Prof. Stephen Chong
Spring 2019

Course information

This course will cover a variety of advanced topics in programing languages. See the lecture schedule for the list of topics for this year's class.

The course will be a combination of lectures and paper discussion. See the lecture schedule for more detailed information.

For those taking the course for credit, evaluation will be based on class participation, and a final project. More information about the final project is available here. Auditors are welcome.

Recommended Prerequisites

The course is intended for graduate students at all levels as well as advanced undergraduates. It is expected that students have taken a course in the foundations of programming languages, such as CS 152.

Time and Place

Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:30am-11:45am, room MD 323.

Lectures/schedule

See here for more information.

Office hours

Prof. Chong's course office hours (in MD145) for the next two weeks are:

Prof. Chong's course office hours are drop-in group based: you don't need an appointment and there may be many students in the room at the same time. If you'd like a private meeting, you can attend his DUS office hours which are drop-in individual meetings, or contact him to make an appointment.

Diversity and Inclusion

I would like to create a learning environment that supports a diversity of thoughts, perspectives and experiences, and honors your identities (including race, gender, class, sexuality, religion, ability, etc.) To help accomplish this:

If you ever are struggling and just need someone to talk to, feel free to stop by office hours, or to reach out to me and we can arrange a private meeting.

Inclusive Learning and Accessibility

Your success in this class is important to me. We will all need accommodations because we all learn differently. If there are aspects of this course that prevent you from learning or exclude you, please let me know as soon as possible. Together we'll develop strategies to meet both your needs and the requirements of the course.

I encourage you to visit the Accessible Education Office to determine how you could improve your learning as well. If you need official accommodations, you have a right to have these met. There are also a range of resources on campus. The Bureau of Study Counsel provides many resources, including academic counseling and peer tutors.

Mental Health

If you experience significant stress or worry, changes in mood, or problems eating or sleeping this semester, whether because of CS252 or other courses or factors, please do not hesitate to reach out immediately, at any hour, to any of the course staff to discuss. Everyone can benefit from support during challenging times. Not only are we happy to listen and make accommodations with deadlines as needed, we can also refer you to additional support structures on campus, including, but not limited to:

Financial Aid

We do not require that students purchase any books, hardware, or software. While not required, having one's own laptop is helpful. Students without their own laptops are encouraged to reach out at the start of the course to discuss possibilities.

Collaboration Policy

Discussion and the exchange of ideas are essential to doing academic work. For paper readings, assignments, in-class exercises, etc., you are encouraged to consult with your classmates, and to share sources. For the class project, you may work in groups, and work submitted for evaluation may be the result of the collaborative effort of your group. All members of the group should be clearly indicated to the course staff, and the course staff should be notified if group membership changes. The class project should be original research, and the same standards of professional conduct for publishable research apply to your class project.

When submitting the final project, College students will include a statement affirming the Harvard College Honor Code: "I affirm my awareness of the standards of the Harvard College Honor Code."

College students: Please see the Honor Code.


Some text for this course's policies is based on material by Monica Linden, Neuroscience, Brown University and David Malan, Computer Science, Harvard University.