COMP 311: Functional Programming (Fall 2017)

Instructors

Dr. Nick Vrvilo (2σ)

Dr. Corky Cartwright

Graduate TAs
  • Yao-Hsiang Yang
  • Weixi Zhu
Undergraduate TAs
  • Nate Kim

Lectures

MEL 251 (Mechanical Laboratories)

Lecture Times

4pm–5:15pm TR

Course Email?Online DiscussionPiazza – Rice Comp 311

 

Description

This class provides an introduction to concepts, principles, and approaches of functional programming. Functional programming is a style of programming in which the key means of computation is the application of functions to arguments (which themselves can be functions). This style of programming has a long history in computer science, beginning with the formulation of the Lambda Calculus as a foundation for mathematics. It has become increasingly popular in recent years because it offers important advantages in designing, maintaining, and reasoning about programs in modern contexts such as web services, multicore programming, and distributed computing. Course work consists of a series of programming assignments in the Scala programming language and various extensions.

Grading, Honor Code Policy, Processes, and Procedures
 

Grading will be based on your performance on weekly programming assignments. All work in this class is expected to be your own, and you are expected not to post your solutions or share your work with other students, even after you have taken the course. Please read the Comp 311 Honor Code Policy for more details on how you are expected to work on your assignments.

All students will be held to the standards of the Rice Honor Code, a code that you pledged to honor when you matriculated at this institution. If you are unfamiliar with the details of this code and how it is administered, you should consult the Honor System Handbook. This handbook outlines the University's expectations for the integrity of your academic work, the procedures for resolving alleged violations of those expectations, and the rights and responsibilities of students and faculty members throughout the process.

 
Accommodations for Students with Special Needs
 

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


General Information

 

Course Syllabus 
Homework Submission Guide
Office Hours
NickBy Appointment--
Corky

Wednesday

Tuesday, Thursday

2pm-4pm

9:15am-10:30am

DCH 3110

DCH 3104

TA---
Textbooks
Online Videos
Development Environment

 

Lecture Schedule (Subject to Change Without Notice)

Conditional Functions on Ranges, Point Values, and Compound Datatypes

Semantics of Type Checking, Binary Methods, Abstract Datatypes

For Expressions, Monads, The Environment Model of Reduction

Call-by-Name, Environment Model of Type Checking, Generative Recursion

Week

Day

Date

Topic

Work AssignedWork Due

1

Tues

Aug 23

Overview, Motivation

  
 ThurAug 25What are Types, Core ScalaHwk 0 

2

Tues

Aug 30

Doubles, Programming with Intention, The Design Recipe

  
 ThursSep 01Functions on Ranges, Point Values, Compound Datatypes 

3

Tues

Sep 06

Methods, Grading, DrScala

  
 ThurSep 08Abstract DatatypesHwk 1

4

Tues

Sep 13

Subtyping of Arrow Types, Exceptions

  

 

Thur

Sep 15

Abstract Datatypes 2, Recursively Defined Types

  

5

Tues

Sep 20

Recursively Defined Types 2, Functions as Values

  

 

Thurs

Sep 22

Higher-Order Functions

Hwk 2Hwk 1

6

Tues

Sep 27

Functions as Values, Parametric Types

  

 

Thur

Sep 29

Currying, Fold, Flatmap, and For Expressions

  

7

Tues

Oct 04

For Expressions, Monads, The Environment Model 

 

Thurs

Oct 06

"Growing a Language," Guy L. Steele, Jr.

Hwk 3Hwk 2

8

Tues

Oct 11

MIDTERM RECESS

  

 

Thur

Oct 13

Scala Collections Classes, Traits

  

9

Tues

Oct 18

Call-by-Name, Type Environments, Generative Recursion 

 

Thur

Oct 20

Strategies for Generative Recursion

Hwk 4Hwk 3

10

Tues

Oct 25

Accumulators

  

 

Thur

Oct 27

Functional Data Structures

  

11

Tues

Nov 01

Streams, State, Mutation 

  

 

Thur

Nov 03

Mechanical Proof Checkin, The Curry-Howard Isomorphism

Hwk 5Hwk 4

12

Tues

Nov 08

The State Monad

  

 

Thur

Nov 10

Additional Scala Features, Extractors, Parser Combinators

  

13

Tues

Nov 15

More Parser Combinators, Actors and Concurrency

  

 

Thur

Nov 17

Tactical Theorem Proving

Hwk 6Hwk 5
14TuesNov 22Project Fortress  

 

Thur

Nov 24

THANKSGIVING

  

15

Tues

Nov 28

Functional Distributed Computing

  
 ThurDec 01Course Wrap Up Hwk 6