Computers continue to have an obvious and dramatic effect on society. This course will explore the converse: the impact of society upon computers. A particular computing technology is only developed (invented) because someone wants to accomplish something with that technology.
Why does a given computer system have some capabilities and not others? Sometimes technological research directions are determined by what is physically possible; but often people make explicit choices of what technologies to use and to develop. Societies throughout time and space have differed in what is commonly believed to be possible, desirable, or inevitable, with regards to computing technology just as with all other matters.
The objective of this course is to analyze the impact of society upon aspects of the history of computing technology and its precursors.
To understand the relationship between society and computers it is sometimes necessary to understand the computers. While a strong mathematical background is not required for this course, prospective students should not be afraid of mathematics, and should be prepared to learn some mathematical and computer science ideas on topics including algorithms and formal symbol manipulation.