Computer Organization and Assembly Language

Student Learning Outcomes, Goals, Objectives:

The goal of this course is to introduce students to the organization and architecture of computer systems through the study of Assembly Language programming. Topics include data representation, computer system components, Assembly Language fundamentals, instruction sets, memory organization, and floating-point arithmetic. The course also introduces fundamental concepts of computer organization, as well as the design and analysis of combinational and sequential digital circuits.

Students successfully completing this course will be able to:

• devise and use multiple levels of abstraction in computation, including the use of models and simulations (abstraction);

• analyze data representation through decimal base conversions, decimal and floating-point data storage and manipulation (data);

• create and evaluate Assembly Language programs to implement algorithms utilizing elementary data structures (programming);

• design an elementary RISC architecture utilizing both combinational and sequential circuits (design).

Course Grading Information:

Activity/Performance Measure	Percentage/Points
Assignments	40%
Exam-1	20%
Exam-2	20%
Exam-3	20%

Grading Scale

Percentage	Letter Grade
100 - 94	A
< 94 - 90	A-
< 90 - 87	B+
< 87 - 84	B
< 84 - 80	B-
< 80 - 77	C+
< 77 - 74	C
< 74 - 70	C-
< 70 - 67	D+
< 67 - 64	D
< 64 - 61	D-
< 61	F

Attendance/Participation:

Instructor reserves the right to drop any student from the course after three (3) absences or for any student who misses submitting 2 assignments in a row. The Withdrawal Due to Class Attendance form serves as a request to withdraw students from class due to excessive absences.

Course Materials Purchased by the Students:

Introduction to 80x86 Assembly Language and Computer Architecture, Richard C. Detmer, Jones and Bartlett, 2015, Third Edition (Required).

In addition to this required textbook, the instructor will provide lecture notes which are based on several reference textbooks cited in the course lectures.