How does technology mediate what it means to be human? This course introduced students to the ethics, aesthetics, and use of new technologies and social practices involving technology. A key component was a consideration of media and technology from across historical periods. We focused on a range of subjects, including technology and identity, technology and the self, technology and privacy, technology and community, and technology and the environment. One of our central lines of inquiry was: How have scientific, intellectual, and artistic experiments reshaped human experience in diverse historical and cultural contexts and how might they shape our shared futures? In approaching this question, the class did readings and wrote on these topics, as well as engaged in hands-on explorations, such as a Wikipedia edit-a-thon, collective mapping, and GIF self-portraits. Particular emphasis was placed upon thinking beyond disciplinary boundaries and approaching problems from multiple perspectives via collaborative projects and interdisciplinary practices of making.

Taught by Professors Krista Caballero, Susan Merriam, and Dominique Townsend, Bard College Annandale