Syllabus (this page)      Announcements     Schedule     Discussion Group      Resources    

Instructor: Chengkai Li

• Office hours: Wed./Fri. 11am-12pm
• Office: Nedderman Hall 334
• Phone: (817) 272-0162
• E-mail: cli [AT] uta [DOT] edu

TA: Weimin He

• Office hours: Tuesday 5-6pm / Thursday 1:30-2:30pm
• Office: Nedderman Hall 239
• E-mail: wmhe [AT] exchange [DOT] uta [DOT] edu

Course Description

To analyze and evaluate important features found in a variety of programming languages, to study formalisms for specifying language syntax and semantics, and to gain understanding of the important programming language paradigms.

Prerequisites

• Background: CSE 3315 Theoretical Concepts in Computer Science and Engineering.
• Programming: experiences with at least one major programming language.

Textbook

• Programming Languages - Principles and Practices, 2nd Edition, by  Kenneth C. Louden. Publisher: Thomson Course Technology.
Textbook homepage: errata, selected solutions, and reference materials.
• Reference book: Principles of programming languages: design, evaluation, and implementation, 2nd Edition, by Bruce J. MacLennan.

Grades

• Homeworks (HW):             10%.    Homeworks must be done independently, although discussions are allowed.
• Machine Problems (MP):    30%.    Students are encouraged to do the MPs in groups (each group has at most 2 students.) Every student must equally contribute to the MP.
• Essays          (ES):               10%.   Essays must be done independently, although discussions are allowed.
• Midterm exam:                    20%.   Close-book, close-notes. (3:30-4:50pm, Tuesday, Oct. 16, NH 110)
• Final exam:                          30%.   Open-book, open-notes. (2-4:30pm, Thursday, Dec. 13th, NH110)
• Bonus points:                         5%.   Based on class participation.

Ethics Policies and Academic Integrity

The College cannot and will not tolerate any form of academic dishonesty by its students. This includes, but is not limited to cheating on examinations, plagiarism, or collusion (explained in the document below).

Students are required to read the following document carefully, sign it, return the signed copy to the instructor, and keep a copy for their own records. Hardcopies of this document will be provided to the students in the first class, and also can be picked up in the instructor's office. If you print by yourself, please make it double-sided.

Statement on Ethics, Professionalism, and Conduct for Engineering Students

Lectures

Lecture notes will be posted online. Students are strongly encouraged to attend classes and actively participate in discussions. Don't hesitate to raise questions in lectures.

Announcements

Stay tuned and make sure to check the announcement page frequently. Important announcements will be posted there.

Assignments and Deadlines

• The due time of HW, MP, and ES are firm. Everything is due by 5pm on the due date (listed in the schedule page). You automatically get 24-hours grace period without penalty. We will not take submissions past the grace period, unless there was emergency with proof in documents. You will get 0 score for the missed assignment.

Regrade Request

Scores of HWs, MPs, ESs, and Exams will be emailed to your MavMail account, announcements will be made on the announcement page. After the scores are announced, you have 7 days to request for regrade. Note that we will regrade every question/component in the assignment, and the resulting score can be either higher or lower than the original score. If you are not satisfied by the regrade result, you may make petition to the instructor, and the decision will be final.

Readings

Read the textbook and extra readings before lectures, and study them more carefully after class. Please note that all the required readings are fair materials for exams. These materials may not be fully covered in lectures.

Get Questions and Need Help?

• Discuss with classmates first: You get immediate help. You also get deeper and more thorough understanding of the materials by discussing with others and explaining things in your own way. (However, students must finish the HWs independently although they can discuss HWs.)
• Post questions in the discussion group/mailing list. Your TA monitors the discussion group and addresses the questions. Please be aware that the TA may not be able to answer every question in a timely manner, as such a group communication tool sometimes become overwhelming. You can discuss class-related materials and assignments and answer others' questions. However, you are not allowed to post the solutions for assignments, or give hints that directly lead to the solutions.
• Email your TA or instructor. General questions should be posted to discussion group. Use email only for individual-specific questions that are inappropriate to ask publicly.
• Come to office hours.

Miscellaneous

If you require accommodation based on disability, I would like to meet with you in the privacy of my office during the first week of the semester to ensure that you are appropriately accommodated. Please read the page of the office for students with disabilities.