Key Information
About the content
[As described below, this is Part C of a 3-part course. Participants should complete Parts A and B first -- Part C "dives right in" and refers often to material from Part A and Part B.] This course is an introduction to the basic concepts of programming languages, with a strong emphasis on functional programming. The course uses the languages ML, Racket, and Ruby as vehicles for teaching the concepts, but the real intent is to teach enough about how any language “fits together” to make you more effective programming in any language -- and in learning new ones. This course is neither particularly theoretical nor just about programming specifics -- it will give you a framework for understanding how to use language constructs effectively and how to design correct and elegant programs. By using different languages, you will learn to think more deeply than in terms of the particular syntax of one language. The emphasis on functional programming is essential for learning how to write robust, reusable, composable, and elegant programs. Indeed, many of the most important ideas in modern languages have their roots in functional programming. Get ready to learn a fresh and beautiful way to look at software and how to have fun building it. The course assumes some prior experience with programming, as described in more detail in the first module of Part A. Part B assumes successful completion of Part A. The course is divided into three Coursera courses: Part A, Part B, and Part C. As explained in more detail in the first module of Part A, the overall course is a substantial amount of challenging material, so the three-part format provides two intermediate milestones and opportunities for a pause before continuing. The three parts are designed to be completed in order and set up to motivate you to continue through to the end of Part C. Week 1 of Part A has a more detailed list of topics for all three parts of the course, but it is expected that most course participants will not (yet!) know what all these topics mean.
Syllabus
- Week 1 - Introduction, Course-Wide Information, and Software Installation (Start Here)
Welcome! Start here! Learn about this course and how it's organized. - Week 1 - Section 8 and Homework 6 (First Module with Ruby)
Let's get started programming with Ruby, including learning about Ruby's variant of (almost) function closures and the "inheritance and overriding" that is the essence of object-oriented programming. The welcome message has a few additional comments about "wh... - Week 2 - Section 9 and Homework 7 (Second Module With Ruby)
Welcome to the second week of Part C where we will focus on how functional programming and object-oriented programming encourage such "exactly opposite" decompositions of problems that they are "more alike than you might realize". This is a key opportunity to... - Week 3 - Section 10, Final Exam, and Course Wrap-Up
We have reached the last module of Programming Languages! We first study subtyping, how it relates to static types for object-oriented programming, and how it relates to generics. There is no assignment or quiz devoted only to this last "new material", but t...
Instructors
Dan Grossman
Professor
Computer Science & Engineering
Content Designer
Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest state-supported institutions of higher education on the West Coast and is one of the preeminent research universities in the world.
Platform
Coursera is a digital company offering massive open online course founded by computer teachers Andrew Ng and Daphne Koller Stanford University, located in Mountain View, California.
Coursera works with top universities and organizations to make some of their courses available online, and offers courses in many subjects, including: physics, engineering, humanities, medicine, biology, social sciences, mathematics, business, computer science, digital marketing, data science, and other subjects.
This is an Absolutely Great Course. One of those rare ones where you feel that each of your smallest efforts brings you a step higher. Dan explains in a very clear and precise way all those concepts that an inexperienced programmer is usually afraid of: function closures, type inference, virtual methods and many more. I definitely recommend all the 3 parts to anyone who wants to call himself a programmer. Thank you Dan!
This is an Absolutely Great Course. One of those rare ones where you feel that each of your smallest efforts brings you a step higher. Dan explains in a very clear and precise way all those concepts that an inexperienced programmer is usually afraid of: function closures, type inference, virtual methods and many more. I definitely recommend all the 3 parts to anyone who wants to call himself a programmer. Thank you Dan!
A course with a lot of work, but great reward. Dan who holds the course is passionate and knows what he talks about, making it a pleasure to listen to.
Very passionate instructor and very rich and well-organized content. Great to learn and reflect on some novel concepts like double dispatch and sub typing; it's really enlightening. Great course experience. Thank you Dan!
Courses I've taken on programming languages often focus on one language. You learn the different concepts for that one language but don't understand why the language chose those concepts and what the alternatives are. By covering three languages, this course integrates the concepts and their alternatives to give you a solid understanding of how languages work.
The best teacher I've had chance to listen to. I've completed his corse on programming languages several years ago but always like to return and listen again. It's two things like good movie one can always return to and learn something new, or learn how to be a good teacher, and as Dan says: painting that fence. :)
