IN PERSON: The World Wide Web is a vast and diverse space. Since its inception in the early 1990s, it has grown to include an estimated 2 billion websites containing 7,500 terabytes of information. Today, approximately 5 billion people spend about 6 1/2 hours accessing the web daily. We routinely use the web to communicate, collaborate, access information, shop, manage our finances and entertain ourselves. This course is designed to enhance students’ understanding of technologies enabling the web in ways that help us better navigate it. We will review the history of the web and key ideologies that influence its design. With this framework in hand, we will explore the web in more depth, covering social media, cryptocurrency, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and the dark web. While this lecture-based course will explore some case studies, students can expect to participate in lively discussions about the web's social and cultural impacts. | Lecture + Q&A, Facilitated discussion.
Max enrollment: 20.
Location: Judea Reform Congregation, 1933 W. Cornwallis Rd, Durham NC 27705
David Shamlin began exploring computers and coding as a teenager. After studying computer science at NC State University, he embarked on a 35-year career in software engineering at SAS Institute. In the last 20 years of his tenure at SAS, working as a research and development director, he led teams implementing distributed platform architectures, big data analytics and cloud computing. David enjoys spending time surfing the web and is passionate about helping others grow their digital literacy.