IS 311

Fall 2026 All Classes

All Classes

History and Foundations of the Information Society

Credit: 3 hours.

Today's information society bespeaks a long history, exhibiting marked continuities with the past as well as some sharply defined new features. Yet the historical foundations of the information society remain poorly understood. This course develops such a framework, by examining emergent information institutions and practices from early modern Europe to the later 20th century. It examines the historical development of the information society through a number of important conceptual lenses, including: modernity and post-modernity; Fordist and post-Fordist capitalism; social class and information poverty; social and technological determinism; utopianism and dystopianism; and empire and globalization.

Prerequisite: IS 202 Highly recommended.

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IS 311 class schedule data for fall 2026
	Status		CRN	Type	Section	Time	Day	Location	Instructor	Section Details
			73231	Lecture-Discussion	A	10:00AM -10:50AM	MWF	53 Sch of Info Sciences Bldg	Wolske, M	Availability: Open (Restricted) Part of Term: 1 Date Range: 08/24/26-12/09/26 Section Info: Sophomore standing or above. Restricted to Information Sciences majors until until late summer, date TBD. For more information about this major, please visit: http://go.ischool.illinois.edu/BSIS. Questions may be sent to bsis-advising@illinois.edu. Restriction(s): Restricted to Information Sciences or Information Sciences + DS major(s) or minor(s). Not intended for students with Freshman class standing. Restricted to Undergrad - Urbana-Champaign.