Speaker promotes curriculum concentrating on the Internet

As UT seniors approach graduation, many of them may be facing employers demanding high Internet literacy, something universities might consider as part of their curriculums in the future.

Indiana University informatics professor William Aspray gave a lecture Tuesday afternoon in the George I. Sánchez Building at the invitation of UT School of Information dean Andrew Dillon.

Dillon invited Aspray to give a lecture focusing on the future possibility of the Internet as an academic discipline.

"The reason the Internet is a possible field for study is because it touches so many peoples' lives," Aspray said.

The Internet as a platform has created new social practices we need to understand, especially if we are to shape a future that we want, Dillon said.

The Center for Internet Studies at the University of Washington and the Oxford Internet Institute are a few of many collegiate institutions that are channeling attention toward the rising demand for Internet literacy.

Aspray said there are more than 400 courses listed on the Resource Center for Cyberculture Studies, a Web site to support the study of the Internet culture.

There are numerous journals on the topic of Internet studies, such as the Journal of Online Behavior, New Media & Society, and CyberPsychology & Behavior.

With the increased use of the Internet in professional settings, scholarly work in this area should become easier by alleviating travel and information access barriers, Aspray said.

"There's a surprising amount of things you can do from your home," he said, referring to the accessibility of working from home the Internet allows.

Dillon said there are constantly new courses and programs being instituted in UT's School of Information that directly relate to Internet studies.

Many of them focus on the human and social relation to the Internet. Although a graduate school, it offers one signature undergraduate course, he added.

Assistant professor Gary Geisler said that he thinks there is some potential for professionalism to arise out of the Internet.

"Only time will tell," he said.

Aspray said people designing Web sites or working for online dating services are examples of the professional jobs one can obtain from earning a degree in Internet studies.

Internet gurus on campus can look to the School of Information as a possible option to help them pursue a career solely focused on the expansion and future of the Internet.