While the Internet became a mass medium during the 1990s, its direct antecedents stretch back to the early 20th century, and historically through the telegraph to the Gutenberg press. This lecture will cover the network’s origins and history, and explore the ways in which it has shaped and been shaped by public policy.
This multi-disciplinary course exposes students to basic communications and computer science materials on the core technological principles of the Internet, as well as more traditional social science materials such as public policy documents and reports as well as academic texts. In order to reinforce students’ appreciation of the importance of adopting a technologically informed approach to studying the Internet, the course covers several key policy debates such as content regulation, privacy and security and Internet governance, in each case identifying the extent to which the range of policy options is narrowed or expanded by fast-moving technological innovation, and shifts in public policy and regulation. This will, in addition, enable students to appreciate the broader implications and relevance of academic study in this field.
