Experience with a Course on Architectures for Software Systems Part I: Course Description
• SEI Report
Publisher
Software Engineering Institute
CMU/SEI Report Number
CMU/SEI-92-TR-017Topic or Tag
Abstract
As software systems grow in size and complexity their design problem extends beyond algorithms and data structures to issues of system design. This area receives little or no treatment in existing computer science curricula. Although courses about specific systems are usually available, there is no systematic treatment of the organizations used to assemble components into systems. These issues—the software architecture level of software designs—are the subject of a new course that we taught for the first time in spring 1992. In this pair of reports, Part I presents the motivation for the course, the content and structure of the current version, and our plans for improving the next version. Part II consists of teaching materials from the first offering, including assignments and overheads for lectures.
Cite This SEI Report
Garlan, D., Shaw, M., Okasaki, C., Scott, C., & Swonger, R. (1992, August 1). Experience with a Course on Architectures for Software Systems Part I: Course Description. (SEI Report CMU/SEI-92-TR-017). Retrieved September 21, 2026, from https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/experience-with-a-course-on-architectures-for-software-systems-part-i-course-description/.
@techreport{garlan_1992,
author={Garlan, David and Shaw, Mary and Okasaki, Chris and Scott, Curtis and Swonger, Roy},
title={Experience with a Course on Architectures for Software Systems Part I: Course Description},
month={Aug},
year={1992},
number={{CMU/SEI-92-TR-017},
institution={Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University},
url={https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/experience-with-a-course-on-architectures-for-software-systems-part-i-course-description/},
note={Accessed: 2026-Sep-21}
}
Garlan, David, Mary Shaw, Chris Okasaki, Curtis Scott, and Roy Swonger. "Experience with a Course on Architectures for Software Systems Part I: Course Description." (CMU/SEI-92-TR-017). Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University. Software Engineering Institute, August 1, 1992. https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/experience-with-a-course-on-architectures-for-software-systems-part-i-course-description/.
D. Garlan, M. Shaw, C. Okasaki, C. Scott, and R. Swonger, "Experience with a Course on Architectures for Software Systems Part I: Course Description," Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University. Software Engineering Institute, SEI Report CMU/SEI-92-TR-017, 1-Aug-1992 [Online]. Available: https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/experience-with-a-course-on-architectures-for-software-systems-part-i-course-description/. [Accessed: 21-Sep-2026].
Garlan, David, Mary Shaw, Chris Okasaki, Curtis Scott, and Roy Swonger. "Experience with a Course on Architectures for Software Systems Part I: Course Description." (SEI Report CMU/SEI-92-TR-017). Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Software Engineering Institute, 1 Aug. 1992. https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/experience-with-a-course-on-architectures-for-software-systems-part-i-course-description/. Accessed 21 Sep. 2026.
Garlan, David; Shaw, Mary; Okasaki, Chris; Scott, Curtis; & Swonger, Roy. Experience with a Course on Architectures for Software Systems Part I: Course Description. CMU/SEI-92-TR-017. Software Engineering Institute. 1992. https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/experience-with-a-course-on-architectures-for-software-systems-part-i-course-description/