Module description
This module focuses on in-depth philosophical explorations of our relationship with technology. We will focus on a range of theories including: originary technicity, new materialism, actor-network theory, technologies of the self, philosophical thinking about 'habit', non-Western perspectives on environment and ecology, and posthumanism, among others. In particular, the idea of an unfettered agency or autonomy inhering in the individual who is able to shape the environment around them through their intentions will be questioned in this module. Further, the module will prominently engage with the distinctions between the 'conscious' and the 'non-conscious', with respect to whether we can be said to have agency with respect to the latter and how our non-conscious practices may be shaped by the technologies around us. Students will be invited to actively use the theories and concepts in this module to critically analyse emerging and developing trends in digital culture that are of keen interest to them.
Assessment details
Coursework - 4000 word essay (100%)
Educational aims & objectives
This module aims to familiarise students with the latest theoretical understandings of digital culture, and tofurther develop students' ability to articulate, synthesise and critique existing thinking about the digital.
Learning outcomes
At the end of this module, students will be able to:
- Identify key concepts and schools of thought that are developing in the context of contemporary digital culture theory.
- Demonstrate understanding of current developments in digital culture theory.
- Apply theories learned in the course of the module to a number of contemporary trends, platforms and digital instruments (e.g. smart-phone communication and ubiquitous computing).