CS 271   (4 credits)
Computer Architecture and Assembly Language
Winter 2008

Calendar        Assignments       Scores        Resources        Course Policies

Announcements:

Lecture Section 1:  WNGR 153          TR   12:00 - 13:20
Instructor

Paul D. Paulson 
(contact info)

 Office Hours in KEC 2061
    TR  3:30 - 5:00 pm
    W   1:00 - 3:00 pm
    other days/times by appointment

TAs

Office hours in Hovland 108

Chuck Evans (email)  M 11:00 - 1:50, T 9:00 - 11:50

Craig Furtodo (email)  T R 2:00 - 3:50, W 12:00 - 1:50
Prerequisites CS 161, MTH 231
Textbooks

Required: Tanenbaum, Andrew S., Structured Computer Organization (Custom Edition), Prentice-Hall, 1999. (ISBN 053686098X).  Note: Check online booksellers for the 4th edition of the complete text (ISBN 0130959901)

Recommended: Irvine, Kip R., Assembly Language for Intel-Based Computers (5th ed.), Prentice-Hall, 2007. (ISBN 0132383101).
Course
Learning
Objectives
  1. Understand the fundamentals of digital computers at the hardware architecture level, as well as the fundamental hardware operations as grouped into machine instruction sets.
  2. Understand the relationship between hardware architecture and the "software face" (i.e., assembly language) of digital computers.
  3. Be exposed to the fundamental software components that enable modular software development: assemblers, linkers, and loaders.
  4. Refine skills in software design and development, especially in decomposition, modularization, and debugging.
Academic Honesty Policy See the university, college, department, and course policies.
Obviously, compliance is expected.
Calendar Check here every week; the schedule is subject to "adjustments"
Grades

5 homework sets
5 programming projects
3 quizzes
Midterm exam
Final exam  (Monday, March 17, 2008, 2:00 pm)

Final grades are based on the accumulated percentage.  See the evaluation criteria and grading scale.  Quiz, exam, and final grades may be adjusted linearly if it seems appropriate.
  • 10%
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