[SIGCIS-Members] History courses in CS departments

[Baker, Alexi]

Hi Evan,

Here at Yale, Professor Michael Fischer from Computer Science has been teaching an undergraduate course CPSC 414 "Computing Then and Now: How Digital Technology Evolves" since 2022. (There could be others at Yale -  I'm just aware of this one because it always pays a visit to our museum objects related to the long history of computing!)

The official course description is: "The goal of this course is to provide the historical perspective needed to think critically about today's emerging computing technologies such as AI, self-driving cars, autonomous drones, quantum computers, and blockchains. This course traces the evolution of selected examples of digital technology from their intellectual bases through ubiquitous deployment. Examples are drawn from computer hardware and software systems, networking, algorithms, and applications."

Best wishes, Alexi


Dr. Alexi Baker

Division of the History of Science & Technology

Yale Peabody Museum

Tel. 203-737-3084

alexi.baker at yale.edu

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From: Members <members-bounces at lists.sigcis.org> on behalf of Evan Koblentz via Members <members at lists.sigcis.org>
Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2023 12:40 PM
To: members at lists.sigcis.org <members at lists.sigcis.org>
Subject: [SIGCIS-Members] History courses in CS departments


Hi everyone,

I've been teaching a special topics course in computer history for three semesters here at NJIT. The university policy is three semesters maximum, then the course must be made permanent or cancelled. So I'm going through the process of trying to make it permanent.

The department administration supports it, but it has to be voted on by the rank-and-file faculty, many of whom don't seem to understand the value of a history course -- or at least not of a history course in a technical department, rather than through our humanities college.

It would help if I can show them other examples. Can anyone point me existing examples of history courses in CS, EE, or other technical departments at U.S. universities?

--
Evan Koblentz

New Jersey Institute of Technology
- Senior Writer, Office of Strategic Communications
- Adjunct Instructor, Ying Wu College of Computing
- Faculty/Staff Advisor, NJIT Lego Club

evank at njit.edu<mailto:evank at njit.edu>
(973) 596-3065
https://web.njit.edu/~evank<https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fweb.njit.edu%2F~evank%2F&data=05%7C01%7Calexi.baker%40yale.edu%7Ceac217aa5e8e46efef6008db0f7be021%7Cdd8cbebb21394df8b4114e3e87abeb5c%7C0%7C0%7C638120796941768957%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=Zc5e6mH%2Fx%2FW%2BboiSWhzOZGZ5mcdNL%2BNNiQuS%2Bggd5ag%3D&reserved=0>
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