Overview
You will complete three major projects (consisting of both individual and collaborative components) over the course of the semester: design an invention, research a social issue related to that invention, and compose a narrative that contains your invention and addresses the social issues you have researched.
Posthuman Inventions
We’re surrounded by technology that functions as extensions of our bodies, but this technology is still in its infancy. Devise a technology of the (distant) future that transforms the human experience in a significant way. You might start with an idea about text messaging with your brain, but explore even deeper science fiction terrain to imagine, for example, transmitting human emotion from one body to the next. While you have free reign to explore any posthuman technologies you can imagine, you might think about these possibilities in the three categories we will explore this term: robots, time travel, and bodily transformations. I strongly encourage you to collaborate with one or two partners on this project, but you may also choose to work alone. In addition to submitting a multimodal artifact that communicates your invention (such as a digital poster, interactive essay, or video), you will also individually submit a written reflection on the project itself.
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Posthuman Research
As we read and view posthuman science fiction, we will observe the social and historical contexts for the technology being explored. So that your own inventions and narratives will engage in smart questions about social, economic, and political contexts, you will perform research on issues potentially connected with your technology.
Posthuman Narratives
In groups, you will introduce your posthuman inventions and research into a creative narrative. This narrative might take the form of an illustrated short story, television skit, or short film. The narrative should actively interrogate social issues supporting and negating the value of your posthuman technological innovations.