(Coordinator: Michel Charpentier)

Catalog Description

Explores the main features of modern, high-level, general purpose programming languages from the user (programmer) point of view. Provides students with an opportunity to use non-imperative programming paradigms, such as object-oriented, functional, and logical, and to learn how specific features of such languages can be used efficiently in solving programming problems. Prereq: CS520.

Course Topics and Student Outcomes

Programming (3):

Programming languages concepts and features.

Algorithms (2):

Object-oriented patterns, functional patterns, concurrent patterns.

Evaluation

Five programming assignments (50%), multiple quizzes (30%) and one exam (20%).

Topics

• Basic syntax and semantics:

  • values, expressions, primitive types, variables
  • conditionals, loops, exceptions, iteration, pattern-matching
  • objects, methods, functions, parameters, types
  • infix operators, string interpolation

• Intermediate syntax and semantics:

  • modules, packages, imports, collections
  • annotations, assertions
  • generics, type inference
  • variable-length arguments, default values, pass-by-name arguments

• Advanced syntax and semantics:

  • implicit parameters, implicit conversions
  • user-defined pattern-matching
  • type bounds, covariance and contravariance
  • domain specific languages
  • self-types and collections design

• Object-oriented programming:

  • classes, objects, singletons
  • interfaces, traits, inheritance, overriding, abstract members
  • polymorphism, dynamic binding, mixins, nominal and structural subtyping
  • equality, serialization, mutability

• Functional programming:

  • recursion, tail recursion, memoization, dynamic programming
  • first-class functions, function literals, higher-order functions, currying, closures
  • lazy evaluation
  • monads

• Concurrent programming:

  • threads, synchronization
  • thread pools, futures, actors

Textbook

• Martin Odersky, Lex Spoon and Bill Venners. Programming in Scala, 3rd edition, Artima Press, 2016. ISBN: 978-0-9815316-8-7.