CSC 533: Programming Languages
Spring 2026
Class Presentation
In the last week of the semester, you will be expected to present a
15 minute lecture on an in-demand language. Working in a team, you will
research a language and present an overview to the class.
The format of the presentations is up to you, although the following
content should be included:
- an overview and history of the language
- its design goals
- language features (including binding choices, data types, control statements, memory
management, and support for abstraction) and how they relate to the design goals
- sample code (examples that demonstrate the features and strengths of the language)
- real-world applications (who is using it and why)
- a list of references
That is a lot to fit into a 15-minute presentation, so you will need to edit carefully to emphasize the highlights. The goal is to leverage your peers' understanding of languages from this course while providing an understanding of what makes you language unique and/or useful.
The teams and assigned languages are listed below:
Zig | Avila, Gerner & Lee |
Mojo | Bloor & Goddard |
Kotlin | Borgmeier, Herdlick & Nordmeyer |
Elixir | Bustarga, Kelly & Olson |
Cyber | Carrol, Larson & Zhang |
Julia | Mukai, Phillips & Zukowski |
The assignment will be graded both on content and the quality of the
presentation. You should utilize some form of presentation software
(e.g., PowerPoint) so that your presentation can be made available for all
students in the class to review. The following intermediate checkpoints
are enforced to provide constructive feedback in the development process:
- April 3 (worth 10 pts)
- By this date, you should have researched the language and obtained hands-on experience
developing code in that language. You will meet with the instructor and give an
informal overview of the language, commenting on issues that will eventually go
into the presentation.
- April 17 (worth 20 pts)
- By this date, you must have a full draft of your presentation completed
(e.g., your PowerPoint slides) and handed in. The instructor may
make suggestions as to changes or additions in the content of the presentation.
- April 24 (worth 20 pts)
- By this date, you must give a practice presentation for the instructor.
The instructor may make suggestions for improving the delivery of the presentation.
- April 28 & 30 (worth 50 pts)
- In the last week of the semester, you will be expected to present your language to the class.