Principles of Programming Languages

3 credit hours · Undergraduate

This course is designed to introduce the student to some of the key concepts underlying all programming languages by comparing and contrasting major programming language paradigms such as procedural, functional, logic, object-oriented, and parallel. Topics may include history and evolution of programming languages; programming language design goals, the place of programming languages in the programming environment; virtual machines; data representation, manipulation and sharing; type checking; storage management; control structures; language mechanisms that support modularity; syntax and semantics. The laboratory component will provide hands-on experience with several different languages from different paradigms. Classes 3 hrs. and recitation 1.5 hrs. per week.