The impact of technology and networks on our lives, culture, and society continues to increase. The very fact that you can take this course from anywhere in the world requires a technological infrastructure that was designed, engineered, and built over the past sixty years. To function in an information-centric world, we need to understand the workings of network technology. This course will open up the Internet and show you how it was created, who created it and how it works. Along the way we will meet many of the innovators who developed the Internet and Web technologies that we use today.
Offered By
Internet History, Technology, and Security
University of MichiganAbout this Course
Learner Career Outcomes
45%
30%
10%
Skills you will gain
Learner Career Outcomes
45%
30%
10%
Offered by

University of Michigan
The mission of the University of Michigan is to serve the people of Michigan and the world through preeminence in creating, communicating, preserving and applying knowledge, art, and academic values, and in developing leaders and citizens who will challenge the present and enrich the future.
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
Getting Started
Welcome to the class. We will first look at the history of the Internet and Web, followed by a look at how the network works and then examine how we secure information on the Internet and Web.
History: Dawn of Electronic Computing
World War II emphasized the strategic importance of computation, communication, and information. There was unprecedented investment in the development of new technologies during the war. We start with Alan Turing and others at Bletchley Park.
History: The First Internet - NSFNet
In the 1960s and 1970s, there was a great deal of research done to build the first wide-area packet switched networks for the US Department of Defense. In the 1980s, the first “Internet” was formed to allow academic researchers to access supercomputer resources.
History: The Web Makes it Easy to Use
The World-Wide-Web was invented in 1990 but it was not an overnight success. But by 1994 - “the year of the web” - the web was being widely used and Internet usage was growing by leaps and bounds.
History: Commercialization and Growth
The late 1990’s saw the web and Internet used increasingly to revolutionize how business was done. Companies like Amazon were founded and grew very rapidly.
Reviews
TOP REVIEWS FROM INTERNET HISTORY, TECHNOLOGY, AND SECURITY
This course was awesome. A combination of the history, sociology and practical architectural / implementation elements of modern digital and internet technology. I enjoyed it thoroughly. Thanks Chuck!
This is an extremely important course. I would love to see it taught in high schools or in the first year of university. We should all understand how the Internet was developed and how it functions.
Dr. Chuck is the best teacher who explains the Internet History and the main concepts on technologý and security so single and kind, I enjoyed learning so much with this course, thanks to everyone!
Great Instructor! I have learnt alot from this course as well as the instructor. I am thankful to coursera for providing me this opportunity to learn from an instructor like Dr. Charles Severance.
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