CS 221 — Computer Systems & Assembly Language

In this course, we are going to peel back the hood on the computer and see what is really going on inside. We will see how we can transition from basic Boolean algebra to computational components, to datapath elements to a processor. We will look at the hierarchy of interconnecting units that provide the physical manifestation of memory. We will also work down from the top, examining how we actually tell the computer what to do by doing some simple assembly programming targeting both the MIPS and x86 architectures.

This website will serve as the definitive guide to what is going on in the class. All lectures, assignments, notifications, and policies can be found here — check back often.