HN-165 Decoding Secret Messages

This interdisciplinary course examines the art of secret messages sent throughout history and challenges students to develop the skills to create secret messages. Students are exposed to basic algebra concepts essential to this art. Additionally, other interdisciplinary skills, like writing and analytical thinking, are honed to understand encryption and decryption. Every day, thousands of messages are sent - subliminally through commercials, as shortcuts in text messages, and via live conversations with colleagues. While messages are most often understood as verbatim, messages can be coded so that only people with decoding knowledge could decipher them. The course begins in Ancient Rome, moving through the Revolutionary War, and working all the way up to modern-day secret messages in media. The course also focuses on Alan Turing's contribution to decoding messages and his ability to crack the enigma machine during World War II. The course shows students that there is more to communication than meets the eye.

Credits

3

Prerequisite

None.