Massimiliano Albanese

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Internet Technologies in the Information Era (HONR299B)

Fall 2010. Monday/Wednesdey, 3:00-4:15 p.m.

Syllabus Syllabus

Course description

The digital revolution has caused a shift towards an economy based on the manipulation of information, and the Internet has made a massive amount of information publicly available. The course offers a survey of the technologies and issues underlying the use of the Internet for communication, research, and dissemination of information.

Course topics include an introduction to Internet protocols, Internet history and development, the dot-com bubble, network security, and today's major applications (e.g., e-commerce) and trends. The course also covers legal and social issues related to the use of Internet, such as copyrights, intellectual property, and the emerging phenomenon of social networks. Finally, the course explores the importance, in today's economy, of building an online presence and offers a survey of the existing tools and technologies that individuals and companies have available to build their own online presence.

Students taking this course will:

  • become familiar with the technology that enables and supports the effective use of the Internet for research, communication, and dissemination of information
  • become familiar with the social and legal issues related to the advent and widespread use of the Internet in areas such as personal and professional communications, commercial applications, and research
  • acquire hands-on experience with most of the tools and technologies covered in the course
  • acquire experience in writing about issues related to Internet
  • become able to build their online presence at the end of the course
Assignments include:
  • Reading course related articles assigned by the instructor, and writing brief reports to present to the class.
  • Using the tools presented in class to complete research tasks assigned by the instructor.
  • Building your own personal homepage, using Google Sites, or similar tools, and adding features to it as the courses moves on.

Tentative readings include:

  • Embedding Into Our Lives: New Opportunities and Challenges of the Internet, Louise Leung, Anthony Y. H. Fung, Paul S. N. Lee, Chinese University Press
  • The Hyperlinked Society: Questioning Connections in the Digital Age, Joseph Turow, Lokman Tsui, University of Michigan Press
  • Search Engine Society, Alexander Halavais
  • Participative Web and user-created content [electronic resource]: Web 2.0, wikis and social networking.

CORE: Interdisciplinary and Emerging Issues [IE]

 

Textbooks

Two textbooks are required for this course, and both titles are available in electronic format (eTextbook) through CourseSmart.com. The price of an eTextbooks is typically 50% of the orignal list price of the equivalent print version.

Course Smart
The Internet Book: Everything You Need to Know About Computer Networking and How the Internet Works, Fourth Edition
by Douglas E. Comer - Cisco Systems San Jose, CA and Department of Computer Sciences Purdue University
Price to Student $37.00
A Gift of Fire: Social, Legal, and Ethical Issues for Computing and the Internet, Third Edition
by Sara Baase - Professor Emeritus of Computer Science, San Diego State University
Price to Student $42.50

Alternatively, for those who prefer a hardcopy of the textbooks, Amazon.com offers convenient options for buying new or used books. Please keep in mind that Amazon.com prices are subject to continuous changes. As of August 18, 2010, the best prices for used copies of the two textbooks are $22.99 and $52.71 respectively. An Amazon.com Listmania! list has been created for this course to give student easy access to available options. Click here to check current prices on Amazon.com.

 

Course tools

Join the Facebook group of HONR299B Join the Facebook group of HONR299B

YouTube channel of HONR299B YouTube channel of HONR299B

Email the instructor Email the instructor with questions and comments:

 

Demos

Caesar cipher demo

 

Schedule of classes

 

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