Syllabus - Beyond Calculation (IE 162)

Spring Semester 2004

Professor: Mike Erlinger
Office: Olin 1258b
Phone: x-18912
E-mail: mike@cs.hmc.edu

Meeting Times: Tuesday 6:30 - 9:30 PM
Meeting Place: Linde Riggs Room

Mail lists: ie-162-l@hmc.edu for admin issues
Graders: Mike and Class
Secretary: Joyce Greene, Olin 1258, 621-8225,

Course Description

(Catalogue) Description: Students will review the history of computing, the current state of computing, and various predictions of the future of computing. The reviews will encompass social and economic aspects of computing along with the technical. Using these three views of computing and their breath in science and the humanities, the students will produce their own prediction of computing in ten, fifteen, twenty, or twenty-five years. This prediction will include all aspects of the computing equation: scientific, economic, and social.

Course Counting

• This course counts as an IE course.
• Can count within the Hum/Soc criteria for concentrations in STS and for elective credit.
• Meets the Hum/Soc department's criteria for a seminar as described in the off-campus seminar form.

Required Books

There are 4 books:

• "A History of Modern Computing", 2nd Edition by Paul Ceruzzi, MIT Press, ISBN: 0-262-53203-4
• "Beyond Calculation, The Next Fifty Years of Computing", Peter Denning and Robert Metcalfe, editors, Springer-Verlag, 1997. ISBN 0-387-94932-1
• "The Cyborg Self and the Networked City", William J. Mitchell, ISBN 0-262-13434-9
• "Silicon Snake Oil: Second Thoughts on the Information Highway", C. Stoll, Doubleday/Anchor, 1995. ISBN 0385419945

Course Format

This course is a discussion and seminar course. Thus the success of the course depends on students taking responsibility for investigating the course material and expressing themselves in class discussions, papers, and projects. There will be:

• 6 Critical essays, 3 to 5 pages
• A Group project
• Individual critical paper - 15 pages.
• Students will each moderate multiple class discussions.

Course Discussion List

There will NOT be a class email discuss list. I have let the class grow beyond the 'desired' number and realize that the size will make on-line discussion difficult. If we were doing on-line discussion, then:

The idea is for this list to motivate discussion for the upcoming class. Full page treatises are not expected, but rather the list is meant as a vehicle for topics/issues centered around the current reading. You are welcome to develop a major treatise, but I would like the discussion list to get people to think about the readings BEFORE coming to class.

So the absence of a list puts more pressure on people to come to class prepared...

Classroom Participation

For each class, designated individuals will be responsible for leading the class discussion parts of the readings, they are the moderators. Also for each class individuals will be responsible for preparing additional questions and issues related to the readings, i.e., adversaries. The rest of the class is responsible for joining the discussions. Besides have done the readings, you need to come to class having thought a little about the topics.

Course Focus

There will be three general focus areas: History of Computing, Current State of Computing, and Future of Computing. We will investigate computing at each of these stages including technical, economic, and societal issues. We will try to give equal time to all areas.

Discussion of History of Computing from various aspects including, but not limited to: Technical, Economic, and Social. The class discussions will evaluate the history of computing from all three aspects, showing whether (any maybe how) things other than technology have dictated or influenced the direction of computing.

Discussion of Current State of Computing from a current (no more than a 3 year historical perspective) i.e., what in the last 3 years has been most influential on the current state of computing. These discussions will be from various aspects including, but not limited to: Technical, Economic, and Social.

The Future of Computing will also be investigated. There are numerous predictions. We will investigate some through various books, movies, and papers. Again trying to understand more than the technology itself, including who will really be using the advances and how will society in general be affected. Students will do a final seminar level paper on a critical analysis of the future state of some particular aspect of computing, e.g., computing in the home or educational computing, etc. The topic and time frame need to be discussed and approved by me. Hopefully, during the semester, the class will uncover some aspect of computing that perks your interest. These papers must combine all of the aspects covered in the Historical and Current State of Computing discussions, e.g., scientific, economic, and social. So WAGs (Wide Ass Guess) are not appropriate.

There is also a group project/presentation which can focus on current or historical aspects of computing. The project contents and directions must be coordinate with me. The group projects will be chosen in the first 3 lectures with the Group presentations spread over the semester, e.g., weeks 4, 6, 8, etc. The idea is to do group presentations periodically during the semester.

Grading

• 100% - Attendance
  It is difficult to have a discussion course with no students. To get this credit, you need to miss no more than 1 classes during the semester. (Obviously real problems, like being run over by a car, will be treated as an exception).
• 25% - Class Participation
  I realize many students are reluctant to speak up in class, but a discussion course requires discussion. Thus, plan on participating in class or not doing well on this aspect of the course. This aspect of the course also includes your performance as both moderator and adversary.
• 25% - Commentaries
  At various times, you will be asked to write a short paper (3 to 5 pages) that both summarizes and comments on a topic from material outside of the assigned class books. The commentaries will provide an evaluation of your ability to critically read material.
• 25% - Group Project/Presentation
  This project will involve a historical and current look at some segment of society and its use of computing technology. For example, a team might study the use of computers in K-12 education, visiting a school, school district office, etc. One key point being to determine just how quickly the technology has been/is being integrated.
• 25% - Individual Project/Presentation
  You WILL use the writing center for your individual project, which will focus purely on predicting some aspect of computing in 10-20 years. The topic and timeframe must be coordinate with me as the semester progresses. Your paper must consider social and technical aspects of your prediction.

Course Outline

The following are topics to be covered in depth during the semester, and our discussions will be based on the books and other readings. It is impossible to delineate where material will come for each of the topics, but the required books and other readings should provide the background.

Previously, the course looked first at history, then at future technology, and then reviewed current technology. This time we are going to try to interleave the topics.