Cyborg Studies
| Module title | Cyborg Studies |
|---|---|
| Module code | SOC2096 |
| Academic year | 2022/3 |
| Credits | 15 |
| Module staff | Dr Alexander Badman-King (Lecturer) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 30 |
|---|
Module description
This module explores the topics of transhumanism and posthumanism. What should humans become? How should we think about the relationship between humans and increasingly powerful technology? What’s so special about humans anyway? Using the figure of the cyborg, a hybrid of machine and organism, we will analyse and reflect upon a wide range of topics related to both future technology and the place of humanity in the world. You will be encouraged to critique the principles of humanism and invited to develop them in new directions. With some emphasis on the ethical dimensions of these discussions, this module will be broad in its inclusion of social and political analyses, as well as generating more abstractly conceptual and metaphysical reflections. Beyond its emphasis on more abstract and theoretical content, there are no prerequisites and it is suitable for non-specialist students in the social and natural sciences, the humanities and engineering and is highly appropriate for students following interdisciplinary pathways.
Module aims - intentions of the module
This module aims to help you to engage in a wide range of debates in transhumanism and posthumanism. You will be exposed to various scenarios in which the idea of humanity is questioned, either through its technological disruption or the need to develop ideas which no longer hold humans at their core. The central aim is for you to develop a critical and sophisticated understanding of what it means to be human and what role our technology should play in determining not only our own future but the future of the world(s) in which we live.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Critically assess the meaning and significance of being human.
- 2. Analyse the relationships between humans and non-human agents and entities
- 3. Demonstrate familiarity with theoretical perspectives appropriate to the analysis of these relationships and exemplify with a range of contemporary, historical and theoretical (including fictional) examples.
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 4. Demonstrate awareness and understanding of a range of philosophical, social scientific, and historical perspectives
- 5. Identify the core theoretical assumptions and premises of these disciplines
- 6. Apply theoretical and interpretive perspectives to the task of social analysis
- 7. Demonstrate appreciation of the strengths, weaknesses and limitations of different and competing social scientific, historical perspectives
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 8. Reflect on, and examine, taken-for-granted social, cultural and ethical assumptions, beliefs and values
- 9. Analyse, evaluate, and communicate a range of explanatory and interpretive theoretical perspectives; assess evidence, marshal facts and construct arguments
Syllabus plan
Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:
- What’s posthumanism?, What’s a human anyway?
- Are you already a Cyborg?,
- What’s Transhumanism? The history of transhumanism,
- Has humanism failed?: Cyborg as deconstruction,
- Do you want to live forever?: Life extension technologies,
- Are humans special in any way? Against human exceptionalism - cybernetics and deep ecology.
- What are the risks of human enhancement? Cognitive and moral enhancement and existential risk.
- Should we enhance other animals? Animal uplifting.
- What’s real anyway? The simulation argument.
- Will the robots take over? The risks of AI.
- Can synthetic minds be conscious? How should we interact with robots?
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | 128 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching | 22 | Weekly 2-hour lectures/seminars or 1 hour lecture + 1 hour seminar |
| Guided independent study | 66 | Weekly reading and working through assigned articles and book chapters |
| Guided independent study | 62 | Essay writing |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay plan | 200 words | 1-8 | Verbal and written feedback |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 80 | 2,750 words | 1-8 | Written feedback |
| 4 x Reading responses (200 words each) | 20 | 800 words | 1-8 | Written feedback |
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | Essay (2,750 words) | 1-8 | August/September reassessment period |
| 4 x Reading responses (200 words each) | Reading responses (800 words) | 1-8 | August/September reassessment period |
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Sample reading:
Bostrom, Nick (2005a) “A History of Transhumanist Thought”, Journal of Evolution and Technology 14/1: 1-25.
Bostrom N (2003) Are we living in a computer simulation? Philos Q.
Chalmers, D. (2010/2014), Mind Uploading: A Philosophical Analysis ([Published in (D. Broderick and R. Blackford, eds.) Intelligence Unbound: The Future of Uploaded and Machine Minds (Blackwell, 2014). This paper is an excerpt from “The Singularity: A Philosophical Analysis,” published in The Journal of Consciousness Studies (17: 7-65, 2010).])
Dvorsky, G. (2008), “All Together Now: Developmental and ethical considerations for biologically uplifting nonhuman animals”, Journal of Evolution and Technology 18/1: 129-140
Fenton E (2010) The perils of failing to enhance: A response to Persson and Savulescu. J Med Ethics 36:148–151
Ferrando F (2013) Posthumanism, Transhumanism, Antihumanism, Metahumanism, and New Materialisms: Differences and Relations. 82:26–32
Haraway, D. ([1985] 2016). "A Cyborg Manifesto: Science, Technology, and SocialistFeminism in the Late Twentieth Century." In Manifestly Haraway. Donna Haraway and Cary Wolfe. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
Hauskeller, Michael (2009) “Making Sense of What We Are. A Mythological Approach to Human Nature”, Philosophy 84: 1-15.
Laukyte M (2019) Against Human Exceptionalism: Environmental Ethics and the Machine Question. Springer, Cham, pp 325–339
Searle, J. (2014). What Your Computer Cant Know. New York Review of Books.
Temkin, L. (2008) “Is living longer living better?” Journal of Applied Philosophy 25.3: 193-210.
| Credit value | 15 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 7.5 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 5 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 09/03/2016 |
| Last revision date | 26/01/2022 |
