Class Hours:
Tuesdays, 6:00 - 9:20
Minneapolis, Room 403
January 7 - April 30, 2002

Instructor:
Sue Fitzgerald, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Computer Science
Metropolitan State University
730 Hennepin Ave., Room 301D (through 301)
Minneapolis, MN 55403-1897

E-mail: fitzgerald@iexposure.com or Sue.Fitzgerald@MetroState.edu
Class web site: http://redhat.ics.metrostate.edu/~sue

Phone: 612-341-7620
Fax: 612-341-7381
Departmental support staff: Available in Mpls 305 or at 612-341-7435

Office Hours:
Mon. 2:30 - 6:00, in my office
Tues. 3:00 - 6:00, in my office and in Mpls 403 right before class
Wed. 2:30 - 6:00, in my office

Generally good times to reach me: Most afternoons, 1:30 - 6:00 in my office

I will make a reasonable effort to be available during my scheduled office hours. However, it is not unusual for me to be pre-empted for meetings at other locations. Be sure to call ahead if you wish to meet with me. I will be available in my office directly before class and will stay after class to answer questions and am frequently in my office at other times as well.

Do not expect to solve programming problems in the half-hour before programs are due. This never works.

I will be out of the office on January 21 (University closed for MLK), February 26 - March 2 (conference), and March 11 - 15 (spring break).

Text: Miles J. Murdocca and Vincent P. Heuring, Principles of Computer Architecture, Prentice Hall, 2000. ISBN: 0-201-43664-7

Assembly tools: http://www.prenhall.com/murdocca

Course description (from catalog): This course introduces machine language, computer architecture, data representations and aspects of distributed systems. Topics include conventional von Neumann architecture, the internal representation of data, instruction sets and formats, addressing, the fetch/execute cycle, memory architectures, and I/O architectures, as well as an overview of distributed, multiprocessor and parallel systems.

Prerequisites: This course is required for CS majors and is an elective for CIS majors. It is an introduction to the topic of computer organization and architecture that will prepare students for ICS 462 Operating Systems. The minimum prerequisites are ICS 141 Programming with Objects and Math 215 Discrete Mathematics.

Competence Statement: Knows concepts and foundations of computer architecture well enough to understand the influence of hardware paradigms on operating system development and to maintain an ongoing understanding of technological advances.

Course Statement of Objectives:
- Gain an understanding of computer data representation and manipulation.
- Investigate the basic organization of instruction sets, language translation, and program execution.
- Understand the basic organization for data storage and access across various media.
- Compare and contrast implications of various computer architectural attributes.
- Gain experience implementing (simulator-based) assembly language solutions.

Learning Outcomes:
- Understands simple machine architecture and the reduced instruction set computers.
- Understands memory control, direct memory access, interrupts, and memory organization.
- Understands basic data flow through the CPU (interfacing, bus control logic, and internal communications).
- Understands number systems, instruction sets, addressing modes, and data/instruction formats.
- Understands distributed, multiprocessing, and real-time systems.
- Understands basic parallel architectures.
- Is able to write simple assembly language programs.

Letter Grade: Your letter grade will be determined based on the percentage of possible points that you earn during the quarter. The following table relates the percentage to a letter grade:

If you have selected the S/N grading option, then to receive a satisfactory rating (S) you must earn at least 69% of the possible points. If you wish to elect S/N grading, you must inform the registrar before the second class meeting. Bear in mind that you must earn a C- or better (or an S) in order for a course to fulfill a requirement or elective in your major.

Points are allocated to different learning activities as indicated in the table below. There may be some slight variation in the number of programming assignments and problem sets. So, the Total of 750 possible points is an approximation to the final total.

Description of Item	Number of Items	Maximum Points per Item	Total Maximum Possible Points
Tests	2	100	200
Final Exam (comprehensive)	1	150	150
Programming Assignments	2	60	120
Homework Problem Sets	~10	~30	~300
Total			Approx. 770

No Credit for Late Homework: There will be a number of homework problem sets that will be assigned in class. Written answers to them will be due at the beginning of the next class period. Because the answers will be given in class, no late homeworks will be accepted. If you cannot come to class, email, snail mail or fax your homework assignment to me before the beginning of the class period in which the assignment is due.

No Makeup Tests: No makeup tests will be offered. If you miss a test, the next test that you take will be doubly counted in order to replace the missed test. You must inform me of your valid reason for missing the test no later than one day following the test in question.

I strongly believe that all students should take the final exam at the designated time. This helps to ensure that all students are tested in a uniform manner. If you do convince me to write a separate final exam for you, it may be more difficult than the exam given to the rest of the class. I reserve the right to refuse to give you a makeup final exam.

Expectations: Sometimes difficulties arise when the expectations of students and teachers are different. Here is a brief summary of what I expect from you AND a summary of what you can expect from me.

What you can expect from me:

- I will share my technical knowledge with you as effectively as I know how.
- I will grade your work and return it quickly. In most cases I will grade your work and return it to you at the next scheduled class period (but not before). Occasionally I will take two class periods to return your work.
- I will provide you with written feedback on the quality of your work. If you do not understand why you were assigned a particular grade or if my comments are not clear, I will explain more thoroughly if you ask me to.
- I will show up for class. I will start and end class on time.
- I will return your phone calls and emails as quickly as possible. However, I have many responsibilities and it may take more than one business day to do so. I do not check my phone or email messages on the weekends. If I plan to be out of my office for a day or more, I will leave a phone message on my voice mail explaining when I will be back.
- I will listen to you respectfully. I will answer your questions respectfully.
- I will provide you with a summary of the total points earned to date anytime that you ask for it.

What I expect from you:

- I expect you to read the syllabus and to know the class policies outlined there.
- I expect you to seek help if you are having difficulty with your course work. I expect you to talk to me if you are having problems. If a stressful work or home situation arises which is affecting your ability to perform well, please talk to me as soon as possible.
- If you do not understand why you received a particular grade, I expect you to approach me and ask questions. I expect you to treat me with respect even if you disagree with the grade you were assigned.
- I expect you to show up for class on time and stay for the entire session except when you have an unavoidable conflict. If you must miss class, assignments and most handouts can be obtained from the class web site.
- I expect you to turn in your assignments. I expect them to be submitted in a timely fashion. Late homework will not be accepted since answers will be given out at the beginning of the class period when the homework is due. Late penalties for other sorts of work will be explained when assignments are made.
- I expect you to turn in individual and original work. This means that what you turn in must be your own work and it cannot be work previously done for some other class. If you turn in work done by someone else, or work containing even a sentence or phrase copied from someone else, you may be assigned an F in this course. Repeated instances of academic dishonesty can result in expulsion from the University.
- I expect you to say no if another student asks you for a copy of your work. The penalty for permitting another student to copy your work is the same as if you yourself had turned in work that was not individual and original.
- I recommend that you complete the reading assignments before you come to class, particularly if you are having difficulty understanding the material.

Incompletes: From time to time I am asked to consider assigning a grade of incomplete. A grade of incomplete may be considered if the person requesting has successfully completed at two thirds of the class and is a student in good standing in the class. "Good standing" means that the requester is earning a minimum of a B grade and has attended class regularly. I reserve the right to say no to any request for an incomplete without justifying my position.

Respect: Metro State is privileged to serve students from many different nations, racial, ethnic and religious backgrounds. Students, staff and faculty practice a variety of lifestyles and come from many walks of life. We expect our classrooms to be safe havens where the opinions, practices and beliefs of others are treated respectfully. If you feel that you are not being treated appropriately by others in the class, I ask that you bring this to my attention so that the issues can be addressed. If I offend you, I ask that you approach me to share your concern so that we can learn from each other how to live together with respect and honor.

If you do not feel comfortable sharing your concern directly with me, please contact Carolyn Roney at 651-772-7818. It is part of her job at the University to help people resolve their problems.

Learning Disabilities: If you have a documented learning disability, or if you suspect you have a learning disability that may have an impact on your opportunity to succeed in this course, please notify me before the second class so we can explore ways to reasonably accommodate your learning style. If you want, you may work with Disability and Special Services by calling 651-772-7819. Note that I must receive adequate notice in order to honor requests.

Week	Date	Topics	Reading/Assignments
1	Jan 8	Course logistics Overview and history   Numbering systems	Syllabus Chapter 1 http://www.ifi.unizh.ch/se/people/hoyle/Lecture/ or http://www.eingang.org/Lecture/ (see page 17) Chapter 2
	Jan 13	LAST DAY TO DROP CLASS AND REMAIN ELIGIBLE FOR REFUND	THIS IS A SUNDAY
2	Jan 15	Data representation Character sets	Homework # 1 due Chapter 2
3	Jan 22	Digital Logic	Appendix A
	Jan 27	LAST DAY TO DROP FALL COURSES WITH NO REFUND (these drops do not appear on transcripts)
4	Jan 29	Digital Logic Arithmetic	Chapter 3 (p. 61-76)
5	Feb 5	Arithmetic Test #1	Test #1
6	Feb 12	Go over test Instruction sets, assembly language	Chapter 4
7	Feb 19	Languages and the Machine	Chapter 5 (p. 151-176) ARC tutorial due
8	Feb 26	Assembly language (Steve Jensen)	Chapters 4 & 5
	March 5	Precinct Caucus - NO CLASS
	March 12	Spring Break - NO CLASS
9	March 19	Datapath and control	Chapter 6 Program #1 due
10	March 26	Datapath and control Test #2	Chapter 6 Test #2
	March 29	LAST DAY TO WITHDRAW FROM FALL CLASSES (W on transcript)
11	April 2	Go over test Memory	Chapter 7 (skip 7.7 on Virtual Memory)
12	April 9	Memory (continued) Mass Storage	Program #2 due Section 8.5
13	April 16	Input and Output	Chapter 8
14	April 23	Trends and current technologies	Chapter 10 (p. 385-396)
15	April 30	Final	Final exam

Homework will be due nearly every class session.  Minor adjustments to the schedule will be made as needed.