What are the physical contents of a computer? As software has come to intermediate so many aspects of our lives, much attention is given to its data and algorithms, but the material components of digital machinery are often overlooked. This class will study computation by both physically and conceptually disassembling its constituent elements. Core components like screens, memory chips, CPUs, motherboards, wireless antennae, and user interface devices will serve as the material basis for discussions about infrastructure, supply chains, the history of technology, environmental issues, technopolitics, and the elemental matter that undergirds them. Students will learn how to read patents, conduct product teardowns, and draw & examine exploded view diagrams. Readings and discussions will examine topics such as eWaste, low carbon computing, and the so-called “green transition”; the mining of conflict minerals, extractivist business models, and “postcolonial computing”; the political economy of data, maintenance culture, and the “Right to Repair” movement; the politics of tariffs and trade wars; and the elemental components of communication technology like sand, silicon, germanium, galena, copper, and coltan. No prior experience with coding or computer hardware is required.