Technologies of Self and Society

When asked, most of us will admit that we are overly-reliant on technology. Our daily activities and interactions are structured by the devices we use. Yet we often ignore the deep psychological, existential, and ethical implications of this oversaturation. Technology impacts not only how we learn, work, think, and feel, but also how we define responsibility, love, commitment, and political engagement. Technologies of Self and Society is an interdisciplinary exploration of questions at once perennial and pressing: Are our new technologies vastly different from the technological advances that have always defined humanity's tool-using nature, or have we lost touch with important aspects of ourselves in this instrumental and technical age? How do our tools turn around and use us? What is the impact of social media on human formation? What are its implications for democracy? How do the newest technologies challenge or alter our understanding of human personhood? Are AI tools well-described as intelligent? If so, what makes this intelligence artificial? What types of human judgment are we currently offloading to algorithms, and how does this compare to the ways we have always delegated judgment to experts, groups, and traditions? Through experiential learning opportunities and discussion of classic and contemporary texts (including literature and film), we will explore how technology mediates our relationships to ourselves, each other, and the world.