HIST 216: From Gutenberg to Zuckerberg: A (Long) History of the Internet

Learn about the fascinating history of the Internet.

The Internet is a huge part of our lives, but you may be surprised to hear that our obsession with technology goes all the way back to the days of Johannes Gutenberg!

HIST 216: From Gutenberg to Zuckerberg: A (Long) History of the Internet teaches you the history of the Internet, from the printing press to the social media landscape of today. This article will tell you everything you need to know about this course, including its learning takeaways, its class structure, and the required readings and assignments. You’ll also hear from Dr. Joe Buscemi, who teaches the online version of the course. Read on to see how the history of the web has been spun!

About HIST 216: From Gutenberg to Zuckerberg: A (Long) History of the Internet 

What you’ll learn 

HIST 216 takes you through the (web) pages of history to explore human communication throughout the ages. The course starts at cave paintings, and then transitions to the printing press, early computers, and finally modern technology including social media, videos, and memes. Taking a thematic approach, you’ll learn the importance of communication and how technology has had both a positive and negative influence on human interaction over the centuries. This course has no prerequisites, so whether you’re a History major looking for a course to add to your degree or a Computer Science major hoping to study technology from an arts perspective, HIST 216 is for you! 

Major themes 

• Technological evolution 

• Through learning about how the spread of information progressed, you’ll explore the different ways in which humans communicated with each other. You’ll focus specifically on technological advancements, such as the printing press, computers, and smartphones, and study how technological changes affected communication methods and users. 

• How computers work 

• You’ll learn the basics of how computers work, including how its components and systems have changed throughout the years. If you’re not a computer whiz, don’t fret! You don’t need to know anything about how computers work to take this course, and these sections are taught at a slow pace to accommodate students of all levels of knowledge.  

• Freedom of speech 

• With the dissemination of information comes attempts to censor it. You’ll learn about historical efforts to restrict the spread of information, as well as modern issues when it comes to controlling what content is permitted online. In addition, you’ll get to share your ideas on whether you believe the Internet should be policed or not – there’s no wrong answers! 

Readings 

This course is intended for all students, so the reading list was designed to be engaging for students of arts and STEM backgrounds alike. You’ll read some magazine articles and a scholarly article to expand your understanding of course concepts, as well as how the technology mentioned in the modules works. These readings will teach you not only how technology is approached from an arts perspective, but also gives you a deeper understanding of technological processes and mechanics. 

Assignments 

Because HIST 216 is an online course, you’ll complete all your assignments asynchronously by the date outlined in the course schedule. Every other week, you’ll be assigned small activities that help you engage with the material. You’ll then complete three major assignments, two of which revolve around a research essay. This assignment will require you to find an old webpage on Internet Archive and describe how the presentation of information has changed from then to today. Finally, you’ll complete a take-home exam that summarizes your understanding of course concepts. 

An average HIST 216 module 

Each module starts with a short video lecture given by Dr. Ian Milligan, the creator of the course. The module continues with various pictures, infographics, and timelines that allow you to visualize the week’s content. Once you’ve completed the module, you’ll have a list of readings and activities to complete, including group discussions, activities, and assignments. The class is held asynchronously, meaning you can read the module content at any point during the week it is assigned. 

Why take this course? 

Regardless of your academic background, all students will be able to learn something in this course! Arts students will gain a deeper understanding of how everyday technology works, while STEM students will learn how technology is approached from an arts perspective. In addition, you’ll improve your writing, critical thinking, and research skills, as well as learn how to write an essay proposal and receive and implement feedback. By the end of the course, you’ll be more knowledgeable about the technology that’s become a huge part of our lives and better appreciate it. 

About Dr. Buscemi 

Dr. Joe Buscemi completed his PhD in History at the University of Waterloo in 2020. His work focused on the classified British nuclear civil defence programme and examined its connection to economic decline, the rise of Thatcherism, British popular culture, and nuclear deterrence. His interests include British history, the Cold War, and 20th century pop culture, and he teaches both history courses and Arts First courses on these topics. His research was commended in the 2016 Three Minute Thesis People’s Choice Award. 

Why do you like teaching this course?  

“This course was developed by super professor Ian Milligan, who’s kind of the digital history guru. He’s since moved on from the teaching side of UW, but he’s always been very kind to me and I co-taught some of his classes with him. When he needed someone to fill in for this course, he recommended me. What first drew me to the course was the fact that I’m in the generation of when the Internet was first developing and it was kind of a free for all. I identify so much of my upbringing with those really early memes and YouTube videos and the insanity. When I saw that I could relate this in an organized academic context to the next generation that didn’t experience that, I jumped at the opportunity. I love to hear the discussions from students of how the Internet experience is now and how they get information. It’s kind of weird, but at the same time it’s so different and fun.” 

How do you engage students during class? 

“The actual modules were created by Ian and the Centre for Extended Learning, and they did a really amazing job of packaging the visuals and content. But with the weekly updates and announcements and group discussions, that’s my time to shine. I like to have a sub form where students can introduce themselves and post pictures to keep it like an in-person class where you can meet people. I do Question and Answer things too, like ‘tell me your favourite hobbies,’ which hopefully sparks a side conversation. Students have weekly group discussions, where I also try to bring ideas together. So, one person will make their post and another person makes their post, and I write, ‘Hey, did you notice that this person had pretty much the same idea? What do you think about that?” I show them memes and video clips and they do Kahoot quizzes too – any song and dance I can do to keep students engaged and interested. For an online course, it’s as social as an online course can be.” 

What do you hope students will get out of this course? 

“All my courses, my emphasis is on critical thinking. I appreciate the idea of teaching students how to think and engage different topics rather than what to think. This course is great for that, because you can’t say that anything is definitively all good or all bad. It asks, ‘What do you think about it?’ ‘How does it impact things?’ And it invites students to do some research and find some things out for themselves and see what results from their ideas. So, if someone said the Internet is evil, I say okay, tell me how. You have to show me your logic and how you developed that. I can disagree, but if you did the work and shown how you established that way of thinking, I can’t say it’s or incorrect. I also hope they have a deeper appreciation of the Internet that they use now, and understand where it came from and how it affects our lives and expressions of ourselves.” 

What is your favourite topic in this course?  

“Definitely the memes section. I love that. Just because it’s my kind of humour, the random things make me laugh. And it never goes stale. I bring the newest memes into the course, so it’s always updated, it’s always something new, and it’s a fun way to communicate with the students. And it’s great for engagement because they want to talk about the latest meme. I like to ask students what their favourite memes are, because that always changes. One of my favourites is ‘we have x at home,’ which I have saved, and I show that to students. I love bringing memes up because it’s like a history time capsule when you remember what we used to think was funny. We talk about Vine too, and how memes progressed into video form, which of course we have with TikTok now, to an extent.” 

Special thanks to Dr. Buscemi for providing an interview for this article!