Syllabus – The Posthuman

Description
In this course, we will examine the commercial viability, social implications, and ethical consequences of posthuman technology that appears in selected science-fiction series. Our social and cultural critiques of this technology will serve as inspiration for our own inventions to change the way humans interact with each other and with the material world. During the first half of the semester, students will pitch ideas and designs for a new invention, focused primarily on the advantages to science and business. During the second half of the semester, students will integrate these inventions into a science-fiction narrative that interrogates the social and ethical consequences of these technological advancements. In our final reflection on these inventions, we will consider the ways in which these technologies might become a reality.

REQUIRED MATERIALS

Laptop: You will need to bring your laptop to this class every day, along with its power adapter or full battery charge. Georgia Tech requires that all incoming students own an individual laptop. Refer to the pages on “Georgia Tech Student Computer Ownership” for specific information about requirements and support. http://www.sco.gatech.edu/index.shtml.

Internet Browsers. You must install at least two internet browsers on your laptop, one of which must be Firefox or Internet Explorer. Chrome and Safari are not fully compatible with T-Square.
Annotation Tools. If you choose to purchase e-books or read other materials online, you must have a strategic method for annotating the text online. See my article on “How to Annotate Digital Texts” on TECHStyle for more details.

Books:

Television:

The following films and television episodes are available on Netflix instant streaming. If you do not have access to a Netflix account, you can also stream videos on Amazon Instant Video for a small fee.

Joss Whedon, Dollhouse (2009). Amazon Instant Video. Watch 1:1 (Ghost), 1:7 (Echoes), 1:12 (Omega)
Dr. Who (2006- ). Watch 1:2 (The End of the World); 2:2 (New Earth); 3:4 (Gridlock).
Dexter (2003- ). Amazon Instant Video. Watch 1:1 (Dexter)

Films (Optional):

Other materials: You will incur incidental expenses associated with producing multimodal projects. Among these expenses include full-color book printing, full-color full-size poster printing, materials and supplies for the creation of physical objects.

OUTCOMES AND ASSESSMENT

Writing and Communication Program Outcomes
Writing and Communication Program Grading Rubric (Note: This rubric may be customized for specific assignments.)

Assignments
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. In addition to these three major projects, you will complete the Program’s WOVEN Portfolio, and you will complete regular in-class and at-home skill-building exercises. Finally, your participation in this class will be assessed. These six categories of assignments will be weighted as follows:

20% Posthuman Inventions
20% Posthuman Research
20% Posthuman Narratives
15% Skills
15% Participation
10% WOVEN Portfolio

All assignments will be assigned a single letter grade: A, B, C, D, or F, according to holistic principles derived from the Program Rubric. Grades will be recorded and averaged according to the number equivalencies provided below. Final grades will be determined according to the percentage ranges.

A+ = 100 points
A = 95 points (90-100%)
B = 85 points (80-89%)
C = 75 points (70-79%)
D = 65 points (60-69%)
F = 55 points (50-59%)
Zero = 0 points

POLICIES

Attendance
One of the most important lessons of this class is that your attendance in class is never optional. You may miss up to two full class periods without penalty. After two absences, your participation grade will be impacted. For each day missed beyond two days, your participation grade will be reduced by one full letter grade. After six absences, you will receive an “F” for your participation grade, your academic advisors will be alerted, and you are at high risk of failing the course. Two tardies count as one absence. You are counted as tardy if you arrive 10 minutes after class begins. Sleeping or working on unrelated materials during the class period will be counted as absences.

Any work missed due to unexcused absences or tardies cannot be made up, and you will receive a zero for those assignments, including quizzes, oral presentations, and in-class writing. Please review GA Tech’s position about class attendance: http://www.catalog.gatech.edu/rules/4b.php.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Georgia Tech supports students through ADAPTS (Access Disabled Assistance Program for Tech Students). Any student who may require an accommodation for a documented physical or learning disability should inform the instructors as soon as possible or as soon as you become aware of your disability and have the appropriate documentation to provide an accommodation. Anyone who anticipates difficulties with the content or format of the course due to a documented disability should arrange a meeting so we can create a workable plan for your success in this course. ADAPTS serves any Georgia Tech student who has a documented, qualifying disability. Official documentation of the disability is required to determine eligibility for accommodations or adaptations that may be helpful for this course.

If you have a documented, qualifying disability, please make sure the course instructors receive a Faculty Accommodation Letter form verifying your disability and specifying the accommodation you need. ADAPTS operates under the guidelines of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Visit: Smithgall Student Services Bldg, Suite 210 on 353 Ferst Drive
Email: adapts@vpss.gatech.edu.
Call: 404-894-2563 (V); 404-894-1664 (TDD); 404-894-9928 (fax)

Discrimination and Harassment
This class does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a veteran. Alternative viewpoints are welcome; however, statements that are deemed racist, sexist, homophobic, classist, or otherwise discriminatory toward others in the class or outside the class will not be tolerated. Students will be respectful and courteous to each other and to the instructors—in written, oral, and nonverbal communication, both in and out of class.

Submission of Work
Create remote backups of all your work for this class on a regular basis (Dropbox, Box.net, and your GaTech Briefcase are all good ways to back up your work). Assignment sheets provide specific details about deadlines and submission of work. In general, work must be submitted according to specifications and before the deadline; otherwise, it is considered late.

Any work submitted after the deadline will receive a grade penalty of one-half letter grade. After 12 hours, the penalty will be one full letter grade. After 24 hours, the work will no longer be accepted, and you will receive a zero for the assignment.

Week Preceding Final Exams
No major course projects will be completed in their entirety during the week prior to final exams (WPFE). Work on and presentation of major course projects will be part of in-class and out-of-class work during the semester, and work on and presentation of major course projects begun prior to the WPFE may be part of in-class and out-of-class work during the WPFE.

No new assignments will be given during the WPFE. Assignments that have been on the syllabus and are begun before the WPFE may be due during the WPFE.

This course includes no quizzes or tests during the week preceding final exams (WPFE). All quizzes and tests will be graded and returned or available for review on or before the last day of class preceding final exam week.

This course has no final exam. In lieu of a final exam, this course has a required portfolio or culminating project, which you worked on earlier in the semester. It may be due in the WPFE but not during Final Exams. Since this course has no final examination, nothing for this course is due during Finals Week.

Academic Integrity and Plagiarism
You are responsible for knowing and abiding by GT’s policy for academic integrity. Consult the Honor Code online at http://www.honor.gatech.edu.

One serious kind of academic misconduct is plagiarism, which occurs when you deliberately use someone else’s language, ideas, images, or other original material or code without fully acknowledging its source by quotation marks as appropriate, in footnotes or endnotes, in works cited, and in other ways as appropriate (modified from WPA Statement on “Defining and Avoiding Plagiarism”).

If you engage in plagiarism or any other form of academic misconduct, you will fail the assignment in which you have engaged in academic misconduct and be referred to the Office of Student Integrity, as required by Georgia Tech policy. Please be familiar with these resources:

Georgia Tech’s Honor Challenge — http://www.honor.gatech.edu
Office of Student Integrity — http://www.deanofstudents.gatech.edu/integrity
Process for academic misconduct — http://www.deanofstudents.gatech.edu/integrity/academic_misconduct.php

Technology
Important announcements, course information, and project directions will be delivered via e-mail and/or T-Square. You are responsible for checking your e-mail and T-Square account on a daily basis so that you stay up-to-date on all information relevant to this course. Follow up any important oral communication with your instructors with an e-mail. All e-mail correspondence between instructor and student must be conducted with professionalism.

You must bring your laptop to every class meeting. Students will use their laptops during the class period to take notes, complete quizzes, refer to readings, and consult relevant online materials. Repeated use of laptops for purposes unrelated to the course will result in the grade penalties described under “Attendance.”