CS33b: Internet and Society

Course Goals

An interdisciplinary survey of the Internet. Taught by a team of professors from several different departments, the course content will vary from year to year. Some particular topics to be covered are the architecture of the Internet (and the implications this has on its regulation), intellectual property, privacy, censorship, e-commerce, online education, and research.

Rough Syllabus

• Week 1: Architecture of the internet - privacy, security, trust.
• Week 2: Intellectual Monopoly - copyright, patents, the information commons
• Week 3: Economics of the Internet - information goods, network effects, p2p commerce
• Week 4: Creative Destruction and the Internet: publishing, journalism, social networks
• Week 5: Student Presentations