The course sets the technological developments of information and communications technologies and services into their historical context in terms of the industrial revolution. It identifies the forces driving the changes of the last fifty years and the technological advances made during that period and tries to show how those forces will operate in the future. The effects of the adoption of the technology are considered in terms of economies, societies and cultures, from effects on employment to the availability of broadcast and on-line entertainment. Patterns and changes in employment are examined, both at the overall level of employment and job creation rates and at the personal level where changes occur in the ways in which we work. The ways in which education is affected by the use of technology are examined.
Every effort is made to relate the course to the problems of the contemporary world.
To demonstrate knowledge of communications principles. To describe transmissions media, including pluses and minuses of different types. To demonstrate a comprehension of computer networking. To describe and analyze features of local area networks and wide area networks. To understand several major types of distributed applications.