COMP 211: Principles of Program Design

Instructors:	Prof. Robert "Corky" Cartwright	Staff:	Cherif Salama
	Prof. Walid Taha		Angela Zhu
	Dr. Dung "Zung" Nguyen
Lectures:	Duncan Hall (DH) 1064	Time:	MWF 11:00-11:50 am
Labs:	Sewell Hall 101	Times:	Monday 2:00-3:20 pm, Monday 3:30-4:50 pm, Tuesday 2:30-3:50 pm. (sign up sheet)

Introduction

This course is an introduction to the fundamental principles of programming. The focus is on systematic methods for developing robust solutions to computational problems. Students are expected to have experience writing interesting programs in some credible programming language (e.g., Python, Java, Scheme, C#, C++, Visual Basic .NET, PRL, Scheme, Lisp, etc.) but no specific programming expertise is assumed. The course is targeted at potential Computer Science majors but mathematically sophisticated non-majors are welcome. We expect students to be comfortable with high-school mathematics (primarily algebra, mathematical proofs, and induction) and the mathematical rigor and vocabulary of freshman calculus. Success in the course requires a deep interest in the foundations of computer science and software engineering, self-discipline, and a willingness to work with other people on programming projects. Topics covered include functional programming, algebraic data definitions, design recipes for writing functions, procedural abstraction, reduction rules, program refactoring and optimization, object-oriented programming emphasizing dynamic dispatch, OO design patterns, fundamental data structures and algorithms from an OO perspective, simple Grapical User Interfaces (GUIs), and an exposure to the challenges of concurrent computation. Students will learn the practical skills required to write, test, maintain, and modify programs. Labs and assignments use the Scheme and Java programming languages.

Recommended Text: How to Design Programs, Felleisen et al. QA76.6 .H697 2001 (Available online; no purchase is necessary).

DrScheme: Please download and use the DrScheme system embedded in Version 4.1.3. To avoid compatability problems, please make sure you use Version 4.1.3 (as of 1-5-09, the latest version).

Course Schedule

Note that future date schedules are only guidelines. Future homeworks and slides may contain materials from previous Comp 210 and Comp 212 classes. New material will be provided before the corresponding class.

#	Day	Date(2009)	Topic	Reading	Lectures	Problems	Due(2009)
1	Mon	Jan 05	Introduction		L 1	HW 0	W Jan 07
2	Wed	Jan 07	Programming primitives; function and data definitions	Skim Ch 1-10	L 2	HW 1^?	W Jan 14
3	Fri	Jan 09	Inductive data definitions, conditionals, and the design recipe	Review Ch 1-10
4	Mon	Jan 12
5	Wed	Jan 14
6	Fri	Jan 16

Grading, Honor Code Policy, Processes and Procedures

Grading will be based on your performance on homeworks (worth 50%) and exams (20% for first exam, and 30% for the second exam).

Take-home exams, which are pledged under the honor code, test your individual understanding and knowledge of the material. Collaboration on exams is strictly forbidden.

Mailing Lists:

comp211-discussion-l@mailman.rice.edu (subscribe here):
- This is where important announcements related to the class will be posted.
- Students are required to sign up to this list.
- You may use this list for open discussions relating to the course. Postings are expected to abide by standard Netiquette.
comp211-teachers-l@mailman.rice.edu:
- Any questions relating to the course can be sent to this list.
- Specific questions about homework problems and grading can be directed here.
cs-events-l@mailman.rice.edu:
- Announcements relating to talks and other interesting events hosted by the CS departments.
- Subscription to this list is optional but highly recommended

Online help:

IRC Channel^?

Questions

If you have a question about homework---you're not sure what is expected for a given problem, you haven't received feedback from a previous assignment, or you don't understand or agree with the assessment of your work, for example---you can raise the question with a TA in lab or on the teachers mailing list (questions of general interest may alternately be raised on the discussion mailing list). If, after doing so, you don't feel that your concerns have been addressed, you may wish to contact Prof. Cartwright or Prof. Taha directly.

Homeworks:

Homeworks help you verify your understanding of the material and prepare you for the exams. You are encouraged to discuss the homework problems with the instructors and staff. Help from other students, including Comp 211 graduates, is also encouraged (but should be cited), although that does not include giving or receiving complete answers. All homework partners are responsible for knowing all the submitted material. If you fail to understand the homework solutions, you won't succeed on the exams.

Homeworks will generally be handed out on Mondays, and will be due before class the following Monday.

You are expected to work in groups of two.

You may change partners during the semester.

Partners should work together on all aspects of the homework -- all students are expected to contribute equally. You and your partner should hand in exactly one solution.

Late homework will not be accepted with one exception. Every student is allotted 5 slip days. Each whole day or fraction of a day that an assignment is late counts as a slip day. Each student in the pair submitting a late assignment must spend the requisite number of slip days. Since assignments get progressively harder during the semester, we strongly encournage you to hoard your slip days for use near the end of the term.

We recommend that you review the homework guide as you develop your solutions. Review the submission checklist when you turn in your homework. Your work will be graded as documented on the grading page.

Reading: For each lecture, there is associated reading. Students are required to complete the reading before the class associated with this reading.

Other Resources:

Practical matters:
- DrScheme Programming Environment
Special interest groups:
- CSters
- Computer Science Club
- ... (please send in suggestions!)

Additional References:

Here is a nice article about the basic approach taken in this course.

More on CS:	The New Turing Omnibus, A. K. Dewdney	QA76 .D448 1993
	Algorithmics: The Spirit of Computing, David Harel	QA76.9 .A43 H37 2004
	Computers Ltd.: What They Really Can't Do, David Harel	QA76.5 .H3575 2000
	Great Ideas in Computer Science, Alan W. Biermann	QA76 .B495 1997
	Computer Science: An Overview, J. Glenn Brookshear	QA76 .B743 1997
	Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid, Douglas Hofstadter	QA9.8 .H63 1980
	Metamagical Themas, Douglas Hofstadter	Q335 .H63 1985
If you liked Scheme, you'll love these resources:	Scheme for the Complete Idiom, Ian Barland	(Online)
	Google's MapReduce	(Online)
	The Little Schemer, Friedman & Felleisen	QA76.73 .S34 F75 1996
	The Seasoned Schemer, Friedman & Felleisen	QA76.73 .S34 F77 1996
	Developing Applications with Objective Caml, Emmanuel Chailloux, Pascal Manoury, and Bruno Pagano
	The Haskell School of Expression: Learning Functional Programming Through Multimedia, Paul Hudak	QA76.62 H83 2000

Accomodations for Students with Special Needs

Students with disabilities are encouraged to contact me during the first two weeks of class regarding any special needs. Students with disabilities should also contact Disabled Student Services in the Ley Student Center and the Rice Disability Support Services.

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