An introduction to the hardware and software organization of computer systems. The course emphasizes a multilevel model of computer organization. Topics include the digital logic level; the micro architecture level; the machine instruction set level; the operating system level; and the assembly language level. Programming assignments will be required.

Computer Architecture is a study of the design of both modern and classic computer hardware. Topics include: a review of classical computer architectures; the design of operation codes and addressing modes, data formats, and their implementation; internal and external bus structures; architectural features to support virtual storage and page-replacement policies, high-level language features, and operating systems. Students will write programs which simulate the organization of several different processor architectures to help further their understanding of design choices.

This course focuses on developing and improving verbal and written communication skills specific to the discipline of computer science. Topics include the different forms of writing in computer science (books, theses, journal articles, technical reports, manuscripts, etc.), writing styles of computer scientists, document readability and usability, documents for career readiness, effective presentations, teamwork and peer review, research methods, experimentation, documenting mathematics and algorithms, proper formatting of graphs, figures, and tables, and ethical, social, and professional issues facing Computer Scientists. This course is approved as Writing Intensive.