Definitely get started with C.
Consider playing with the Arduino although I wouldn't expect it to be used for a serious course. Try this kit and work through the tutorial - quickly. There's a lot of code given and you will be working with real controls, sensors and motors.
https://www.amazon.com/ELEGOO-Project-Tutorial-Controller-Projects/dp/B01D8KOZF4There is a similar starter kit for the Raspberry Pi and that will require skills in Linux. If you don't have them, you might as well get them and the tutorial does a lot of hand-holding.
In a couple of weeks, you should be pretty far along. For more advanced stuff, there are some excellent tutorials for STM32Fxxx boards but one of my favorites is the PSOC 6. There is a video series
https://www.cypress.com/video-library/PSoC/psoc-6-101-lesson-1-1-introduction-0/604121If I had to learn FPGAs in a hurry, I would go to NandLand and buy the "Go Board". Then I would follow along with the Verilog or VHDL code depending on what I expected as the required language.
https://nandland.com/Other than that, just give it your best shot. You can always ask questions around here. We won't always do homework problems but we do work on problems that sort of resemble homework. Just don't copy right out of the book and post as an attachment. That kind of gives the game away.
Remember, put the FPGA stuff in the FPGA forum and put the embedded stuff in the Embedded forum which has been minimized and is a subforum under Computers. Keep this link handy
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/embedded-computing/I wish eevBlog hadn't done that...
There is also a Programming forum
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/programming/