HUMN 8: EX MACHINA: THE PARADOX OF BEING HUMAN IN THE DIGITAL AGE
Foothill College Course Outline of Record
| Heading | Value |
|---|---|
| Effective Term: | Summer 2022 |
| Units: | 4 |
| Hours: | 4 lecture per week (48 total per quarter) |
| Advisory: | Demonstrated proficiency in English by placement via multiple measures OR through an equivalent placement process OR completion of ESLL 125 & ESLL 249; not open to students with credit in HUMN 58. |
| Degree & Credit Status: | Degree-Applicable Credit Course |
| Foothill GE: | Area I: Humanities |
| Transferable: | CSU/UC |
| Grade Type: | Letter Grade (Request for Pass/No Pass) |
| Repeatability: | Not Repeatable |
| Formerly: | HUMN 58 |
Student Learning Outcomes
- "Synthesize critical thinking, imaginative, cooperative and empathetic abilities as whole persons in order to contextualize knowledge and make meaning.
- Students will be able to critically analyze the impact of digital technologies through cultural, artistic, and sociological lenses on the human condition.
- Students will comprehend and be able to explain the intersection of technology and humanities.
Description
Course Objectives
The student will be able to:
A. Engage critically with key concepts and issues in digital humanities.
B. Apply critical approaches to the analysis of the impact of digital technologies from cultural, artistic, and social perspectives.
C. Discover the intersections of humanities, arts, cultural production, and digital technologies.
D. Explain the convergence of technology and humanities.
E. Analyze critically the relationship between humanities and new digital technologies.
F. Analyze critically the trends in socio-cultural communication and society.
G. Develop the habit of learning and responding to new ideas and challenges in the digital age.
H. Evaluate the benefits and potential loss to humanity due to emerging digital technologies.
I. Enhance critical and creative thinking, oral and written communication through critical engagement.
Course Content
A. The Impact of Digital Technologies on Humanity
1. Digital Technologies and Time-Space Continuum
2. Digital Technologies and Privacy
3. Digital Technologies and Ethics
4. Digital Technologies and Social Engagement
B. Arts and Culture in the Digital Age
1. Cinema
2. Digital Arts
3. Videogaming
4. Advertising
5. Social Media
C. Social, Political, and Ethical Conditions in the Digital Age
1. Cyber Activism (Social Media)
2. Education
3. Morality and Ethics
4. Humanistic Communications
5. Civil (Human) Rights
6. Women
7. Sexuality
8. Globalization
9. Socio-Economic Systems
Lab Content
Not applicable.
Special Facilities and/or Equipment
Method(s) of Evaluation
A. Essay Midterm and Final
B. Evaluation of Contributions to Class Discussions
C. Presentations
D. Formal Essay
Method(s) of Instruction
A. Lecture
B. Discussion
C. Oral presentations
D. Extensive writing and analysis
Representative Text(s) and Other Materials
Feenberg, Andrew. Technosystem: The Social Life of Reason. Harvard University Press, 2017.
Gardiner, Eileen, and Ronald Musto. The Digital Humanities: A Primer for Students and Scholars. Cambridge University Press, 2015.
Turkle, Sherry. Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other. Basic Booka, 2017.
Wu, Tim. The Attention Merchants: The Epic Scramble to Get Inside Our Heads. Vintage Press, 2017.
Types and/or Examples of Required Reading, Writing, and Outside of Class Assignments
A. Weekly assigned readings from 5-50 pages drawn from both primary and secondary sources.
B. Brief philosophical and literary critical readings designed to familiarize students with ongoing debates in the field of digital humanities.
C. Bi-weekly one- to two-page essays requiring summary, interpretation, analysis, and synthesis of both original art works and secondary texts.