Approaches to History (393-0-24)
Topic
Computing: A Global History
Instructors
Benjamin Charles Lindquist
Meeting Info
Harris Hall L05: Mon, Wed 12:30PM - 1:50PM
Overview of class
How did computers become globally ubiquitous? Should we thank—or perhaps blame—isolated geniuses who toiled away in Silicon Valley? Or were our digital devices forged through geopolitics, international organizations, and world wars? This course will seek to answer these questions by analyzing the global development of modern computing from the nineteenth century to the present. In addition to looking at the technological and cultural contributions of the United States, we will spotlight the interconnected global nature of computing's history. By illuminating connections others have missed, we will see that the internet didn't connect the globe; rather, an interconnected world formed modern computing. To this end, participants will investigate how the Information Age was shaped through state planning in the Global South, Cold War competition, Japan's postwar growth, and the worldwide extraction of silica sand and quartz. Students will emerge from the seminar with both an appreciation of computing's historical highlights and an analytical framework for understanding how digital developments transcended borders and reconfigured the global community.
Learning Objectives
By the end of the quarter, students will have critically examined the historical narratives that have shaped contemporary computing. Doing this will allow students from different disciplines to gain a historically grounded understanding of terms and concepts that have become increasingly critical to understanding our digital world.
Evaluation Method
Class participation, final presentation
Class Notes
Concentration: Global
Class Attributes
Advanced Expression
Historical Studies Foundational Discipline
Historical Studies Distro Area