Have a Question?
Contact program chair Tim Hickey, and he'll post it here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I major in Internet studies?
No, one can only minor in Internet studies.
Why would someone want to minor in Internet studies?
This program is for anyone who would like a deeper understanding of the technology underlying the Internet as well as a liberal arts perspective on how it is transforming society. All courses in the program are drawn from other departments (including American studies, anthropology, comparative literature, computer science, economics, English, legal studies and sociology) and have been designed primarily for majors in those disciplines.
What would I learn as an Internet studies minor?
Students who complete the Internet studies program will have studied the Internet from several perspectives, including computer science (hardware, software, computational models such as distributed computing, peer-to-peer computing, data compression, computer security, search engine technology), legal studies (statutory and case law concerning intellectual property, privacy, freedom of expression in the domain of the Internet), economics (Internet business models, role of the Internet in the economy), anthropology (structure of online communities, trust, comparisons of online and offline behavior) and literature (hypertext as a literary text, literary criticism of nonlinear works).
What is Internet studies, anyway?
Internet studies is a field that investigates the Internet and its interaction with society from a multidisciplinary perspective. Its practitioners largely consist of experts in well-established disciplines who study some aspect of the Internet. One indication that this truly is a field and not just a superficial conglomeration of unrelated subdisciplines is that many aspects of the Internet require a multidisciplinary approach to be fully understood. For example, computer security relies on theoretical computer science (cryptography), legal studies (right to privacy), philosophy (ethics, responsibility), politics (national interests versus individual liberty). Likewise, peer-to-peer computing raises legal, political and philosophical issues, as well as having the potential to transform the relationship between artists and society.