diff --git a/cms/djangoapps/contentstore/views.py b/cms/djangoapps/contentstore/views.py
index da6611f248..6692192590 100644
--- a/cms/djangoapps/contentstore/views.py
+++ b/cms/djangoapps/contentstore/views.py
@@ -2,14 +2,16 @@ from util.json_request import expect_json
 import json
 import logging
 import sys
+import mimetypes
 from collections import defaultdict
 
-from django.http import HttpResponse, Http404
+from django.http import HttpResponse, Http404, HttpResponseBadRequest, HttpResponseForbidden
 from django.contrib.auth.decorators import login_required
 from django.core.context_processors import csrf
 from django_future.csrf import ensure_csrf_cookie
 from django.core.urlresolvers import reverse
 from django.conf import settings
+from django import forms
 
 from xmodule.modulestore import Location
 from xmodule.x_module import ModuleSystem
@@ -26,6 +28,13 @@ from functools import partial
 from itertools import groupby
 from operator import attrgetter
 
+from xmodule.contentstore.django import contentstore
+from xmodule.contentstore import StaticContent
+
+#from django.core.cache import cache
+
+from cache_toolbox.core import set_cached_content, get_cached_content
+
 log = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
 
@@ -89,9 +98,19 @@ def course_index(request, org, course, name):
         raise Http404  # TODO (vshnayder): better error
 
     # TODO (cpennington): These need to be read in from the active user
-    course = modulestore().get_item(location)
-    weeks = course.get_children()
-    return render_to_response('course_index.html', {'weeks': weeks})
+    _course = modulestore().get_item(location)
+    weeks = _course.get_children()
+
+    upload_asset_callback_url = "/{org}/{course}/course/{name}/upload_asset".format(
+        org = org, 
+        course = course,
+        name = name
+        )
+
+    return render_to_response('course_index.html', {
+            'weeks': weeks, 
+            'upload_asset_callback_url': upload_asset_callback_url
+            })
 
 
 @login_required
@@ -115,12 +134,13 @@ def edit_item(request):
         lms_link = "{lms_base}/courses/{course_id}/jump_to/{location}".format(
             lms_base=settings.LMS_BASE,
             # TODO: These will need to be changed to point to the particular instance of this problem in the particular course
-            course_id=modulestore().get_containing_courses(item.location)[0].id,
+            course_id= modulestore().get_containing_courses(item.location)[0].id,
             location=item.location,
         )
     else:
         lms_link = None
 
+    
     return render_to_response('unit.html', {
         'contents': item.get_html(),
         'js_module': item.js_module_name,
@@ -390,3 +410,55 @@ def clone_item(request):
     modulestore().update_children(parent_location, parent.definition.get('children', []) + [new_item.location.url()])
 
     return HttpResponse()
+
+'''
+cdodge: this method allows for POST uploading of files into the course asset library, which will
+be supported by GridFS in MongoDB.
+'''
+#@login_required
+#@ensure_csrf_cookie
+def upload_asset(request, org, course, coursename):
+
+    if request.method != 'POST':
+        # (cdodge) @todo: Is there a way to do a - say - 'raise Http400'?
+        return HttpResponseBadRequest()
+
+    # construct a location from the passed in path
+    location = ['i4x', org, course, 'course', coursename]
+    if not has_access(request.user, location):
+        return HttpResponseForbidden()
+    
+    # Does the course actually exist?!?
+    
+    try:
+        item = modulestore().get_item(location)
+    except:
+        # no return it as a Bad Request response
+        logging.error('Could not find course' + location)
+        return HttpResponseBadRequest()
+
+    # compute a 'filename' which is similar to the location formatting, we're using the 'filename'
+    # nomenclature since we're using a FileSystem paradigm here. We're just imposing
+    # the Location string formatting expectations to keep things a bit more consistent
+
+    name = request.FILES['file'].name
+    mime_type = request.FILES['file'].content_type
+    filedata = request.FILES['file'].read()
+
+    file_location = StaticContent.compute_location_filename(org, course, name)
+
+    content = StaticContent(file_location, name, mime_type, filedata)
+
+    # first commit to the DB
+    contentstore().update(content)
+
+    # then update the cache so we're not serving up stale content
+    set_cached_content(content)
+
+    return HttpResponse('Upload completed')
+
+
+
+class UploadFileForm(forms.Form):
+    title = forms.CharField(max_length=50)
+    file = forms.FileField()
diff --git a/cms/envs/common.py b/cms/envs/common.py
index dc82af85af..7190ba9e51 100644
--- a/cms/envs/common.py
+++ b/cms/envs/common.py
@@ -118,6 +118,7 @@ TEMPLATE_LOADERS = (
 )
 
 MIDDLEWARE_CLASSES = (
+    'contentserver.middleware.StaticContentServer',
     'django.middleware.cache.UpdateCacheMiddleware',
     'django.middleware.common.CommonMiddleware',
     'django.contrib.sessions.middleware.SessionMiddleware',
@@ -130,7 +131,7 @@ MIDDLEWARE_CLASSES = (
     'track.middleware.TrackMiddleware',
     'mitxmako.middleware.MakoMiddleware',
 
-    'django.middleware.transaction.TransactionMiddleware',
+    'django.middleware.transaction.TransactionMiddleware'
 )
 
 ############################ SIGNAL HANDLERS ################################
diff --git a/cms/envs/dev.py b/cms/envs/dev.py
index fc2a5a5684..dd0e0337f6 100644
--- a/cms/envs/dev.py
+++ b/cms/envs/dev.py
@@ -28,6 +28,17 @@ MODULESTORE = {
     }
 }
 
+# cdodge: This is the specifier for the MongoDB (using GridFS) backed static content store
+# This is for static content for courseware, not system static content (e.g. javascript, css, edX branding, etc)
+CONTENTSTORE = {
+    'ENGINE': 'xmodule.contentstore.mongo.MongoContentStore',
+    'OPTIONS': {
+        'host': 'localhost',
+        'db' : 'xcontent',
+    }
+}
+
+
 DATABASES = {
     'default': {
         'ENGINE': 'django.db.backends.sqlite3',
diff --git a/cms/templates/course_index.html b/cms/templates/course_index.html
index e490ad7817..347e93ef4a 100644
--- a/cms/templates/course_index.html
+++ b/cms/templates/course_index.html
@@ -7,8 +7,11 @@
 
   <%include file="widgets/navigation.html"/>
 
+  <%include file="widgets/upload_assets.html"/>
+
   <section class="main-content">
   </section>
 
+
 </section>
 </%block>
diff --git a/cms/urls.py b/cms/urls.py
index e51ae59b08..ddd54adc65 100644
--- a/cms/urls.py
+++ b/cms/urls.py
@@ -17,7 +17,9 @@ urlpatterns = ('',
         'contentstore.views.course_index', name='course_index'),
     url(r'^github_service_hook$', 'github_sync.views.github_post_receive'),
     url(r'^preview/modx/(?P<preview_id>[^/]*)/(?P<location>.*?)/(?P<dispatch>[^/]*)$',
-        'contentstore.views.preview_dispatch', name='preview_dispatch')
+        'contentstore.views.preview_dispatch', name='preview_dispatch'),
+    url(r'^(?P<org>[^/]+)/(?P<course>[^/]+)/course/(?P<coursename>[^/]+)/upload_asset$', 
+        'contentstore.views.upload_asset', name='upload_asset')
 )
 
 # User creation and updating views
diff --git a/common/djangoapps/cache_toolbox/core.py b/common/djangoapps/cache_toolbox/core.py
index 208be34a73..85e1c8a246 100644
--- a/common/djangoapps/cache_toolbox/core.py
+++ b/common/djangoapps/cache_toolbox/core.py
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ Core methods
 
 from django.core.cache import cache
 from django.db import DEFAULT_DB_ALIAS
+from xmodule.contentstore import StaticContent
 
 from . import app_settings
 
@@ -107,3 +108,19 @@ def instance_key(model, instance_or_pk):
         model._meta.module_name,
         getattr(instance_or_pk, 'pk', instance_or_pk),
     )
+
+def content_key(filename):
+    return 'content:%s' % (filename)
+
+def set_cached_content(content):
+    cache.set(content_key(content.filename), content)
+
+def get_cached_content(filename):
+    return cache.get(content_key(filename))
+
+
+#def set_cached_content(filename, content_type, data):
+#    cache.set(content_key(filename), (filename, content_type, data))
+
+#def get_cached_content(filename):
+#    return cache.get(content_key(filename))