GCOR112: Nature of Technology

GCOR 112-001 College Writing 2: Literary Themes

T 11:10-1:00 (2E), Th 11:10-12:00 (3B)

		Prof. Lori Landay General Education Department Office: 22 Fenway Room 34 Office phone: (617) 747-2423 Office hours: M & W 3-4 & by appointment Voicemail (617) 747-2747
		E-mail: llanday@berklee.edu

Course Schedule (subject to revision--changes will be announced in class & posted on the site)
Week 1: Introductions
T 9/11	Q: What is the nature of technology? Are nature and technology opposites? What metaphors do we use for technology?
Th 9/13	Reading: Handouts
Week 2: Imagining the Future: IDORU
T 9/18	Reading: Idoru, William Gibson, chapters 1-14
	Q:How does Gibson create the world of the novel? How might reading a novel be analogous to the "consensual hallucination" of cyberspace? Where is the line between "virtual" and "actual" drawn and redrawn in this novel? How are nature and technology represented?
Th 9/20	Reading: Idoru, ch. 15-22
	Q: How do Laney, Chia, and Masahiko relate to the media? To technology? CRITICAL RESPONSE 1 DUE
Week 3
T 9/25	Reading, Idoru, ch. 23-37
	Q: What/who is the idoru?
Th 9/27	NO CLASS MEETING
Week 4: EXPRESSIONISM
T 10/2	Screen: Metropolis
	Q: How do both Idoru and Metropolis explore similar ideas?
Th 10/4	Reading, Idoru, finish
	Q: What is the status of the physical self at the end of the novel? Has the experience of imagining the world of the novel changed any of your attitudes towards technology? What effect do you think Gibson hopes his novel will have on you as the reader?
Week 5
T 10/9	Reading: Machinal, Sophie Treadwell Handout (play)
	Expressionism
	CRITICAL RESPONSE 2 DUE
Th 10/11	Perform scenes from Machinal
Week 6
T 10/16	Reading: Frankenstein (p. 1-50)

Th 10/18	Reading: Frankenstein (p. 50-75)
Week 7
T 10/23	Reading: Frankenstein

Th 10/25	Reading: Frankenstein, Handouts (poetry), Romanticism in the arts
	CRITICAL RESPONSE 3 DUE
Week 8
T 10/30	Reading: Frankenstein

Th 11/1	MIDTERM DUE
Week 9
T 11/6	Group projects: introductions
	Reading: White Noise
Th 11/8	Reading: White Noise
	CRITICAL RESPONSE 4 DUE (develops thesis for Essay)
Week 10
T 11/13	NO CLASS (follow Monday schedule)

Th 11/15	Reading: White Noise
	Reading: Handout (poetry)
Week 11
T 11/20	Reading: White Noise
	ESSAY DUE
Th 11/22	THANKSGIVING BREAK
Week 12
T 11/27	Reading: Solaris
	CRITICAL RESPONSE 5 DUE
Th 11/29	Reading: Solaris, Handout (poetry)
Week 13
T 12/4	Reading: Solaris

Th 12/6	Presentations
	Reading: Solaris
Week 14
T 12/11	Presentations
	Reading: Solaris
Th 12/13	Conclusions
	Q: What are your hopes and fears for technology? For the future?
	FINAL DUE



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