CS260 - Functional Thinking

TIMETABLE	TEACHING MATERIAL
Credits	10
Level	2
Semester	Semester 2
Availability	Core: BSc Hons Computer Science & BSc Hons Software Engineering
Prerequisites	None
Learning Activities Breakdown	Lectures: 10 of 1 hour each - 10 hours total Practical / Lab: 10 of 2 hours each - 20 hours total Homework / Private Study: 70 hours Total hours activity: 100 hours
Assessment	The class will be assessed by coursework which will consist of weekly multiple choice questions, an assessed programming exercise and a class test. The coursework will be set using a modern functional programming language, such as Haskell. Feedback will be delivered to students both electronically and in person during labs. Assignments will be assessed electronically and feedback delivered quickly to aid learning.
Lecturer	Alasdair Lambert, Jules Hedges

To introduce the core concepts and methods of modern functional programming, serving as an introduction to our third year class on this topic.

Learning Obj 1 : to understand basic functional programming concepts: inductive datatypes, pattern matching, structural recursion

Learning Obj 2 : to understand how to transform and interpret languages of expressions

Learning Obj 3 : to understand functional data structures, e.g. search trees

Learning Obj 4 : to understand abstraction of type parameters and common interfaces

- functions and types; functional composition

- inductive datatypes, pattern matching, structural recursion

- transforming and interpreting languages of expressions

- functional data structures, e.g., search trees

- representation of simple computational effects, e.g. failure by Maybe and choice by lists

- abstraction of type parameters (parametric polymorphism)

- abstraction of common interfaces, e.g., Eq, Ord, Monoid

Syllabuses - UG