted to intellectual growth, we value academic integrity. We agree to take ownership of our academic work, to submit only work that is our own, to fully acknowledge the research and ideas of others in our work, and to abide by the instructions and regulations governing academic work established by the faculty.

As a community built on respect for ourselves, each other, and our physical environment, we recognize the diversity of people who have gathered here and that genuine inclusivity requires active, honest, and compassionate engagement with one another. We agree to respect each other, to honor community expectations, and to comply with College policies.

As a member of this community, I pledge to hold myself and others accountable to these values. More ...

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I am committed to all Colby students feeling safe, accepted, and included in all aspects of their college experiences, including this course. Colby prohibits and will not tolerate sexual misconduct or gender based discrimination of any kind and is obligated, by federal and state laws, to respond to reports and provide resources to students. As your professor I am considered a "responsible employee" which requires me to report incidence of sexual misconduct, dating violence, or harassment to the Title IX Coordinator.

If you wish to access confidential support services, you may contact:

• The Counseling Center: 207-859-4490
• The Title IX Confidential Advocate, Emily Schusterbauer: 207-859-4093
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• Maines's 24/7 Sexual Assault Helpline: 1-800-871-7741

Colby College supports the religious practices of students, faculty, and staff, but we don't always know which people will observe which holidays. Since I need to plan course activities in advance, I need to know in advance, if you need to miss a class or have a deadline adjusted in order to observe a holiday. Please notify me by email at least 14 days in advance of any religious holiday that will affect your ability to participate in this course.