INTERNET STUDIES: NEW KID ON CAMPUS
Increasing numbers of academic programs about the Web are emerging at the
undergraduate level, although they have been present in graduate studies
longer. Students at institutions such as Brandeis, Cornell, and the
Centenary College of Louisiana can earn minors that focus on the Web and its
effects on society. A graduate program at Marlboro College deals with
instruction employing Internet tools. Steve Jones, head of communications
at the University of Illinois at Chicago and president of the
Association of Internet Researchers, said his institution likely will soon
have a Ph.D. program on Internet studies. Brandeis' Internet program offers
classes in security, Web design, and e-commerce, as well as classes dealing
with the social aspects of the Web. Although many colleges and universities
now offer Internet-related courses, only a handful have organized them into
degree programs or even an area of concentration. Jones said, "It's an
incredibly exciting time, the point of birth of an area of academic
studies."
(Associated Press, 22 April 2001)