NATS 1700 6.0 COMPUTERS,  INFORMATION  AND  SOCIETY SYLLABUS "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler."  (Albert Einstein)   Outline Although computing is often equated with digital computers, and information technology with print and radio/television--and of course with the Internet--the history of these technologies does reach much further back in time. What historical, social, scientific contexts are needed in order to appreciate the need for more powerful and automated calculating tools and for developing these technologies? The course examines the implications of IT which reach deep into the fabric of our society, from privacy to the labor market, from copyright to censorship, from communication to the representation of knowledge, etc. The first few weeks of the course consist of a brief introduction to the nature of science and its methods. This is a common feature in all Natural Science courses, and it is as important as the rest of the course!   Required Readings This website is the required textbook. However, nothing yet can replace the physical library. York's Libraries include Scott and Steacie Science & Engineering Library. Make it a point to visit them often, browsing through the stacks, or asking for help, if you don't know where to begin. Michael Hauben and Ronda Hauben on-line Netbook, Netizens: On the History and Impact of Usenet and the Internet. "This netbook presents the history and impact of various aspects of the Net: the Internet, ARPANET, Usenet, etc. We hope to provide information which will help readers to understand where the Net has come from so as to help preserve its value throughout future developments and changes." A print edition has been published by the IEEE Computer Society Press (1997). The latest plain text version is stored at http://www.columbia.edu/~rh120/. All the specially marked  ()  links in the lectures. A free, good on-line encyclopedia is Wikipedia. It has many excellent articles on computing, computers, history of computing, etc. Whenever you encounter a computer-related term the meaning of which escapes you, check FOLDOC: Free On-Line Dictionary of Computing. More generally, try to use reliable search engines. Some good ones are Google Scholar , Scirus , ScienceResearch , Scopus. One book that should be on everybody's shelves, no matter what you study, is a good dictionary. A dictionary is not an encyclopedia, but a first orientation tool which, for instance, tells you that 'algorithm' is not the latest style of hip-hop, but 'a procedure for solving mathematical problems.' You know then that to find more information on algorithms you should look in the mathematics--not in the music--section of the library. Get a good 'collegiate' dictionary, such as Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (10th edition, Merriam-Webster, 1998). There are also several good on-line dictionaries, such as English Dictionary.   Suggested Readings J Abbate, Inventing the Internet. The MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1999 A F Chalmers, What Is This Thing Called Science?, 2nd edition. University of Queensland Press, 1976, 1982 H Collins and T Pinch, The Golem: What You Should Know about Science. 2nd edition. Cambridge University Press 1998 U M Franklin, The Real World of Technology. Revised Edition. Anansi, 1990, 1999 N Negroponte, Being Digital. Vintage Books, New York. 1995 R S Rosenberg, The Social Impact of Computers. 2nd edition. Academic Press, 1997 T Roszak, The Cult of Information. University of California Press. 2nd edition. 1994 T Standage, The Victorian Internet, Berkeley Books, New York, 1999 C Stoll, Silicon Snake Oil. Doubleday Books. New York, 1995 M R Williams, A History of Computing Technology. IEEE Computer Society Press, 2nd edition, 1997 Readings from American Scientist,   Scientific American  ,  IEEE Annals of the History of Computing  ,  Technology and Culture  , and other sources, will be discussed as the course progresses Selected References   Evaluation Two written essays of approximately 1500 and 2500 words, respectively, worth 20% and 40%, respectively, on one of a number of topics to be assigned. The first essay will be due October 27, 2009, while the second will be due March 02, 2010. No extensions will be granted. A final exam, worth 40%. The date of the exam will be set by the Registrar. See News for the latest details   Schedule of Lectures       Important Warnings This course and this website are not like a gas station. Do not expect to be 'filled up' with information to be regurgitated at assignment and exam time. The outlines included in this website are, literally, only OUTLINES. They are NOT transcripts of the actual lectures ! Over the many years I taught this course I can say without hesitation that to really benefit from the course (i.e. to learn, and to get a decent grade), you must attend classes and participate in the discussions read and study the outlines and the required readings spend time in the Library buildings The references provided in the outlines may not, and often are not, the most recent ones available. The course focuses more on how computing and computers developed and evolved, than on the latest IT news. It is part of your course work to complement the material provided here.       List of Lectures       Lecture 00 : Goals, Methods, Contents. Deadlines, Resources, etc.       Lecture 01 : The Method(s) of Science I : Introduction       Lecture 02 : The Method(s) of Science II : Inductivism       Lecture 03 : The Method(s) of Science III : Falsificationism       Lecture 04 : The Method(s) of Science IV : Kuhn's Paradigms       Lecture 05 : The Method(s) of Science V : Conclusions       Lecture 06 : Information : Shannon's Definition       Lecture 07 : A Short History of Ancient Computing       Lecture 08 : From Napier to Babbage       Lecture 09 : From Hollerith to Turing       Lecture 10 : The Modern Computer       Lecture 11 : Computers and Intelligence       Lecture 12 : Artificial Intelligence : Strong and Weak       Lecture 13 : Expert Systems, Neural Nets, Alife, etc.       Lecture 14 : Databases and Data Mining       Lecture 15 : The Global Information Society       Lecture 16 : The Internet and the World Wide Web       Lecture 17 : Computing in the Humanities and in Education       Lecture 18 : E-Business, E-Commerce, E-Trade, etc.       Lecture 19 : Intellectual Property Rights       Lecture 20 : Privacy, Freedom and Censorship       Lecture 21 : Security       Lecture 22 : Review and Conclusions   | Back | Selected References |   Last Modification Date: 27 August 2009