Advanced functional programming

The course teaches advanced techniques and theory for programming in functional programming languages.

In functional programming, the type system and other abstractions in the language can be used to express advanced programming patters which produces concise programs with a clear meaning. Monads which expresses computations with side-effects or other context, are some of the most important such abstractions, and thus an important part of this course. Other central topics are partiality/totality, co-recursion, lazy evaluation, as well as algebraic and dependent types.

The theoretical part of the course is based on research in type theory, and gives a syntactic and semantic background for the programming-techniques presented in the course. The aim with the theory is to give a framework for understanding properties, constructions and patterns in functional programming languages.

On completion of the course the student should have the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

The student

• is familiar with the most important methods of abstractions in functional programming
• understands how these abstractions can be used in specific programming languages
• understands the theory behind the abstractions

Skills

The student

• can develop advanced programs in a functional programming language
• cap express structures in algebraic and dependent types

General competence

The student

• can communicate ideas related to functional programming to others
• can present techniques and specific programs which they have written in a competent manner