This is another class I am taking this semester where we learn how digital cameras work at the chip/sensor level in order to take better quality pictures and not destroy them in the process.
The class is taught by Eric Rosenthal who has built cameras for NASA and DARPA!
The first assignment was to read the basics about digital photography and cameras and take some photos exploring what we had learned from the reading. 
The most informative part of the reading for me was on the histograms – I never really learned how to read them. Now I think I understand. I shot a high contrast scene and shot first what I thought would be the optimal exposure and then looked at the histogram to see if I needed any adjustment. Turned out that my estimate was pretty good. I used spot metering to check the scene and then exposed between the high and low light area’s “correct” exposure.
I also played with depth of field. On the third photo I “inverted” the speed and aperture to get more depth of field.
Finally I tested the white balance settings on a sky scene as well as the ISO settings.