TOPICS: HOW DIGITAL WORKS:BEHIND THE SCENES OF SOFTWARE ECON in Spring 2022 (CS1091)

Almost everyone today interacts with digital technologies in some way, whether it is through a

smartphone, browsing the Internet, hailing an Uber, analyzing data, or dealing with the economics of our digital economy. It's hard to think of an activity today that does not rely on some form of digital technology. However, how much do you know about this technology that surrounds us? Do you know how bits and bytes turn into words, sounds, and images? Do you know how or where your computer finds Facebook or YouTube or Twitter? Do you know how and why your personal information is being collected and analyzed and why or why not that is important? You don't need to know how digital works to live in our technology-dependent world, but you do need to know how it works to take best advantage of the opportunities it provides and to be a mover in our future economy. This course takes students through the web of technologies underlying our digital world including how the Internet works from the bottom up. In hands-on practice, students will learn to build and publish a basic website.

Learning Outcomes

-Students will have a basic understanding of the technologies and concepts underlying our digital environment.

-Students will have a basic understanding of digital security and privacy issues, rights, and regulations.

-Students will have a basic understanding of how the Internet works from packet routing to web pages displaying on a screen.

-Students will be able to create and publish a simple website from scratch (HTML, CSS, Javascript) and have the foundational understanding to extend this to more complex web applications.