Clinical Professor, School of Information
Internet History, Technology, and Security
What You'll Learn
- Understand important technological issues currently facing society.
- Understand how the internet and web are spaces for innovation and how you might fit into that innovation.
11 Modules
11 Hours
1 hr per module (approx.)
Rating
About Internet History, Technology, and Security
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.
What You Will Learn:
After this course you will not take the Internet and Web for granted. You will be better informed about important technological issues currently facing society. You will realize that the Internet and Web are spaces for innovation and you will get a better understanding of how you might fit into that innovation. If you get excited about the material in this course, it is a great lead-in to taking a course in Web design, Web development, programming, or even network administration. At a minimum, you will be a much wiser network citizen.
Skills You'll Gain
- Internet Protocol Essentials
- Internet Security
What You'll Earn
- Certificate of Completion:
- Certificates of completion acknowledge knowledge acquired upon completion of a non-credit course or program.
Welcome Message
Internet History, Technology, and Security explores how the Internet was designed, built, and secured over time. Learners examine the historical, technical, and security foundations of networking while gaining insight into the innovators and protocols that shaped today’s digital world.
This abbreviated syllabus description was created with the help of AI tools and reviewed by staff. The full syllabus is available to those who enroll in the course.
Course Schedule
Module 1: Getting Started
- Reading: Course Materials
- Video: Welcome to Class
- Reading: Course Syllabus
- Reading: Help us learn more about you!
- Video: Bonus: Office Hours - Manila, Philippines
- Video: Bonus: Offices Hours in Portland, OR
Module 2: History: Dawn of Electronic Computing
- Video: High Stakes Research in Computing, and Communication
- Video: Alan Turing and Bletchley Park
- Video: Bonus: Class Reunion at Bletchley Park
- Video: Post-War Computing and Communication
- Video: Using the Michigan Terminal System (through 6:00)
- Video: Wrap up and Reflection
- Video: Bonus: Office Hours - Barcelona, Spain
- Graded: History: Dawn of Electronic Computing
Module 3: History: The First Internet - NSFNet
- Video: History Through Supercomputing
- Video: Larry Smarr - NCSA
- Video: History Through NSFNet
- Video: Doug Van Houweling - NSFNet
- Video: Leonard Klienrock - The First Two Packets on the Internet
- Video: Katie Hafner - Where Wizards Stay Up Late
- Video: Bonus: Nii Quaynor - Bringing the Web to Africa
- Video: Bonus: Office Hours - Washington DC, USA
- Graded: History: The First Internet - NSFNet
Module 4: History: The Web Makes it Easy to Use
- Video: Getting to the Web
- Video: Robert Cailliau - Co-Inventor of the Web
- Video: The Web Becomes Content
- Video: Paul Kunz - The First Web Server in America
- Video: Building Mosaic
- Video: Joseph Hardin - NCSA Mosaic
- Video: Reflecting on Mosaic
- Video: Bonus: Office Hours - Mexico City, Mexico
- Graded: History: The Web Makes it Easy to Use
Module 5: History: Commercialization and Growth
- Video: The Year of the Web
- Video: Mitchell Baker: The Mozilla Foundation
- Video: Brendan Eich - Inventor of JavaScript
- Video: Assume the Web
- Video: Jeff Bezos - Founder of Amazon
- Video: The Modern Internet
- Video: Bonus: Tim Berners-Lee
- Video: Bonus: Office Hours - Melbourne, Australia
- Graded: History: Commercialization and Growth
Module 6: Technology: Internet and Packets
- Video: Introduction / The Link Layer
- Video: Bob Metcalfe - The Ethernet Story
- Video: The InterNetwork (IP)
- Video: Vint Cerf - A Brief History of Packets
- Video: Bonus: Office Hours - Palo Alto, California, USA
- Graded: Technology: Internets and Packets
Module 7: Technology: Transport Control Protocol (TCP)
- Video: Transport Layer
- Video: Van Jacobson - Slow Start Algorithm
- Video: The Domain Name System
- Video: TCP Wrap Up
- Video: Bonus: Office Hours - Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- Graded: Technology: Transport Control Protocol (TCP)
Module 8: Technology: Application Protocols
- Video: Application Layer
- Video: Van Jacobson - Content Centered Networking
- Video: Bonus: Office Hours - San Diego, California, USA
- Graded: Technology: Application Protocols
Module 9: Security: Encrypting and Signing
- Video: Security Introduction
- Video: Security - Encryption and Confidentiality
- Video: Security - Integrity and Signatures
- Video: Bruce Schneier: The Security Mindset
- Graded: Security : Encrypting and Signing
Module 10: Security: Web Security
- Video: Security Public/Private Key - Secure Sockets
- Video: Diffie, Hellman, and Merkle (YouTube only)
- Video: Security - Integrity and Certificate Authorities
- Video: Bruce Schneier: Building Cryptographic Systems
- Graded: Security: Web Security
Module 11: Final Exam
- Video: Graduation Ceremony
- Reading: Post-course Survey
- Graded: Final Exam - IHTS
Grading Policy
Learners earn a certificate with a course score above 75%. Nine weekly quizzes worth 8% each and a final exam worth 28% determine the final grade; peer-graded writing assignments are optional extra credit.
Course content developed by U-M faculty and managed by the university. Faculty titles and affiliations are updated periodically.
Beginner Level
No prior experience required
