Week 1: (Aug 26, 28)
Mon: Introduction, Excerpt from Roger Penrose (The Emperor’s New Mind: “Turing Test,” “The Chinese Room”)
Fri: Isaac Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics, “Robot Dreams” (Discussion)
Week 2 (Aug 31 & Sep 2, 4))
Mon: Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein (Presentation & Discussion)
*Tue: Virtual Forum (VR) due by 10pm
Wed: Frankenstein (Disc)
Fri: Freud “Uncanny,” and Mori “Uncanny Valley”
Week 3 (Sep 7, 9, 11)
Mon: Contextualization Day / in-class exploration of Patchwork Girl and clips
from films
Wed: Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (Disc)
* Blade Runner Screening (Time and location TBD)
Fri: Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner (Pres & Disc)
Week 4 (Sep 14, 16, 18)
*Sun: Virtual Forum (VF) due by 10pm
Mon: Blade Runner (Disc)
Wed: Android and Blade Runner disc. cont.
Fri: Lydia H Liu The Freudian Robot excerpts
Week 5 (Sep 21, 23, 25)
Mon: Contextualization Day
Wed: William Gibson’s Neuromancer (Pres & Disc)
*Thu: Virtual Forum (VF) due by 10pm
Fri: Neuromancer (Disc)
Week 6 (Sep 28, 30 & Oct 2)
Mon: Neuromancer (Disc. cont.)
Wed: Excerpts from Jean Baudrillard Simulacra and Simulation
Fri: Contextualization Day
Week 7 (Oct 5, 7, 9)
Mon: Special guest speaker – Professor Pietro Valdastri (Mec. Eng.)
Wed: Neal Stephenson’s Snow Crash (Pres & Disc)
* International Lens – A Tale of Two Sisters Screening (Attendance encouraged, for extra Credit), Sarratt Cinema 7:30pm
*Thu: Virtual Forum (VF) due by 10pm
Fri: Snow Crash (Disc)
Week 8 (Oct 12, 14, fall break)
Mon: Snow Crash (Disc cont.)
Wed: Nick Bostrom “Are You Living in a Computer Simulation”
* Sun: MIDTERM PROPOSALS OR ABSTRACTS DUE
* Watch Ghost in the Shell on your own (no screening)
Week 9 (Oct 19, 21, 23)
Mon: Field trip to the VR Lab (Featheringill Hall, room 202; meet in front of the room at 2pm)
Wed: Oshii Mamoru’s Ghost in the Shell (Pres & Disc)
*Thu: Virtual Forum (VF) due by 10pm
Fri: Ghost in the Shell (Disc)
Week 10 (Oct 26, 28, 30)
Mon: Donna Haraway “Cyborg Manifesto”
Wed: Contextualization Day
Fri: Grant Morrison, We3
Week 11 (Nov 2, 4, 6)
Mon: We3 Disc.
Wed: Excerpts from Nick Sousanis Unflattening
Fri: René Descartes “Animals are Machines”
Week 12 (Nov 9, 11, 13)
Mon: Contextualization Day
Wed: Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World (Pres & Disc)
*Thu: Virtual Forum (VR) due by 10pm
Fri: Wonderland (Disc)
Week 13 (Nov 16, 18, 20)
Mon: Wonderland (Disc. Cont.)
Wed: Katherine Hayles, How We Became Posthuman Chapter 1
Fri: Reading Day (work on your projects and papers at home)
Week 14 (Thanksgiving Break)
Week 15 (Nov 30 & Dec 2, 4) Final Conference Begins
Mon: Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse Sn1 Ep 9 “Haunted”
(Available online through on Amazon Instant Video and Netflix. No
screenings, so have fun watching w/ friends at home)
Wed: Conference Day 1
Fri: Conference Day 2
* NOON – Talk by Nick Sousanis, attendance strongly encouraged (extra credit)
Week 16 (Dec 7, 9)
Mon: Open Office Hours Day
Wed: Writing Day (Focus on completing and submitting your projects and papers)
FINAL PAPERS AND PROJECTS/REFLECTION ESSAYS DUE