School Touts Web Studies Minor

The program, expected to begin in fall 2001, has spurred discussion about whether the Internet's effects on society are a viable area of study for college students.

Brandeis undergraduates will be able to minor in Internet studies with courses such as visual opera, law and society in cyberspace and social relations in cyberspace. Ann Carter, an economics professor and member of the faculty team developing the curriculum, said the program has been in the planning stages since February of last year.

"(In anticipation) we already have most of the courses on book," she said. "I have been amazed at the number of interested people."

Michael Regunberg, vice president of public affairs, added that the minor will focus on how the Internet has changed the American way of life. "The Internet has impacted a wide range of challenges for society," she said. "(Because) Brandeis has always looked at taking a hard look at the world around us, (we understand that) this is where society is headed."

But Brandeis is not the only university to offer an Internet studies program.

Jonathan Zittrain, co-founder of the Berkman Center for Internet Society at Harvard University, said the school has had an Internet studies program for graduate students since 1997. "Our purpose was to study the effects of the Internet on people and the legal rules they fashion to make it work better," he said.

"We offer a number of online discussion centers to the general public," he continued. "(But) the courses are hosted at the graduate school level as a curriculum of the law school."

UNC currently has no curriculum focusing on the Internet, but administrators say the University plans to integrate Internet studies into the computer science department.

David Stotts, an associate computer science professor and associate chairman for academic affairs, said a new computer science degree program will require students to take courses in Internet studies.

"We have a number of courses that could fall under the category of Internet studies, including two classes in Web technology," he said. "(However,) Internet studies is a broad term."

But some people question the importance of such courses. Zittrain said he is uncertain of the relevance of the Brandeis program. "I am not prepared to say if it has an obvious place in curriculum," he said. "(Though) it may."

But Regunberg discredits such criticism. "This is not a minor in how to program or how to do HTML," she said. "We are focused on how the Internet affects society."

And she emphasized that the university community is excited about the possibilities of the program. "We are just beginning to understand how (the Internet) is changing how we interact in life," Regunberg said. "Universities (should) study this just like someone studies a new scientific discovery -- as a field of study."

The State & National Editor can be reached at stntdesk@unc.edu.