Computer Organization & Architecture

Instructor
Charlie Curtsinger
Meeting Times
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday: 10:00–11:50am in Noyce 3819
Office Hours
Please make an appointment if you would like to meet during my office hours.
  • Monday, 1:15pm–2:30pm
  • Tuesday, 10:00am–11:50am
  • Wednesday, 1:15pm–2:30pm
  • Thursday, 10:00am–11:50am
Textbook
David A. Patterson and John L. Hennessy, Computer Organization and Design: The Hardware/Software Interface, Revised 4th Edition
Mentors
  • David Chang
  • Bea Herce-Hagiwara
Mentor Sessions
Thursday, 8:00–9:00pm in Noyce 3819

About this course

Welcome to CSC 211, Computer Organization and Architecture. In this course, we will address questions such as the following:

  • How does a computer actually work?
  • How do we use electricty to perform abstract tasks like adding and storing numbers?
  • What happens when a computer executes a program?
  • How do languages and hardware work together?
  • How can we make computers faster?

By the end of this class, you will be able to:

  • design and construct digital logic circuits
  • write programs in assembly language
  • identify the main components in a computer and explain how they work
  • understand hardware design issues and how they affect performance