Summer 2021  |  CSCL 3334 Section 002: Monsters, Robots, Cyborgs (81746)

Instructor(s)
Class Component:
Lecture
Credits:
3 Credits
Grading Basis:
Student Option
Instructor Consent:
No Special Consent Required
Instruction Mode:
Completely Online
Class Attributes:
UMNTC Liberal Education Requirement
Online Course
Times and Locations:
First Half of Term
 
06/07/2021 - 07/02/2021
Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu 09:00AM - 11:30AM
Off Campus
UMN REMOTE
Enrollment Status:
Open (12 of 30 seats filled)
Also Offered:
Course Catalog Description:
Historical/critical reading of figures (e.g., uncanny double, monstrous aberration, technological hybrid) in mythology, literature, and film, from classical epic to sci-fi, cyberpunk, and Web. (previously 3461)
Class Description:

This course takes as a point of departure the understanding that monstrosity is always and inevitably produced by human imagination; that robots are products of human labor; and that cyborgs reflect human nature. Why do we categorize someone as a monster? What work do robots do? Why is the cyborg such a curiosity? In this course, we will explore these questions - and more! - by studying monsters, robots, and cyborgs in literary, artistic, and cultural representations. We will come to understand these figures through a historical and theoretical lens. The course is organized by alternating between learning theoretical frameworks and concepts, reading/viewing/listening to case studies, and reading scholarly literature on the topics. In all cases, we will attempt to articulate the representations of monsters, robots, and cyborgs to their particular historical and material conditions in order to understand the important social functions these stories and figures play.

The overarching themes include: subjectivity and the "other," representations of the body, modernity and capitalism, interactions between humans and technology, social difference and control. The readings are drawn from the fields of cultural studies, comparative literature, gender studies, science and technology studies, media studies, film studies, musicology, and history.
Who Should Take This Class?:
Of special relevance to students interested studying technology, medicine, and biology through the lens of literature and the arts.
Students who need to fulfill the LE literature requirement.
Learning Objectives:

Can locate and critically evaluate information: Students will develop a sophisticated understanding of real and imagined monsters, robots, and cyborgs as philosophical, cultural, and social problems. Students will be able to identify and critically evaluate literary texts, as well as other media and art forms through reading, viewing, and listening. They will hone their skills through discussion, presentation, and writing.

Understand philosophies and cultures within and across societies: Students will be exposed to a variety of theories, philosophical writings on monsters, robots, and cyborgs. The course is fundamentally comparative and seeks to make students draw connections across different periods, areas, cultures, and genres, as well as, of course, the comparison of monsters, robots, and cyborgs.

Have mastered a body of knowledge and a mode of inquiry: Through theoretical texts the students will come to understand various ways that we make sense of the interaction of the human and nonhuman; the role of technology in society; and the aesthetic representation of monsters, robots, and cyborgs. Students will read scholarly research on monsters, robots, and cyborgs, through which they will familiarize themselves with literary and cultural modes of analyses, such as close reading, genre studies, science and technology studies, gender studies, and film analysis. Students will demonstrate their mastery of this knowledge through response papers that directly address theories, problems, and themes raised in the course and use them in their own interpretations and analyses.
Grading:
60%: Daily quizzes, canvas posts, video posts, mini-essays. Graded pass/fail
40%: Essays and exams. Graded A-F.
Class Format:
Completely asynchronous.
Workload:
A note on studying and time-management: This is a compressed, time-intensive course. You will need to keep up with readings and writing assignments on a day-to-day basis in order to keep up with the course. Expect to use full workdays, five days a week for this course.
Textbooks:
https://bookstores.umn.edu/course-lookup/81746/1215
Instructor Supplied Information Last Updated:
25 May 2021

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