Introduction to Programming Systems

COS 217, Fall 2025 - Course Info

Resources

Discussion forum. The best way to ask a short question about the course materials is via Ed Discussion, an online discussion forum where you can ask (and answer) questions.

Lab TAs. Undergraduate lab TAs are available to answer general computing questions in the Computer Science Building small auditorium, room 105. They can assist you in debugging, provided you have first made a reasonable effort to identify the bug and isolate the problem. For non-debugging questions, use Ed Discussion or office hours.

Canvas. You can find links for Zoom office hours, electronic reserves of course materials, and recorded versions of precepts in Canvas.

Precept Assignment. The best way to get a spot in the precept of your choice is to regularly check the registrar's Course Offerings page and/or the listings on TigerHub. In our experience, more than a quarter of the total class enrollment changes precepts during shopping period. The course's teaching staff cannot manage precept assignments. Dramatic unresolved scheduling concerns can be addressed to the department's Undergraduate Program Manager: Colleen Kenny (ckenny@princeton.edu).

Week at a glance

C = Corwin Hall, CS = Computer Science Building, F = Friend Center, Frist = Frist Campus Center, M = McDonnell Hall, N = 194 Nassau Street (2nd Floor).

9:00am

10:00am

11:00am

12:00 noon

1:00pm

2:00pm

3:00pm

4:00pm

5:00pm

6:00pm

7:00pm

8:00pm

9:00pm

10:00pm

11:00pm

L01

Frist 302 10:40-11:30 JP Singh

L01

Frist 302 10:40-11:30 JP Singh

P01

M103A 1:20-2:10 Christopher Moretti

P01

M103A 1:20-2:10 Christopher Moretti

P02

F005 3:30-4:20 Amelia Dobis

P02

F005 3:30-4:20 Amelia Dobis

P03

M104 12:15-1:05 Kevin Negy

P03

M104 12:15-1:05 Kevin Negy

P04

F110 12:15-1:05 Andrew Johnson

P04

F110 12:15-1:05 Andrew Johnson

P05

F005 12:15-1:05 Nicholas Yap

P05

F005 12:15-1:05 Nicholas Yap

P07

F111 1:20-2:10 Lana Glisic

P07

F111 1:20-2:10 Lana Glisic

P08

F005 3:30-4:20 Kevin Alarcón Negy

P08

F005 3:30-4:20 Kevin Alarcón Negy

Intro COS Lab Hours

CS105 7:00-11:00

Intro COS Lab Hours

CS105 3:00-7:00

Intro COS Lab Hours

CS105 5:00-11:00

Concept Hours

CS324 11:30-12:30 JP Singh

Concept Hours

CS324 2:00-3:00 JP Singh

Office Hours

N 213 1:00-3:00 Amelia Dobis

Office Hours

C039 3:00-5:00 Kevin Negy

Office Hours

F010 3:00-6:00 Lana Glisic

Office Hours

C036 10:00-12:00 Christopher Moretti

Office Hours

N 213 1:00-3:00 Amelia Dobis

Office Hours

C039 3:00-5:00 Kevin Negy

Office Hours

F010 9:00-12:00 Nicholas Yap

Office Hours

C036 1:00-3:00 Christopher Moretti

Office Hours

F010 10:00-1:00 Andrew Johnson

Course staff


Jaswinder Pal Singh
Lead Instructor

Christopher Moretti
Co-Lead Preceptor

Kevin Alarcón Negy
Co-Lead Preceptor

Amelia Dobis
Preceptor

Lana Glisic '24
Preceptor

Andrew Johnson
Preceptor

Nicholas Yap
Preceptor

The staff is complemented by a team of undergraduate course assistants: TBA.

About the course

Description. Developing skills for composing large programs, including modularity, abstraction, programming style, and best practices for code development, testing, debugging, and performance tuning. Additionally, an overview of computing environments and architectures, through the C programming language, assembly language, and machine language.

Prerequisites. COS 126, ECE 115, ISC 231-234, or approval by the COS placement officer.

COS 217 and 226 may be taken in any order. A student planning to take both can do so in the order that best fits their interests and schedule constraints.

Lectures. Lectures meet at 10:40-11:30am on Mondays and Wednesdays in Frist 302. Attendance is required. Laptops, tablets, and phones are prohibited, except for activities directly related to lecture, such as answering iClicker questions or annotating notes on lecture slides.

Precepts. Precepts meet twice per week and cover details pertinent to programming assignments and exams. Come prepared to participate in the discussion, not just ask questions. This includes reading the assignment specification before the corresponding precept.

Textbooks and Other Readings

Required Textbooks. These books have been registered with the University's online bookstore for purchase. They are also accessible on limited electronic reserve from the Reserves menu on Canvas.

Recommended Textbooks.

Reference Manuals. The course uses these manuals, for reference only: