Desription of Programming Journal

For example, in your journal you should record the sorts of errors you make, the difficulties you had in finding them, and what you had to do to correct them. You should also describe especially good experiences, for example, when the code seems to "write itself." Describe cases where you found (your own or other programmers') code especially hard to decipher. You should also record your feelings during the process of programming (e.g. do you feel frustrated, empowered, cheated, competent, blocked, etc.). Do you feel like you are "hacking" or writing elegant code? Are you experiencing "fear" or "fascination"? How is the language ampliative or reductive? In what ways is your use of it embodied, in what ways alienated? Etc. etc.

As much as possible, make entries in your journal while you are programming; you can always add afterthoughts or additional analysis later. The purpose of this journal is to make you more familiar with the phenomenology of the languages you use, so that you will be more sensitive to the full range of phenomenological issues when you design programming languages (and other language-like systems).

Additional Information

• Although I said in the syllabus that you will be graded for writing style, grammar, etc., that does not apply to your "programming journal." Don't worry about those kinds of issues when you are writing in your journal!
• In fact, you will not be graded on your journal at all! But you will be expected to do it, and it may provide the data for later projects in the course.
• You can keep your journal in any medium you choose: from a "low tech" bluebook to a word-processor to an online note-taking system. However, from time to time we will ask you to hand in your journal (at least the part written since the previous time it was handed in), so it is necessary that you be able to produce a hardcopy to hand in.
• The main reason for handing in the journal is so that we can look it over to make sure you have got the idea, and perhaps suggest ways in which it can be improved. As I said, it will not be graded in itself, but you will be expected to do it.
• You should record in your journal any experiences you have while programming (or even doing programming-like things, such as writing in scripting languages). Most of you are taking at least one course in which you are programming, and these activities should be reflected in your journal. If you are not taking any courses that involve programming, then record your experiences while doing personal or other programming. In the unlikely event that you are a CS major who is doing no programming (and if so, why aren't you?), talk to me so that we can a way for you to do the journal.
• Feel free to record in your journal experiences you have with other language-like things (e.g. the Unix shell), since many of the same issues apply to programming languages. Although in this course we are focused on programming languages, much of that is part of a general phenomenology of tools.

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Last updated: Wed Dec 5 15:35:39 EST 2001