CS 333 Programming Languages
Syllabus

MWF 9 - 9:50 am, Davis 301

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 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: 40%
• Homework: 10%
• Quizzes: 25%
• Class Participation: 15%
• Final Exam: 10%

Programming projects are designed to provide you with an opportunity to apply the knowledge acquired in class. This course has eight projects. Projects are typically assigned on Wednesdays. The standard deadline for weekly projects is the midnight Thursday one or two weeks later.

Each project is divided into two components, one focusing on C programming language, and the other on a language of your choice. You will need to use on-line resources to teach yourself the language of your choice and you should learn it well enough to explain how and why to use it to your classmates (because you will be doing this at the end of the semester).

You are required to submit your source code (both C and the chosen language) and a README file to the Google Classroom and submit a Google Site report for the selected language. The specific submission guidelines for each project will be provided. Please follow the submission guidelines for turning in your projects.

Projects are graded based on a 30 point scale (26 for the base project plus up to 4 points for extensions). Late projects will not have extensions graded, and will therefore 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 wiht extensions 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 add a Private Comment on the submission page for the project (on the Google Classroom) indicating 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. This course has ten homework assignments. Homework is usually assigned on Wednesdays. The deadline is two days later, at the beginning of Friday's 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.

Quizzes are an opportunity for you to show me your understanding of the course. Quizzes are quick and straightforward if you participate in class, study the notes, and complete the homework.

The course has 7-8 quizzes, each on a Friday and there will be a homework to prepare you for each quiz.

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

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

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. At the very least, please have electronics open only if you are actively using them to take notes or run course code. It is very distracting to students trying to learn when others are engaged in any activities unrelated to the course. I reserve the right to ban electronics, if I see enough people distracted during classtime.

If you must miss a class, please email me in advance. I'm happy to work with you.

Participation also includes coming to my office hours or asking for help from the TAs.

The final exam will be oral, in the form of a presentation. Details will be provided as we near the end of the semester. There are no make-ups for the final exam.

There is no required textbook for this course. Lecture contents will be in the lecture notes, and 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. The selected langauge(s) should be 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. 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 Stephanie'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.

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.

The use of AI is not required to be successful in CS333. Nevertheless, you may use AI as a tool in almost any capacity in this course if you like. It is important to note, however, that you should be coding, you should be thinking, you should be writing, you should be creating. If you are spending most (or even close to most) of your time typing into a chatbot, you have probably gone too far with your use of AI. If you do not fully understand everything (code, text, etc.) that you develop on projects, that is a problem. Keep in mind that project code and implementation related questions will appear on the quizzes, midterm and final exams. The best way to set yourself up for success is to debug and think for yourself, minimizing your dependence on AI. Please include an acknowledgement to the AI you use in your project reports.

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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