Hypothesis For A Web Science Degree Course

Hypothesis for a Web Science

Degree Course

Ing. Federico Bo

October 2008Image by nabskater/DeviantArt

Based on an idea of

Sir Berners-Lee (and other professors of the MIT and the

University of Southampton) here's to you ...

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Web Science

to be more precise…

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“The Web Science is the science that studies the behaviour and properties of complex systems formed by persons,

services and software agents who operate on the infrastructure of global

communication”

Ernesto Damiani, Dept. of Computer Technology, University of Milan, Italy

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“There will be Sciences of the Web, those involved in Web

Science, disciplines studying space technology, but alsoa political, social and economic context whichis closely related to everyday life. The discipline of

Web Science in this sense, with its proactive intention, shall assume

a great responsibility to direct and guide the future ofthe Net, and thus the key issues of the twenty-first century.”

Gaia Bottà, Punto Informatico

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• Networked structure

• Relations

• Data, Information, Knowledge, Experience

• Social perspective

• Machines/Humans integration

• Small / Large scale

• Emerging Behaviours

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Key Concepts

Web:

to be

studied, modeled,

understood, designed, developed, governed.

To be analyzed and synthesized

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Password:

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multidisciplinarity

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And now let me introduce you to the….

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Web Science

Degree Course

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A graduate in Web Science should have the ability to:

• move between different sizes and different levels of the network, analyzing and modeling, predicting and interpreting, the identifying dynamics and emerging behaviors in connections between humans and technology

and…

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• define and develop theories, models, methodologies, metrics that help to formulate systematically the principles of the “Web discipline”

• create more effective systems for the processing of data and information, go from the Era of Computation to the Era of Problem Solving*

• design and develop tools and applications improvingly tailored to the particular nature of the Web

* Michael L. Brodie, Chief Scientist of Verizon Communication

again…

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• discover the emerging trends of the Net, opportunities created by ubiquity, mobility, new media and the increasing amount of available on-line data

• study and understand the new social interactions and new political and economic models that occur with the mediation of the Web

• identify and preserve the essential invariants of the Web

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Sectors

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Data Web

• Data storage, management, retrievaland distribution

• Semantic web

Web Architecture

• Protocols, applications, interfaces, standards

Analytic Web

• Topology, metrics, statistics, web analytics

Web Analysis

and Engineering

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Social Web

• Social software, Social Networking, Social Media

• Virtual Universes

Web InfoCom

• Convergence culture, new media, grassroots creativity

• New models ofinformation

Economic Web

• Economics of Social Production, NetworkedInformation Economy

• Enterprise 2.0

• Web Marketing

Web Society

and Economy

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by Wordle19

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by yEd

Data Web

Social Web

Analytic Web

Web Architecture

EconomicWeb

InfoComWeb

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First year

Fundamentals of Physics

Mathematical Analysis

Theory of Society

Fundamentals of Computer Science

History of the Internet and the Web

Foundations of Economics

English I

Languages of the Web I

Web Content Lab

Fundamentals of Psychology

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Web is…

a net

so…

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Network Theory(Graphs Theory)

Computer Networks

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Web is…

a social system

so…

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Theory of Society Cultural Anthropology of the Web Sociology of Groups Sociology of Media CultureTheory and Design of Social Network Theory and Design of Virtual universes Sociology of Communication Social Computing Systems ranking and evaluation of reputation on the Web Security and Privacy on the Web

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Web is…

a information system

so…

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Fundamentals of LogicNatural Language Processing

Information architecture

Information RetrievalSemantic Web InfographicsCryptography

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Web is…

a database

so…

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Databases

Statistics

Web Analytics

Data Mining / Warehousing

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Web is…

frequented by humans

so…

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Fundamentals of Psychology

Social Psychology Elements of Cognitive Sciences Elements of Interaction Design Psychology of New Media

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Web is…

a distributedcomputer system

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History of the Internet and the Web Fundamentals of Computer Science Web LanguagesSoftware Engineering Web Services Petri NetworksProcess Algebra Web 2.0 Appl. Lab: Open APIs, Mashups, Widgets Mobility and Pervasive Computing Social Computing Distributed systems on the Web: p2p, grid / cloud computing

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Web is…

an evolvingcomplex system

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Chaos Theory Complex Systems Elements of Evolutionary Biology Analysis of Ecosystems

Neural Networks and Genetic Algorithms Artificial Intelligence

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Web is…

an economic system

so…

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Foundations of Economics Institutional Ecology of the Digital EnvironmentWeb Marketing Economics of Social Production Political Economy of Property and CommonsEconomics and Management of Digital Industry Game Theory Visual Communication and Video Publishing

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Web is…

a medium

so…

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Web Content Lab.History of Media Sociology of Media Culture Languages of Journalism Theory and Methods of Media History of the Computer-mediated CommunicationSociology of Communication

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It is not easy to create a new graduate school or a new degree course: see the example of US Computer Sciences during the '50s.

The Computer Science for years has been "distributed" in the departments of Physics, Mathematics, Engineering.

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Often this operation has reached great success due to a convergence of academic, industrial and social interests

An example is the Chemistry in Germany in the second half of the nineteenth century. A choice that has enabled a leadership in this field for over seventy years.

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Creating an academic community dedicate to the study and understanding of this historical "unicum" named Web does not only mean to form a knowledge base but to obtain an authentic competitive advantage.

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Interdisciplinary collaboration, the active contribution of students, the adoption of open/p2p philosophies,

and the use of a 2.0 educational (and next versions...):

all this will help the Web study to become a bridge towards a future of “pluralities” rather than a “singularity”.

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One of the most fascinating aspects of thebirth of a new science is the new languagethat arises, and that allows us to converseamiably of topics and ideas that firststruggled to deliver.

Albert-László Barabási

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Thanks

(also to Prof. Damiani, Holger Lenz and the visitors of my blog for comments, suggestions, criticisms)

http://motobrowniano.wordpress.com/

Image by Genetrix205/DeviantArt