Brian W. Kernigan on programming:
"Debugging is twice as hard as writing the code in the first place. Therefore, if you write the code as cleverly as possible, you are, by definition, not smart enough to debug it."
(Click for more wisdom)
Courses
Many of my course offerings are designed with reusable materials, including videos, notes, and starter code for assignments. Feel free to check them out, and get in touch if you have questions or find them helpful.
In fall 2021, I will be teaching CSE11. If you're an incoming freshman or transfer planning on taking CSE11, you can refer to the Spring 2020 version for a sense of the course, and feel free to email me with questions. If you're not sure whether to take CSE8A or CSE11, I endorse the advice at this page. If you've taken CSE11 or CSE8B and are interested in tutoring, consider applying and listing CSE11 as a preference (advice on my contact page).
- Race, Gender, and Computing
(UCSD CSE 194; with Christine Alvarado)
[Spring 2021; email me for information] - Advanced Compiler Design (UCSD CSE 231)
[Winter 2021] - Introduction to Programming and Computational Problem Solving 1
(UCSD CSE 8A [formerly Programming in Java 1])
[Winter 2021] - Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming in Java: Accelerated Pace
(UCSD CSE 11)
[Spring 2020, with Remote Teaching Information] [Spring 2017] [Winter 2017] - Advanced Data Structures
(UCSD CSE 100; with Niema Moshiri and Sander Valstar)
[Spring 2020] -
Introduction to Programming in Java: 1
(UCSD CSE 8A; with Mia Minnes)
[Winter 2020] [Fall 2018, with Reflection on Using jshell] -
Compiler Construction
(UCSD CSE 131)
[Fall 2019] [Spring 2018] [Spring 2017] -
Discrete Math for CS
(UCSD CSE 20; with Mia Minnes)
[Spring 2019, see also an Experience Report on Adaptive Rubrics] -
Basic Data Structures and Object-Oriented Design
(UCSD CSE 12)
[Winter 2019] [Winter 2018] -
Computer Organization and Systems Programming
(UCSD CSE 30)
[Fall 2017] - Principles of Compiler Design
(Swarthmore CS 75)
[Spring 2016] - Data Structures and Algorithms (Swarthmore CS 35)
[Fall 2015] - Programming Languages (Swarthmore CS 91)
[Spring 2015] - Programming Languages (Brown University CS173; with Shriram Krishnamurthi)
[Fall 2013] [Fall 2012]
Recent & Active Projects
- code.pyret.org is the best way to run Pyret programs.
- Pyret is a functional scripting language designed for programming education.
- Bootstrap builds and does professional development for curricula that integrate computing into middle- and high-school courses. The Reactive, Data Science, and Physics curricula use Pyret.
- Stopify is a JavaScript compiler and runtime for execution control (debugging, pausing, stopping) of JavaScript programs in stock web browsers.
Selected Publications
- Evolving a K-12 Curriculum for Integrating Computer Science into Mathematics. Kathi Fisler, Emmanuel Schanzer, Steve Weimar, Annie Fetter, K. Ann Renninger, Shriram Krishnamurthi, Joe Gibbs Politz, Benjamin Lerner, Jennifer Poole, and Christine Koerner. SIGCSE 2021 (to appear).
- Event Loops as First-Class Values: A Case Study in Pedagogic Language Design. Joe Gibbs Politz, Benjamin S. Lerner, Sorawee Porncharoenwase, and Shriram Krishnamurthi. ‹Programming› 2019.
(paper & code). 
Putting in All the Stops: Execution Control for JavaScript. Sam Baxter, Rachit Nigam, Joe Gibbs Politz, Shriram Krishnamurthi, and Arjun Guha. PLDI 2018.
(talk) (arxiv) (acm).- The Sweep: Essential Examples for In-Flow Peer Review. Joe Gibbs Politz, Joseph M. Collard, Arjun Guha, Kathi Fisler, and Shriram Krishnamurthi. SIGCSE 2016.
(pdf). - In-Flow Peer-Review. Dave Clarke, Tony Clear, Kathi Fisler, Matthias Hauswirth, Shriram Krishnamurthi, Joe Gibbs Politz, Ville Tirronen, Tobias Wrigstad. ITiCSE 2014 Working Group Report.
(pdf) - CaptainTeach: Multi-Stage, In-Flow Peer Review for Programming Assignments. Joe Gibbs Politz, Daniel Patterson, Kathi Fisler, and Shriram Krishnamurthi. ITiCSE 2014.
(pdf) - Macaroons: Cookies with Contextual Caveats for Decentralized Authorization in the Cloud. Arnar Birgisson, Joe Gibbs Politz, Úlfar Erlingsson, Ankur Taly, Michael Vrable, and Mark Lentczner. NDSS 2014.
(open source, 3rd-party implementation) (pdf & bib) 
Python: The Full Monty―A Tested Semantics for the Python Programming Language. Joe Gibbs Politz, Alejandro Martinez, Matthew Milano, Sumner Warren, Daniel Patterson, Junsong Li, Anand Chitipothu, and Shriram Krishnamurthi. OOPSLA 2013.
(paper and code)- TeJaS: Retrofitting Type Systems for JavaScript. Benjamin S. Lerner, Joe Gibbs Politz, Arjun Guha, and Shriram Krishnamurthi. DLS 2013. (pdf)
-
A Tested Semantics for Getters, Setters, and Eval in JavaScript.
Joe Gibbs Politz, Matthew J. Carroll, Benjamin S. Lerner, Justin Pombrio, and Shriram Krishnamurthi.
DLS 2012.
(paper, code, & test results) -
Progressive Types. Joe Gibbs Politz, Hannah Quay-de la Vallee, and Shriram Krishnamurthi. Onward! 2012.
(paper, code, & proofs) - ADsafety: Type-based Verification of JavaScript Sandboxing.
Joe Gibbs Politz, Spiridon Aristides Eliopoulos, Arjun Guha, and Shriram Krishnamurthi. USENIX Security 2011.
(paper, code, & proofs) (bib) (talk video [USENIX Security]) (talk video [Mozilla])