Course Schedule and Catalog
Course Schedule - Fall Semester 2026
Meeting location information can now be found on student schedules in ESTHER (for students) or on the Course Roster in ESTHER (for faculty and instructors).Additional information available here.
Meeting location information can now be found on student schedules in ESTHER (for students) or on the Course Roster in ESTHER (for faculty and instructors).Additional information available here.
HIST 265 001 (CRN: 16203)
CUNEIFORM TO CODING
Long Title: CUNEIFORM TO CODING: A HISTORY OF INFORMATION
Department: History
Instructor: Tomasson, Julia
Meeting: 10:00AM - 10:50AM MWF (24-AUG-2026 - 4-DEC-2026)
Part of Term: Full Term
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Language of Instruction: Taught in English
Distribution Group: Distribution Group I
Method of Instruction: Face to Face
Credit Hours: 3
Course Syllabus:
Course Materials: Rice Campus Store
Section Max Enrollment: 25
Section Enrolled: 14
Waitlisted: 0 (Max 99)
Current members of the waitlist have priority for available seats.
Enrollment data as of: 26-APR-2026 1:11PM
Final Exam: No Final Exam
Description: Information is everywhere—and a lot of it. But what is “information”? How is it different from “data” and “knowledge”? How have humans tried (successfully and unsuccessfully) to manage it? These are not modern problems; in fact, humans have been anxious about “information overload” for centuries now. This course offers a global survey that takes us back to the earliest systems of information management, storage, and retrieval (like early writing systems, i.e., cuneiform) to “solutions” to the “problem” of information that defy our expectations (like Andean textile record-keeping with Quipus) to the essentials of modern life (like computers and chip architecture). (D1; STS minor credit)