MDST 3500 Comparative Histories of the Internet

Tuesdays and Thursdays 9:30-10:45 a.m. in Minor Hall

Today, nearly every adult in the U.S. uses the internet. Wireless signals silently fill our public and private spaces. In this course, you will learn how computer networks became a medium for interpersonal communication and community. We will “reverse engineer” the technologies and technical cultures that gave rise to the global information infrastructure. Along the way, you will explore unfinished systems, abandoned experiments, and other historical “dead ends.” This course takes a hands-on approach to media history and you will become familiar with the technical concepts that make the internet possible

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