Cyborg Studies
| Module title | Cyborg Studies |
|---|---|
| Module code | PHL3096 |
| Academic year | 2021/2 |
| 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 encourages you to develop a new perspective on the world. A cyborg is a cybernetic organism, a hybrid of machine and organism. With the figure of the cyborg, we will explore the couplings of humans, machines, sciences, animals and nature. Discussions of ' posthumanist' theory and its moral and political implications will be considered alongside a very wide range of empirical studies drawn from science and technology studies, environmental studies and the arts. The module consists of seminar based discussions of pre-assigned readings. 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
The social sciences have traditionally been 'humanist' disciplines, in as much as their empirical and theoretical focus is on human individuals, their interactions with one another, social groups and social structure. This module aims to develop a less anthropocentric or 'posthumanist' sensibility. With the figure of the cyborg, the cybernetic organism, a hybrid of human, animal and machine, as its icon, it explores the co-evolution of humans, machines, sciences and natures. It couples a discussion of posthumanist theory and its moral and political implications with a wide range of empirical studies.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. analyse critically relations between people (individuals and social groups), animals and machines
- 2. demonstrate a clear understanding of theoretical perspectives appropriate to the analysis of these relations and exemplify with a range of contemporary and historical examples
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 3. demonstrate in-depth awareness and understanding of a range of social scientific, historical, and philosophical perspectives
- 4. critically understand the core theoretical assumptions and premises of these disciplines
- 5. apply a range of theoretical and interpretive perspectives to the task of sociological analysis
- 6. demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the strengths, weaknesses and limitations of different and competing social scientific, historical, and philosophical perspectives
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 7. reflect on, and examine critically, taken-for-granted social, cultural and ethical assumptions, beliefs and values
- 8. analyse, evaluate, and communicate, clearly and directly, a wide 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:
Introduction; history of cybernetics; industry, warfare and modernity; human-machine interfaces and interactions; agency; subjectivity and desire; animals and the environment; cyborg politics; cyborg aesthetics
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 | The module will be taught as a series of seminars, meeting for two hours each week, organised around discussions of pre-assigned readings |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Participation in seminar discussions | Weekly | 1-8 | Verbal feedback |
| 4 x Reading responses | 200 words each | 1-8 | Verbal and written peer feedback |
| 4 x Feedback to responses | 200 words each | 1-8 | Verbal 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 | 70 | 3,000 words | 1-8 | Written feedback |
| 4 x Reading responses (200 words each) | 30 | 800 words | 1-8 | Verbal and peer feedback |
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 (3000 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:
Hables Gray, C. (1995) The Cyborg Handbook (New York: Routledge)
Haraway, D. (1991[1985]) ‘A Cyborg Manifesto’ in Haraway, D. Simians, Cyborgs and Women: The Reinvention of Nature (New York: Routledge) pp.149-181
Haraway, D. (2003) The Companion Species Manifesto: Dogs, People, and Significant Otherness (Chicago: Prickly
Paradigm Press).
Hayles, N. K. (1999) How We Became Posthuman: Virtual Bodies in Cybernetics, Literature and Informatics (Chicago:the University of Chicago Press)
Pickering, A. (2010) Sketches of Another Future: Cybernetics in Britain, 1940-2000 (Chicago: University of Chicago
Press).
Suchman, L. (2007a) Human–Machine Reconfigurations: Plans and Situated Actions, revised edn. (New York: Cambridge University Press).
Suchman, L. (2007b) ‘Feminist STS and the Sciences of the Artificial’, in E. Hackett, O. Amsterdamska, M. Lynch and J.Wajcman (eds) The Handbook of Science and Technology Studies, 3rd edn, pp. 139–63. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Wiener, N. (1961 [1948]) Cybernetics, or Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
ELE pages
| Credit value | 15 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 7.5 |
| Module pre-requisites | none |
| Module co-requisites | none |
| NQF level (module) | 6 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 09/03/2016 |
| Last revision date | 02/02/2021 |
