91ÖÆƬ³§

In 1909, E. M. Forster published a short story titled "The Machine Stops" in which he presciently described a society very like our own--isolated, atomized, "plugged in" to a larger machine that provides for people's needs, from food to communication and entertainment, but at the expense of their humanity. The machine, in the story, is a particular constellation of technology, but it is also a mindset and an ideology, an environing ethos, and one that Forster clearly thought was coming and would be disastrous for humankind. Taking Forster's story as a starting point, this course will attempt to get a grip on the 'machine' environing us today, from all of the things on the internet (including some university classes) to what tech enthusiasts call "the internet of things," the "smart" world assembling around us, with its AI robots, its convenience, and its surveillance. Along the way, we will consider other literary works that have attempted to come to terms with this moment (possibly including Huxley's Brave New World, Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, Gibson's Neuromancer, and Okorafor's Death of the Author) as well as excerpts from popular nonfiction (works like Harari's Homo Deus or Kingsnorth's Against the Machine or Turkle's Alone Together). Please note: In order to view the machine critically, we will be working against it, including on the level of course delivery. Students should expect to buy and read physical books (including a course packet), take notes by hand in class, print and submit papers (on paper), and do an in-person, handwritten final exam. There will also be a course "journal" (handwritten) in which students describe their experiences of attempting to work "against the machine" in their daily lives (prompts and challenges will be suggested). Using older technology is vital to achieving the course learning outcomes. Students with concerns about accessibility should contact the instructor directly in advance of the course.

**This course is repeatable for credit under different topic titles

91ÖÆƬ³§ Repeatable Courses

With repeatable courses, the course number (e.g., ENGL 466) is repeatable, but the topic is not. You can take as many topics as you like under the same course number, but you can only take each individual topic once. 

Questions? Please email our Undergraduate Assistant