Back to Programming Languages, Part C
University of Washington

Programming Languages, Part C

[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.

Status: Debugging
Status: Object Oriented Programming (OOP)
Course18 hours

Featured reviews

FL

5.0Reviewed Apr 17, 2018

After watching this course, now I truly understand Objects Oriented programming, and its relation with Functional Programming. Strongly recommend!

AA

5.0Reviewed Feb 26, 2024

The course has its pain points with Ruby versions and waiting for peer reviews, but the content still earns 5 stars

NV

5.0Reviewed Sep 13, 2017

One of the best courses of my career. This was truly programming languages. You'll look at your programs, in any language you use, in a whole different way! Highly recommended!

SS

5.0Reviewed Sep 6, 2020

It is a very challenging but rewarding course. Dan is a great teacher, he engages you in learning and makes it much more fun. I enjoyed a lot.

AH

5.0Reviewed Nov 28, 2020

Very Challenging course but worth it at all the explanation in the three parts helps you a lot I recommend it for every one wanting to approach better to different programming languages.

KA

5.0Reviewed Jun 28, 2023

This course covers many concepts in detail and provides the opportunity to practice them through challenging homework. It is highly recommended. Also, the teacher's enthusiasm helps a lot ;)

JH

5.0Reviewed Dec 26, 2016

I took this course about 10 years off the college, and it was excellent refresher on the topics I don't use on a daily basis. Absolutely great lecturer, great videos and study materials!

SJ

5.0Reviewed Aug 20, 2020

Outstanding! Even if this part of the course is primarily focused on Ruby and OOP, there is a lot in it to learn even for experienced programmers.

SS

5.0Reviewed Jan 7, 2019

Great course, nicely rounded off the discussions from previous parts. Really puts OOP style programming in context and nicely contrasts it from the functional programming concepts. Highly recommended!

PD

5.0Reviewed Jan 21, 2020

Best MOOC taken so far! Learnt a lot about programming languages and highly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more and understand deeper about programming language in general.

YC

5.0Reviewed Dec 13, 2021

I​t is such a great experience for me to learn this course! I want to say a big thank you to Dan and people behind this course!

LG

5.0Reviewed Jan 19, 2020

Extremely recommended course. Really appreciate all the effort put into it by all people involved.

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