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Comparative Programming (G6021)

15 credits, Level 6

Autumn teaching

This module introduces you to the basic techniques of declarative and functional programming, using languages such as Prolog and Haskel as a practical basis. You will consider the suitability of these paradigms - and those already learnt on the course - in addressing various problems; in AI, data processing, mathematical reasoning, etc. You will consider issues including data representation, algorithm design, efficiency, clarity and tool support in comparisons between the declarative, functional and imperative paradigms. This module introduces you to the basic techniques of functional programming, using a language such as Haskell as a practical basis. Additional paradigms, such as declarative programming, are briefly introduced. The process of learning a new language and paradigm will allow you to explore the process of choosing a language based on its fit to issues and of the learning of languages. Alongside the particular issues in Haskell, we will discuss more general issues in programming languages through illustrations of various languages including Java, C, assembler, Haskell, PHP and SQL.

Contact hours and workload

This module is approximately 150 hours of work. This breaks down into about 33 hours of contact time and about 117 hours of independent study. The University may make minor variations to the contact hours for operational reasons, including timetabling requirements.

We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We’re planning to run these modules in the academic year 2024/25. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to feedback, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum.

We’ll make sure to let you know of any material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.