Can technology be said to have a nature? How have writers and other artists imagined how nature and technology are intertwined? In a way, nature and technology seem locked in a struggle: technology is created to control nature and nature resists and sometimes strikes back. This is one of the themes of the Frankenstein myth, and also of many other stories, icons, and metaphors that explore real and imagined new technologies and how they might change nature, society, and humanity. What "brave new world" might technology beget? What new kinds of beings might arise from combining organic, mechanical, and cybernetic elements?

Literary and artistic images of technology change over time, as do the hopes and fears that new technologies present. But there are common threads:

- dreams of technology controlling and conquering nature,
- fears of the consequences,
- visions of future technotopias, &
- anxieties about who, if anyone, can control technology--or will it control us?

We will turn to literature and other media-- music, film, visual arts, digital imaging, and interactive new media-- to investigate the myths and stories we use to talk about technology, from Pandora's box and Frankenstein to Metropolis and The Matrix. As the issue of adapting technology for human purposes has shifted to the question of how humans will adapt to increasingly technological environments, new technologies make us confront topics such as: what it means to be human, digital art, speed, mechanization, artificial intelligence, how we define reality, "actual" and "virtual" experiences, gender, identity, cyberspace, and many others. We will ponder literature that explores new forms of identity and community by imagining what might be in the future, and we will speculate on what role technology might have in a distant–or not too distant-- utopia or dystopia.

This course also provides a hands-on component designed to introduce you to how written expression is shaping and being shaped by networked and new media technologies, including the internet. Every Friday, our class will meet in the computer lab in room F44 of 22 The Fenway. You will need to have a working Berklee account and know your password, and to work frequently with the electronic resources of the course. You will also need to purchase a zip disk so you can save your work.


"The Nature of Technology" is a section of GCOR 112 College Writing 2: Literary Themes. This course reinforces the principles and practices of GCOR-111 College Writing 1: Structure and Style, emphasizing critical and creative thinking through close textual analysis and writing projects. Students apply the skills of synthesis, interpretation, and evaluation in speaking and writing about fiction, drama, poetry, and creative nonfiction. You will explore basic concepts of literary analysis, such as plot, point of view, character, tone, genre, symbolism, themes, motifs, and style. You will demonstrate an understanding of these concepts in frequent and substantial writing assignments.

Course Goals and Objectives:

1) To develop skills of close textual analysis in order to examine, understand, and appreciate poetry, fiction, drama, and non-fiction.
2) To synthesize strong critical, logical, and creative thinking skills (i.e.: analyze, classify, compare, formulate hypotheses, make inferences, draw conclusions, solve problems rationally and intuitively)
3) To study literary representations of technology in their interdisciplinary contexts and alongside other arts, such as film, visual arts, music, and dance
4) To use different critical approaches and methods of inquiry to gain understanding of the processes of culture
5) To create a participatory learning environment that encourages students to think and work independently and share their insights cooperatively
6) To foster active and critical reading, writing, viewing, and thinking. To combine critical work with creative endeavors, and make connections between theory and practice.
7) To help students make connections between their academic studies and the world in which we live.

Required Reading:
Frankenstein, Mary Shelley
Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
Blade Runner (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep), Philip K. Dick
White Noise, Don DeLillo
Handouts (poetry, drama, essays)