The Information Age

UCOL20782 The Information Age 20 Semester 2 Undergraduate Level 2 James Sumner Unit coordinator Faculty of Life Sciences 1 FHEQ level (Framework for Higher Education Qualifications) ' Middle part of Bachelors ' European Credit Transfer & Accumulation System Rating : 10.0 The Information Age uses historical case studies to show how and why digital information-processing occupies a crucial role in present-day human life. Combining strands from technical, social, cultural and economic history, it will describe the development of mass-produced computer technology and mass public access to information systems, and their consequences for society. It will also show the role of hopes, fears and other visions in informing public ideas, using examples ranging from employment forecasting to science-fiction dreams.This course can be taken for 10 credits (code HSTM20282) or 20 credits (HSTM20782). The Information Age uses historical case studies to show how and why digital information-processing occupies a crucial role in present-day human life. Combining strands from technical, social, cultural and economic history, it will describe the development of mass-produced computer technology and mass public access to information systems, and their consequences for society. It will also show the role of hopes, fears and other visions in informing public ideas, using examples ranging from employment forecasting to science-fiction dreams.This course can be taken for 10 credits (code HSTM20282) or 20 credits (HSTM20782). How did information-processing equipment come to dominate, by the beginning of the twenty-first century, so many areas of human life? Who are the winners and losers in a computerised, automated, data-driven world? Is “information technology” applied computer science, or applied bureaucracy? This course tries to answer this question by tracing the histories of a range of technological developments, from the mechanical calculating machines of the nineteenth century to the global networked systems of today.The course is equally suitable for computer science students and those who have never studied the field, but are interested in learning more about the background of one of the dominant technologies of our time.This course can be taken for 10 credits (code HSTM20282) or 20 credits (HSTM20782). By the end of this unit, it is expected that all students will: <ul> <li> have a good working knowledge of major developments in the history of information technology, particularly from the Second World War onwards</li> <li> have developed skills in critical reasoning and analysis, understanding the different motivations of historical characters in the history of information technology, and the differences in the ways they interpret and describe events</li> <li> be able to appreciate, and display the ability to analyse and discuss, the different factors - social, technical, sometimes accidental - which shape the history of computing, and the definition of the computer and its users</li> </ul> In addition, a student taking the 20-credit version will: <ul> <li> have defined (in consultation with the lecturer) a research project in the history of computing</li> <li> be able to find, and assess critically, relevant primary and secondary sources</li> <li> have produced, with full scholarly apparatus, a report (or alternative piece of work, subject to the lecturer’s approval) based on this research.</li> </ul> Analytical skills All work on this course involves the critical examination of source materials (who wrote this, when and why? What was the intended audience? Did it have the intended effect?...) Innovation/creativity Throughout the course, students are expected to give their own interpretations of the ideas and narratives presented, through in-class discussion and in their written work. Oral communication Half the classroom time each week is devoted to seminar discussion based on a reading or research task. All students will be involved in oral discussion. Problem solving All essay-writing is a form of problem-solving! Research All assessed work is based on independent source research. Written communication All students write a 1500-word essay in standard humanities form, and receive individual written feedback. Other This course has a particularly broad intake from across the University, and provides opportunities to interact with students trained in a wide range of disciplines. Lectures and seminars are likely to cover the following themes: <ul> <li> Charles Babbage and mechanical calculation</li> <li> Managing information before the digital computer</li> <li> Hardware, software and services</li> <li> Alan Turing and thinking machines</li> <li> The local dimension: Manchester’s competing histories of computing</li> <li> Robots in reality and fiction</li> <li> Computers for the people! Home micros, hackers and hyperspace</li> <li> Women, men and computers</li> <li> Boffins, wizards, hackers and nerds: images of ‘computer people’</li> <li> Mass internet access and online identity</li> </ul> 0 Other 100% 1500 word essay (50%) and a 2 hour exam (50%) Students may ask questions at any time during lectures and seminars. Teaching staff will answer specific queries by email and by appointment for individual meetings, and will provide contact details in the course handbook or at lectures. All submitted coursework will be returned with annotations and an assessment sheet explaining the mark awarded. In addition, students on the 20 credit version (HSTM20782) will receive comments on the progress of their projects through individual supervision meetings. Y <ul> <li> Required: Campbell-Kelly, M., et al. (2013) Computer: A History of the Information Machine (third edition). Westview</li> <li> Recommended: Ceruzzi, P. (2003) A History of Modern Computing, 2nd edition. MIT Press</li> <li> Recommended: Levy, S. (2001) Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution. Penguin</li> <li> Swedin, E (2005) Computers: the Life Story of a Technology. Johns Hopkins University Press</li> <li> Recommended: Abbate, J (2012) Recoding Gender: Women’s Changing Participation in Computing. MIT Press</li> </ul> Assessment written exam 2 Lectures 12 Seminars 12 174