P4 die photo Intel Core DuoIntel Nehalem

CSE 240A -- Principles in Computer Architecture

Fall 2023
Instructor: Dean Tullsen


Basic Course Information:

  • Instructor: Dean Tullsen
  • TAs: TBD

  • Meeting times and place:
  • Course textbook
  • Other background reading
  • Let me emphasize that the prerequisite material for this course is an undergraduate class that covered ISA design, pipelining, caches, etc. If you do not have the prerequisites, you should not be in this class.

  • As a consequence (and this is the one thing you absolutely need to know before you come to class the first day), there will be a pretest. It will be handed out the first day of class and due at the beginning of the second. It is 3% of your grade, and CANNOT BE MADE UP if you miss it.

  • To get on the piazza discussion board for the class, please go to this link.

  • Assignments (other than tests and pretest) will be of three types:
  • traditional homeworks, e.g., problems from the book, typically with 1-week notice.
  • We will be using some Canvas for lecture slides, homework assignments, announcements, etc. Make sure you are on it regularly. This page is a very abbreviated version of the syllabus. The complete one can be found on Canvas.

  • Course Outline: I expect students to have the highest standards of integrity in a graduate class. However, we will check aggressively for cheating, including copying off of other people or from online resources, etc. If cheating is found, of any kind, severe consequences will result.