COMP 111 - History of Computing Syllabus
- George K. Thiruvathukal,
- David Dennis
Abstract
The social and organizational history of humanity is intricately
entangled with the history of technology in general and the technology
of information in particular. Advances in this area have often been
closely involved in social and political transformations. While the
contemporary period is often referred to by such names as the Computing
and Information Age, this is the culmination of a series of historical
transformations that have been centuries in the making. This course will
provide a venue for students to learn about history through the
evolution of number systems and arithmetic, calculating and computing
machines, and advanced communication technology via the Internet.
Students who take this course will attain a degree of technological
literacy while studying core historical concepts. Students who complete
this course will learn the key vocabulary of the computing discipline,
which is playing a significant role in modern human thought and new
media communications. The History of Computing will be organized around
the historical perspective. The relationships between social
organization, intellectual climate, and technology will be examined and
stressed.