[Paleopsych] Carsten Strathausen: "Resistance is Futile"?: The Advance of the Cyborg in Modern Society

Sun Jan 30 16:59:21 UTC 2005

Carsten Strathausen: "Resistance is Futile"?: The Advance of the Cyborg in 
Modern Society (course description)
http://www.missouri.edu/~grscs/courses/201.html

[Thanks to Sarah also for this.]

    Prof. Carsten Strathausen
    email: [7]StrathausenC at missouri.edu
    451 GCB
    German and Russian Studies
    office hours: Tu/Th 2-3pm and by appointment
    web: [8]www.missouri.edu/~grscs

      German 201/General Honors 130
      "Resistance is Futile"?:
      The Advance of the Cyborg in Modern Society

      From Robocop, Blade Runner, and Terminator to video games and
      computer generated cyberspace, contemporary culture is haunted by
      the dreadful image of the artificial killing machine as a metaphor
      for modern technology run rampant. These fears may be prompted not
      only by feelings of alienation in an automated society, but also by
      the underlying suspicion that humans may in fact be nothing more
      than highly sophisticated machines. This course tries to map the
      history of this "l'homme machine," focusing on the representation
      of cyborgs, creatures which, in contrast to robots, consist of both
      human and technolgical "parts." We will discuss theoretical texts
      by Descartes, Freud, Haraway, Baudrillard, and members of the
      Frankfurt School, literary masterpieces such as E.T.A. Hoffmann's
      The Sandman and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein as well as cinematic
      masterpieces by Fritz Lang, Ridley Scott, the brothers Wachowski
      and others. Our overall goal is to discern both the source of
      fascination and the ambivalent social mechanisms at work in the
      constant evocation of the "human machine." We shall close by
      examining what Mark Taylor calls "emerging network cultures" in
      recent literary and cinematic representations.

      Requirements
      Active class participation (20%) and three five-page papers (60%).

      Films
      Over the course of the semester, we shall watch and discuss several
      films. These films are mandatory, not optional. They are an
      integral part of this class. Students are responsible for watching
      these films, either during the scheduled group-showing or on their
      own.
      * Fritz Lang, Metropolis
      * Leni Riefenstahl, Triumph of the Will
      * Ridley Scott, Blade Runner
      * Brothers Wachowski, The Matrix

      Books
      * The Cyborg Handbook (optional)
      * Mary Shelley, Frankenstein
      * Aldous Huxeley, Brave New World
      * Phillip Dick, Do Androids Dream of Electronic Sheep?
      * William Gibson, Neuromancer
      * Bruce Sterling, Snowcrash
      * Andrew Crumey, Pfitz

      Texts on electronic reserve - Electronic Reserves (ERes):
      [10]http://eres.missouri.edu/
      * Donna Haraway, "Cyborg and Symbionts"
      * "Introduction" of Cyborg Handbook
      * Descartes, "Discourse on Method" (excerpts)
      * E.T.A. Hoffmann, The Sandman
      * Sigmund Freud, "The Uncanny
      * Donna Haraway, "A Cyborg Manifesto""
      * Mark Taylor, The Moment of Complexity (excerpts)
      * Jean Baudrillard, Simulacar and Simulations (excerpts)
      * Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari, A Thousand Plateaus (excerpts)

    Introduction

    Tu, Jan 21


    Course overview, video clips.


    Homework:

    Donna Haraway, "Cyborg and Symbionts"
    "Introduction" of Cyborg Handbook

    Th, Jan. 23

    Discussion:
    Homework:

    Donna Haraway, "Cyborg and Symbionts"
    "Introduction" of Cyborg Handbook
    Mary Shelley, Frankenstein

    Tu, Jan 28


    NO CLASS

    Part I: Fantasies of Procreation

    Th, Jan 30

    Discussion:

    Mary Shelley, Frankenstein

    Tu, Feb 04

    Discussion:

    Mary Shelley, Frankenstein

    Th, Feb 06

    Discussion:
    Films for discussion:
    Homework:

    Mary Shelley, Frankenstein
    various film versions of Frankenstein (excerpts)
    E.T.A. Hoffmann, The Sandman
    Sigmund Freud, "The Uncanny"

    Tu, Feb 11

    Discussion:

    E.T.A. Hoffmann, The Sandman
    Sigmund Freud, "The Uncanny"

    Th, Feb 13

    Discussion:
    Film showing:

    E.T.A. Hoffmann, The Sandman
    Sigmund Freud, "The Uncanny"
    Fritz Lang, Metropolis

    Part II: The Fall of the Individual

    Tu, Feb 18

    Discussion:

    Fritz Lang, Metropolis

    Th, Feb 20

    Discussion:
    Homework:

    Dziga Vertov, "Man with the Movie Camera" (excerpts)
    Slide show: the Avantgarde
    Write first 5-page paper

    Tu, Feb 25

    Film-Showing:

    Leni Riefenstahl, Triumph of the Will
    First Paper Due

    Th, Feb 27

    Discussion:
    Homework:

    Leni Riefenstahl, Triumph of the Will
    Read Aldous Huxeley, Brave New World

    Part III: The Rise of the Cyborg

    Tu, Mar 04

    Discussion:

    Aldous Huxeley, Brave New World.

    Th, Mar 06

    Discussion:
    Homework:

    Aldous Huxeley, Brave New World.
    Read Phillip Dick, Do Androids Dream of Electronic Sheep?

    Tu, Mar 11

    Discussion:

    Phillip Dick, Do Androids Dream of Electronic Sheep?

    Th, Mar 13

    Discussion:
    Film-Showing:

    Phillip Dick, Do Androids Dream of Electronic Sheep?
    Ridley Scott, Blade Runner (director's cut)

    Tu, Mar 18

    Discussion:
    Homework:

    Ridley Scott, Blade Runner (director's cut).
    Read Donna Haraway, "A Cyborg Manifesto"

    Th, Mar 20

    Discussion:
    Homework:

    Donna Haraway, "A Cyborg Manifesto"
    Read William Gibson, Neuromancer

    Tu, Apr 01

    Discussion:

    William Gibson, Neuromancer

    Th, Apr 03

    Discussion:
    Homework:

    William Gibson, Neuromancer
    Read Kathleen Hayes, How We Became Posthuman
    Deleuze/Guattari, A Thousand Plateaus

    Part IV: Global Network Culture

    Tu, Apr 08

    Discussion:
    Homework:

    Kathleen Hayes, How We Became Posthuman
    Deleuze/Guattari, A Thousand Plateaus
    Read Bruce Sterling, Snowcrash
    Write second 5-page paper

    Th, Apr 10

    Discussion:

    Bruce Sterling, Snowcrash
    Second Paper Due

    Tu, Apr 15

    Discussion:
    Homework:

    Bruce Sterling, Snowcrash
    Read Taylor, The Moment of Complexity

    Th, Apr 17

    Discussion:
    Film-Showing:

    Read Taylor, The Moment of Complexity
    Brothers Wachowski, The Matrix

    Tu, Apr 22

    Discussion:
    Homework:

    Brothers Wachowski, The Matrix
    tba

    Th, Apr 24

    Discussion:
    Homework:

    Brothers Wachowski, The Matrix
    Read Jean Baudrillard, "Simulacar and Simulations"

    Tu, Apr 29

    Discussion:
    Homework:

    Jean Baudrillard, "Simulacar and Simulations"
    Read Andrew Crumey, Pfitz

    Th, May 01

    Discussion:

    Andrew Crumey, Pfitz

    Tu, May 06

    Discussion:

    Andrew Crumey, Pfitz

    Tu, May 08

    Discussion:

    Final Remarks
    Final Paper due

    Statements

    Academic honesty is fundamental to the activities and principals of a
    university. All members of an academic community must be confident
    that each person's work has been responsibly and honorably acquired,
    developed, and presented. Any effort to gain advantage not given to
    all students is dishonest whether or not the effort is successful. The
    academic community regards academic dishonesty as an extremely serious
    matter, with serious consequences that range from probation to
    expulsion. When in doubt about plagiarism, paraphrasing, quoting, or
    collaboration, consult the course instructor.

    If you have a disability and need classroom accommodation, it is your
    responsibility to notify me as soon as possible. Please see me
    privately after class. You should also register with the Access
    Office, A048 Brady Commons, 882-4696, especially if you are requesting
    academic accommodations such as extended testing time.

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    ::  [15]Home

    [16]German and Russian Studies :: [17]College of Arts & Science ::
    [18]University of Missouri-Columbia

    revised: winter 2003

References

    7. mailto:StrathausenC at missouri.edu
    8. http://www.missouri.edu/~grscs
   10. http://eres.missouri.edu/
   11. http://www.missouri.edu/~grscs/research.html
   12. http://www.missouri.edu/~grscs/teaching.html
   13. http://www.missouri.edu/~grscs/pubs.html
   14. http://www.missouri.edu/~grscs/links.html
   15. http://www.missouri.edu/~grscs/index.html
   16. http://web.missouri.edu/~graswww/
   17. http://coas.missouri.edu/
   18. http://www.missouri.edu/