CSC 8400: Computer Organization
Fall 2002

Homework assignments | Test samples | Lectures

Course Home Page: http://www.csc.vill.edu/faculty/japaridz/html/csc840 0.html

Instructor: Dr. Giorgi Japaridze

• Office: MSC 165A.
• Email: japaridz@monet.villanova.edu
• Office hours: T,R 8:45-9:45pm, T 4:00-5:30

Teaching assistant: Nancy Bercich

• Office: MSC 234
• Email: nancy.bercich@villanova.edu
• Office hours: T,Th 8:45-9:45

Textbook:
"Computer Architecture: A Quantitative Approach". By David Patterson and John Hennessy. Morgan Kaufmann Pub., 2nd Edition, 1996
Note: 3rd edition will only be used beginning Spring'2003

Students with insufficient backgroung may also find it very helpful (though not required) to read:
"Computer Organization and Design: The Hardware/Software Interface". By David Patterson and John Hennessy. 2nd Edition, 1998.

Description and goals: This course is on computer architecture. Its goal is to teach you the basic concepts and methods used in the organization and design of computer hardware.

Topics and Schedule:

1. Introduction: Fundamentals of Computer Design (Chapter 1, 1 week).
2. Instruction Set Design (Chapter 2, 1-2 weeks).
3. Pipelining (Chapter 3, 3-4 weeks).
4. Memory Hierarchy Design (Chapter 5, 3-4 weeks).
5. Storage Systems (Chapter 6, 1-2 weeks).
6. Interconnection Networks (Chapter 7, 1 week).
7. Multiprocessors (Chapter 8, 1 week).

Prerequisites: csc7100 (Computer Systems) or the equivalent.

Grading: Homework --- 20%, in-class examinations --- 80%.

Presumably, grades will be determined by cumulative scores as follows:

Score	Grade
94-100	A
87-93	A-
80-86	B+
72-79	B
63-71	B-
54-62	C+
45-53	C
0-44	F