Gemstone 101, Spring 2000
Perspectives on the History of Communications Technologies
Professor Janet Abbate

Office hours: Wednesday 1-2:45 or by appointment
2101H Francis Scott Key Hall
405-4285
ja134@umail.umd.edu

Gemstone 101 will introduce you to the types of questions historians ask about technology and the methods they use to seek the answers. This semester's topic is communications technologies, but the ideas and methods introduced can be applied to any type of technology. You will read and discuss four books on the origins and social impacts of particular communications technologies. You will also conduct your own original research in teams and present the results in a public poster session.

Click here for Class Schedule with updated information.

Link to workshop page

Course structure

In addition to weekly lectures, individual sections will meet twice a week. One meeting will be held with Professor Abbate and will focus on discussion of the readings. The other meeting will be a workshop held with Jeff Hornstein and will focus on team projects and other assignments. The schedule of discussions and workshops is as follows:

Discussion section with Janet Abbate:

Section 0201: Wednesday 11 am
Section 0202: Thursday 11 am
Section 0203: Friday 11 am
Section 0204: Wednesday 6 pm in Engineering Lab Building, Room 1204

Workshop with Jeff Hornstein:

Section 0201: Tuesday 3 pm
Section 0202: Wednesday 6 pm (new time!)
Section 0203: Wednesday 10 am
Section 0204: Thursday 11 am

Required readings

All books are available at University Book Center and Maryland Book Exchange. You must bring your books to discussion sections. Be advised that the bookstores return unsold books to the publishers after about four weeks, so if you put off buying books they may be out of stock.

* Elizabeth Eisenstein. The Printing Revolution in Early Modern Europe.

* Claude Fischer. America Calling.

* Anthony Smith and Richard Paterson, eds. Television: An International History.

* David Morton. Off the Record.

Course requirements