851-0740-00L  Internet Architecture & Policy

SemesterSpring Semester 2017
LecturersS. Bechtold, T. Roscoe
Periodicityyearly recurring course
Language of instructionEnglish
CommentNumber of participants limited to 20


AbstractThis course examines and critiques the design of the Internet, with a focus on the connection between the engineering features and principles of the network and the legal, economic, and political concerns which have followed its evolution.
ObjectiveThis course examines and critiques the design of the Internet (broadly defined), with a focus on the connection between the engineering features and principles of the network (packet switching, global addressing, the end-to-end argument, etc.) and the legal, economic, and political concerns which have followed its evolution (security properties, censorship and censorship resistance, "net neutrality", etc.). No prior knowledge of networking technologies is required; conversely the course will focus only on those features of the Internet design which have strong political and legal implications (and vice versa). The course consists of two parts: lectures and seminars in one part provide an introduction and discussion of the technical, legal, and political aspects of the Internet design. The other part consists of a specific case study of some aspect of the Internet by individual students.