CS 231, Fall 2004

Computer Architecture and Assembly Language Programming I

 

Instructor:            Doug Lawrence

Phone:                    243-7705

Office Hours:       Monday and Wednesday after class and by appointment

Class:                     MWF 8:10-9:00

Web site:               http://www.silverleaf-consulting.com/csportal

Room:                     Social Science 356

Final:                      December 17, 8-10 AM

Prerequisites:      CS131, CS132

Textbooks:            “Computer Organization and Design”

-         by David Patterson and John Hennessy (Required) ISBN: 1-55860-604-1

 

Some Class Objectives

-          Learn the computer systems functional breakdown

·         Processor, memory, I/O, software interface

·         Implementation of the CPU

·         Interconnection structures

-          Understand how computer instructions and data are formatted

-          Understand digital logic

-          Understand the trade-offs made in architecture design

-          Prepare for future software and hardware classes

 

Grading Policy

The following are estimates and are subject to change.

                Homework:           70%

                Exams (3):             15% each

(You must take 2 of the 3 exams.)

I do not grade on a curve. I use the standard 90-100=A, 80-89=B, etc. Some of you may be taking this class with the pass/no pass option. The Computer Science policy is that “the student must earn the equivalent of a letter grade of C for pass.”

 

Prerequisites

It is your responsibility to have taken CS131 and CS132 prior to taking this class. This instructor cannot be responsible for bringing you up to speed on material that you should already know.

 

Homework and Exams

Homework is due by 5 PM on the day it is due. It must be legible and on 8½” by 11” sheets of paper. No legal size paper please. To save paper, I do not hand out paper copies of the homework in class if I don’t have to. I rely on students to go to the web site to get the assignments.

 

If you start missing assignments your chances of passing the class are EXTREMELY slim. You cannot pass on the merits of the exams scores alone. You must make arrangements with me prior to missing the exam if you don’t think you’re going to make it. However, note that you only have to take 2 of the 3 exams, none of which are cumulative.

 

The graded homework will typically be returned 7-10 days after submission. Late homework will be accepted, but it will be marked down 10% for each day it is late (excluding weekends and holidays) and won’t be accepted once the assignment has been returned to the rest of the class. Any exceptions to the late rule must be made prior to when the homework is due and the excuse needs to be a good one –“just too busy” won’t cut it.

 

Collaboration on homework is encouraged, but you are responsible for personally writing and understanding the solutions. No “group” assignments will be accepted. Obvious duplications will result in a splitting of the grade between the students involved, regardless of who did the copying.

 

A note on web sites: The text we are using is widely used and therefore there exist numerous web sites with answers posted. I have the answer key and can tell if you have copied the answer from a web site. I don’t necessarily consider this cheating. However, it indicates that you probably don’t know the material. Therefore, 0 points will be given for these copied answers.

 

Course Material

Web site: The class web site is http://csportal.silverleaf-consulting.net/. You need to create an account for yourself and enter your personal information. After that you will be able to check your grades, download homework assignments and check out any additional material relevant to the class.

CD in the book: Open the CD in the book and start browsing through it. There are several items on the CD we will use, specifically the SPIM simulator and possibly some homework assignments.

Profanity: Profanity and obscenity will not be tolerated in any fashion, whether it’s on the homework, in class, email or in the email address. In the past I’ve had people who found it humorous to use profanity in their email address.

Students with disabilities: If you have a disability of any kind and it affects how you might perform in this class (test taking, homework, attendance, etc.), please notify me. I am more than willing to make accommodations. I may require that your disability be certified by DSS.

Class schedule:

In the past I have generated schedules and never been able to stick to them completely. Therefore, start reading the book. We will work through it sequentially (for the most part).

Exams: October 6th, November 17th, and December 17th (final)
Dates are subject to change.

 

One last note: Please don’t wait until the day we do class evaluations to indicate a problem, whether that problem be with the class or with me. I hate reading evaluations only to discover that a student didn’t like my teaching methods, me or had trouble understanding the assignments. I am always willing to meet with you and help.