Fall 2027
This program, primarily based in Cambridge, explores the past and the present world of computation. We’ll explore the last two centuries of the history of computing, with particular focus on two eras with particularly strong British contributions: when the first programmable devices were being designed (in the mid-1800s) and when the first physical programmable computers were being built (in the mid-1900s, as part of the Allied efforts in World War II). We’ll also look at the ways in which technology was and is used both to try to keep things secret and also to try to figure out things that others would like to keep secret (for example, code making vs. code breaking, VPNs vs. facial recognition software, etc.).
Message from Faculty Director
If you think about computer science as dating back to the early 1980s (when the first Carleton CS students start to appear in the alumni directory), or even to 1956 (when the name “computer science” was coined), it probably seems a little bit strange to study the history of the field in the shadow of a university that was founded in 1209. But that’s exactly what we’ll do in this program! Some of the key moments in the history of computation happened in or near Cambridge, particularly in the mid-nineteenth century (when Charles Babbage and Ada Lovelace worked to develop the first design for a programmable device) and the mid-twentieth century (when Alan Turing and collaborators built physical computational devices to serve as a key part of the British code-breaking efforts during the Second World War).
We live in a world full of computation. This program is designed for students interested in how we got here: the computational devices themselves, how information travels into and out of them, the seeds of artificial intelligence planted centuries ago, or to what ends computation was, is, and can be used. We’ll look at some of these historical milestones in the development of computing, but also at some of the ways in which technology interacts with notions of secrecy and surveillance: encryption and virtual private networks, for example, but also facial recognition and targeted advertising. If you want to expand and situate your understanding of technology in a broader societal, historical, and personal context, to experience and adapt to a different culture both surrounding and separate from technology, then this program could be a great fit for you.
I’m always excited by a chance to spend time in Cambridge, where I lived for a year when I was doing a masters degree (you can see more about me here), and I’m particularly excited to lead this program — for the fourth time, but the first time incorporating the emphasis on privacy and surveillance. There’s always more to discover about a place like Cambridge, and being there with you will, I hope, be both fun and educational for all of us (very much including me!).
Please get in touch if you have any questions. I’ll look forward to hearing from you!
Academics
Learning Goals
- To explore some of the major historical developments in computer science, including its role in the Second World War that, in part, led to our modern age of computation.
- To learn about technologies to seek to create privacy and secrecy and those that seek to uncover what’s hidden (e.g., cryptography and code-breaking).
- To situate technological knowledge (from this program and beyond) in a broader societal, historical, and personal context.
- To experience and adapt to a different culture, both within and beyond the study of technology.
Prerequisites
CS 111 (Introduction to Computer Science), or the equivalent through Advanced Placement, is required. CS 200 or CS 201 (Data Structures) are encouraged, but not required. All students who will have completed CS 111 by the end of Spring 2027 are welcome to apply, no matter their major or class year.
Course of Study
20 Credits
Students enroll in three 6-credit courses and one 2-credit course, for a total of 20 credits. CS 301 counts towards the CS major, specifically the elective requirement (and the junior seminar requirement). Together, the three 6-credit courses — CS 301, IDSC 256, and HIST 145 — fulfill the Formal and Statistical Reasoning, Humanistic Inquiry, International Studies, and Social Inquiry graduation requirements. The final 2 credits are earned in a S/Cr/NC-only IDSC course.
CS 301: History of Computing (6 credits)
In the mid-1800s, Charles Babbage’s analytical engine, inspired by programmable looms, was the first conception of an automated programmable computing device. A century later, British researchers built some of the first physical computers—particularly WWII-era code-breaking work, and programmable machines developed immediately after the war. We will explore those two eras, through historical writings (including Babbage and Ada Lovelace, who wrote programs for the analytical engine, and Alan Turing) and visits to relevant museums. We will also study some of the more recent history of computing, and emphasize technical communication of innovations, both new and historical.
Instructor: David Liben-Nowell
HIST 145: World War II History (6 credits)
This course will consider the broad context of the Second World War from the British perspective. Topics will include a variety of aspects of the British experience both at home and abroad, including military, political, and social; the nature of war itself; the role of empire, economics, and technology; and the way that the Second World War continues to shape the world of today, nearly a century later. The course will include visits to a number of relevant sites in England, especially in London and at Bletchley Park, and an excursion across the channel to Normandy.
Instructor: Local British Faculty
IDSC 256: Privacy, Anonymity, Secrecy, Surveillance (6 credits)
Sometimes you don’t want others to know what you just did or said; sometimes you don’t want them to know it was you who just did whatever it was. (You’ll have your own examples.) We’ll explore some technological tools that help enable secrecy: keys, ciphers, incognito mode, and cryptocurrency, to name a few. And we’ll look at countervailing forces pushing towards transparency and “sunlight”: codebreaking, deanonymization, facial recognition, etc. We’ll discuss the risks when either set of tools is much stronger than the other, and the ways that different people — and perhaps different cultures — weigh the comparative risks differently.
Instructor: David Liben-Nowell
IDSC 141: Computing with Context: Alan Turing, Gender, and Computing (2 credits, S/CR/NC only)
This course will address a cluster of topics related to a broad gender-based context for computing. The starting point is Alan Turing himself: a hero for his code-breaking work during the war, Turing was also a gay man chemically castrated by the British government who (likely) died by suicide after enduring that treatment. The course will spiral outward from Turing to include a broader set of topics related to gender and sexuality in computing, ranging from Turing’s era to the present. Specific topics will vary based on the interests of available experts in aspects of gender and computing.
Instructor: David Liben-Nowell
Program Features
Excursions
The program’s home base is Cambridge, England, with several weeks of planned excursions in England and France. Our major excursions will include London, Manchester, Bletchley Park, Portsmouth, and Normandy.
Housing
While in Cambridge, the home base for the program, students will stay in a combination of hotels, hostels, and rooms in one of the 31 colleges that are part of the University of Cambridge. On longer excursions outside of Cambridge, students will generally stay in hotels and hostels.
Information Meeting, Application, Dates & Fees
Information Meeting
Join us on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, in Leighton 236, from 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm for an info session on the fall term, and on Tuesday, January 26, 2027, from 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm in Leighton 236 for an info session on the winter term. You will learn everything you need to know about the program and get your questions answered by faculty and returnees. Hope to see you there! If you have questions, please contact the faculty director.
Application
Applications are found on the OCS Student Portal. Search by program name and click Apply Now to open an application. Applications are due on February 1, 2027.
Program Dates
Program dates will roughly match the Carleton term. Specific dates will be communicated to participants at least one term prior to the program.
Program Fees
Carleton programs cost the same as a term on-campus plus airfare and visa (if applicable). Financial Aid is applied as on campus. Admitted students receive an additional cost estimate at the time of acceptance to the program. Additional scholarships are available by submitting a Budget Worksheet to Student Financial Aid by the application deadline one term prior to the program.
Additional Information
