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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-GB link=blue vlink=purple style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'>Evan<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'>Congratulations. Excellent news. Many have long lamented the absence of history of computing on university curricula. Perhaps there is an analogy with horticulture – perennial (enduringly renewing) compared to annual (ephemeral). Good to have the course consolidated. Encourages cumulative growth.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'>I was struck by your use of ‘correctives’ in your Why History? Link. I used the same device in my recently published book <b><i>The History of Computing: A very Short Introduction</i></b> (OUP August 2022) using examples of how received perceptions became entrenched in established accounts <a href="https://academic.oup.com/book/43867">https://academic.oup.com/book/43867</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'>The book asks, What tale do we tell? And Why do we tell it the way we do? It is a canonical account of computer history in 35,000 words from pebbles to smartphones critically examining how and why we constructed the narrative the way we did and how the tropes of popular history influenced the received account. An aerial view of the field, that resonates with what I imagine to be part of your motivation for your course. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'>All best<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'>Doron<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:9.0pt'>Doron Swade<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:9.0pt'>Chair, Computer Conservation Society</span><span style='mso-fareast-language:EN-US'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0cm 0cm 0cm'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span lang=EN-US>From:</span></b><span lang=EN-US> Members <members-bounces@lists.sigcis.org> <b>On Behalf Of </b>Koblentz, Evan via Members<br><b>Sent:</b> Thursday, March 2, 2023 2:34 AM<br><b>To:</b> members@lists.sigcis.org<br><b>Subject:</b> [SIGCIS-Members] Good news! Re: History courses in CS departments<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><div><p class=MsoNormal>My course is permanent now! Our CS faculty voted in favor of it today. The department chairman called me with the good news and said there were only two 'no' votes. It's going to be CS-210. I hoped for 300 level, but I'll take it.<o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Now that it's no longer a special topics course starting this fall, I will post a syllabus at <a href="https://web.njit.edu/~evank/">https://web.njit.edu/~evank/</a>.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>The many replies to my original post on this list, both on/off-list, were very helpful. Thank you again to everyone who posted constructively.<o:p></o:p></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><div><p class=MsoNormal>On Wed, Feb 15, 2023 at 12:40 PM Evan Koblentz <<a href="mailto:evank@njit.edu">evank@njit.edu</a>> wrote:<o:p></o:p></p></div><blockquote style='border:none;border-left:solid #CCCCCC 1.0pt;padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 6.0pt;margin-left:4.8pt;margin-top:5.0pt;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><div><p>Hi everyone,<o:p></o:p></p><p>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.<o:p></o:p></p><p>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.<o:p></o:p></p><p>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?<o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal>-- <br>Evan Koblentz <o:p></o:p></p><p>New Jersey Institute of Technology<br>- Senior Writer, Office of Strategic Communications<br>- Adjunct Instructor, Ying Wu College of Computing<br>- Faculty/Staff Advisor, NJIT Lego Club<o:p></o:p></p><p><a href="mailto:evank@njit.edu" target="_blank">evank@njit.edu</a><br>(973) 596-3065<br><a href="https://web.njit.edu/~evank/" target="_blank">https://web.njit.edu/~evank</a><o:p></o:p></p></div></div></blockquote></div></div></div></body></html>