76101-Interpretation and Argument: Digital Humanity? The Prospect of a Posthuman Future

8/22/2019 76101-Interpretation and Argument: Digital Humanity? The Prospect of a Posthuman Future

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D I G I T A L H U M A N I T Y ?The Prospect of a

PosthumanFutureEnglish 76-101 , Section HHMWF 10:30-11:20AMPorter Hall A20Fall 2013

Instructor:David Haeselin E-mail : [email protected] : Baker Hall 245, English Faculty OfficesOffice: Wean Hall 1315Office Hours : TBD and by appointment.

Course Description:

We are no longerjusthuman. Once only the domain of science fiction, this preposterous projectionhas become increasingly accepted in a variety of academic discourses. Putting a particular emphasison media, this course will examine the ways in which uses of technology in our everyday lives andin the classroom destabilize classic understandings of humanitys relationship to its environment.Much like Marshall McLuhan prophesized the end of typographic man in the early 1960s, we willexamine the futures of humanity and humanism during the eclipse of the stand-alone printed word.

Throughout the semester students will learn ways to interrogate the political and intellectual agendasof these provocative - and possibly dangerous - speculations by decoding and criticizing argumentsfrom a wide range of disciplines. By the end of the course, students will be equipped with strategiesto analyze texts, put conflicting viewpoints into conversation, and construct well-informed,thoroughly researched arguments so that they can enter the debate themselves. Alongside readings,students will engage film, fiction, and a variety of digital media in order to contextualize therepresentations and realities of this supposed post-humanity.

Texts:

Required Books ( available in campus bookstore )Graff, Gerald and Cathy Birkenstein. They Say, I Say: The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing. 2nd

Edition. New York: W. W. Norton, 2010.


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Required Essays (available through Blackboard:https://blackboard.andrew.cmu.edu)Davidson, Cathy K. Conclusion: Now You See It.Now You See It: How the Brain Science of Attention

Will Transform the Way We Live, Work, and Learn. New York: Viking, 2011. pp. 277-292. Print.

Dick, Philip K. Pay for the Printer.American-Buddha.com/dick.phildickreader.18.htm.Web. 4 Aug

2011.

Drum, Kevin. Welcome, Robot Overlords. Please Dont Fire Us?Mother Jones. May/June 2013.

Web.

Franzen, Jonathan. Liking is for Cowards. Go for What Hurts. The New York Times. May 28,

2011. Web. 4 Aug 2011.

Fukuyama, Francis. The Political Control of Biotechnology.Our Posthuman Future:

The Consequences of the Biotechnology Future. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2002. pp.

181-194 Print.

Hayles, N. Katherine. What does it Mean to be Posthuman? How We Became Posthuman. Chicago:

University of Chicago Press, 1999. pp. 283-292. Print.

Lanier, Jaron. An Apocalypse of Self-Abdication You are Not a Gadget. New York: Knopf, 2010.

pp. 24-44. Print.

Rushkoff, Douglas. Complexity: You are Never Completely Right. Program or Be Programmed:

Ten Commands for the Digital Age. Berkeley: Soft Skull Press, 2011. pp. 61-71. Print.

Simons, Daniel J. and Christopher F. Chabris. Is Google Glass Dangerous? The New York Times.

May 24, 2013. Web.

Singer, P.W. Wired for War: The Robotics Revolution and Conflict in the 21st Century. New York: The


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Penguin Press, 2009. Print.

Wellmon, Chad. Why Google isnt Making Us Stupidor Smart. The Hedgehog Review, Vol. 14, No.

1 (Spring 2012). Web,

Vinge, Vernor. On the Coming Technological Singularity.Mindtalk.net. Web.

Recommended Texts:A good college dictionary. Dont forget that as a CMU student you have digital access to theOxford English Dictionary, the pinnacle of all lexicons in English. While not as easy to navigate assome other online dictionaries, it is generally respected as the final word on words.(http://www.oed.com) for on campus access.

On Wikipedia: Though a tremendously useful and exciting reference source, Wikipedia is not yetacceptable as a credible academic source. Use it to get a basic understanding of vocabulary orcontext that is foreign to you, but always take the information you find with a grain of salt. The linksand sources found in the entries can often be more useful than the entries themselves. So I whole-heartedly encourage using Wikipedia, for some things. Please refrain, however, from citing this, orany other, online encyclopedia.

Course Goals Interpretation and Argument is designed to scaffold Carnegie Mellon students toward increasingly

expert, academic literate practices. The course is structured by the following overarching goals:

Introduce students to fundamental practices of academic reading and argument through thetasks of critical summary, issue analysis, and contribution.

Model a historically specific, contextual, and socially responsible model of interpretation. Cultivate strategies for critical thinking by requiring students to reflect on how the

composition and consumption of various forms of media produce specific types ofknowledge.

Outline a discursive model of academic argumentation that privileges dialogue in classdiscussion and written composition. Develop techniques for conducting original and valuable research by refining search

protocols, acquiring fluency with academic databases, and adopting judicious standards forscholarly work.


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Foster proficiency in college-level argumentation by helping students plan and reflect onmany stages of their work: close reading, annotating, re-reading, composing, editing, revising,troubleshooting and peer review.

The academic literacy practices I hope youll acquire as a result of this class are listed below. In

other words, after taking 76-101 you should be able to:

Argument Summary and Analysis Analyze and critically evaluate an academic argument. Identify the main features of an academic argument--primary conclusion,

subconclusions, and their premises.

Recognize the audience to whom a writer addresses her argument. Map visually the logical connections among an arguments main elements.

Issue Analysis and Contribution Formulate questions that enable academic discussion between different

perspectives within a field.

Categorize a field of arguments according to their intertextual perspectives. Compose an argument that arises from a synthesis of relevant perspectives within

a field and that is therefore socially and rhetorically responsible to thoseperspectives (and authors).

Determine the relevance of other authors perspectives for developing ameaningful argument.

Writing Process Plan your own process of writing a paper so that there is time for planning,

revision, and editing.

Make preliminary but strategic plans for composing a first draft. Revise written drafts to improve writing at both the local and global level of the

text.

Write for an audience who brings certain well-defined expectations of academicargument.

Evaluate and incorporate feedback from others to revise your own writing. Communicate with peers in meaningfulways for both the analysis and production

of written texts.

Overview and Major Assignments

The course employs fiction, advertisements, documentaries, academic and popular essays to developstudents critical reading and writing practices. The major writing assignments are organized in acumulative sequence of three essays:


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1. Argument Summary, in which students are expected to explain, in their own words, anotherwriters argument about a problem.2. Issue Analysis, in which students synthesize and analyze - or tie together- a number ofdistinct sources into one coherent description of a problem.3. Contribution, in which students enter into a specific debate, choosing and arguing for their

position. This paper may draw from additional sources outside our class readings. Studentswill also prepare and give a brief oral presentation on their chosen contribution topic.

Class Participation & Lateness

You must do the assigned homework and come prepared to participate in class. You are expectedto contribute to general class discussions, to contribute to small group discussions, to seek feedbackfrom other class members on work in progress, and to provide thoughtful feedback to other classmembers on their work. I expect all students to be prepared for class everyday; being preparedmeans paying close attention to scheduled assignments, doing the homework, and bringing relevantmaterials with you to class.

Arrive on time. Youwill not receive an A in this class if you do not arrive on time. Lateness notonly disrupts the class but also demonstrates disrespect for your peers and for your instructor. Forevery two days you are late to class, you will be marked for one absence. If you are more than 15minutes late to class, you will be marked absent for that day.

Attendance

Since this is a small discussion class, attendance is mandatory. You are allowed four absenceswithout penalty following your fourth absence, your grade in the class will begin to drop byahalf-a-letter grade per absence. Plan ahead if you think you might miss class for religious holidaysor for other scheduled events. Just because you inform me of an absence beforehand does notmean that it does not count towards your total. I do not dis t inguish between excused andunexcused absences you are allowed four absences be they excused or unexcused beforeyour grade beg ins to decrease , unless other spec ial arrangements have been made with me aheadof t ime . If you have extenuating circumstances that could affect your attendance throughout the semester(such as illness or a family emergency), it is your responsibility to notify me about your situation andobtain authoritative documentation to excuse your absences (usually from the Dean, your adviser, ordoctor). If you miss more than the allotted days due to your situation, we will discuss whether its

prudent for you to continue in the course.

If you miss a class meeting, you are responsible to contact your peers for materials and informationyouve missed. Thus, it is your responsibility to keep on top of the homework. Do not email measking whether or not there was a daily assignment. Missing a class is no excuse for not completingthe homework. Likewise, I expect you to have read the assigned readings and to be ready to discussthem, even if you were absent the class before. This is a discussion class, so consider your readingsjust as important as any written homework you have. I call on people in class discussion, and its


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embarrassing (for you and for me) to have to announce to the class that you havent done thereading.

Finally, you are responsible for keeping track of your own absences. A sign-in sheet will be useddaily and absences will be thus recorded. Please be conscientious of your class participation make

sure you get the sign-in sheet, and please dont expect me to keep a running tally of your absences!

Using Sources Properly

In this course, we will talk about the differences between plagiarism and the misuse of sources.There is a difference, and so the consequences for each are not the same. We will discuss how touse sources appropriately; and if you have any questions, always feel free to ask me. Its been myexperience that those writers who plagiarize are those who feel overwhelmed by the assignment andout of desperation, use someone elses work to stand in for their own. If you get so frustrated withan assignment that you feel like your only option is to plagiarize, come see me. My role as a teacheris to help students, not to punish thempleaseuse me as a resource to help you write, brainstorm or

work out your essays.

Academic Integrity

At Carnegie Mellon, we trust in the excellence of our students and in the integrity of our academicprograms. We also trust that your good ideas become better when you test them against the ideas ofothers. So for this course, feel free to discuss your ideas about the major writing assignments withother students. Collaborating on question/answer homework assignments or open-book quizzes,however, is not acceptable; these types of assignments are designed for me, your instructor, tomonitor how you are handling specific parts of the course materials. Blatantly taking someone elseswords, ideas or concepts, and using them without citing your source is plagiarism. So is using

another students essay, or part of his or her essay, as your own. In the world of writing (academicwriting especially), this is a serious crime, and is treated as such. Anyone who uses non-documentedmaterial from another source, including online sources, will receive a failing grade for the entirecourse and will be referred to the Deans office for possible further disciplinary action.

DeadlinesAll written assignments must be submitted on the due date, and missing the class when theassignment is due doesnt mean your assignment isnt late. Turning in an assignment on time is partof doing the assignment, and late work will be graded down, regardless of how well its executed.

Lateness penalties are as follows:

Rough drafts and Peer Reviews. For every day that is, every day of the week, and notevery class period that a rough draft your final draft will lose two points. If you do not handin a peer review or a rough draft, I will not grade a final draft. Your grade will be a zero.

Final drafts. For every day that a final draft is late, you will lose five points. Daily assignments. All late assignments may receive a maximum of half-credit, regardless of

how late they are.


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Using Recording Equipment in ClassIf you need to tape or record classroom activities, you may do so for personal use or for all studentspresently enrolled in the class. However, you may not further copy, distribute, publish or otherwiseuse for any other purpose without my express written consent.

Cell Phones, Laptops, and Other Related TechnologiesDespite our focus on technology, this class centers on oral discussion and textual examination. Wewill analyze many theories of distractions effect in this class, but for now at least, lets keep our eyesand ears on the prize; smartphones, laptops, and other multimedia devices do not directly contributeto the skills and outcomes of this class. Therefore, I expect you to turn off your cell phone beforecoming to class. There is to be NO text messaging or smartphone surfing during class. All laptopsmust remain closed unless you have made prior arrangements with me and have demonstratedthat using a laptop is necessary for your learning. You will receive exactlyONE warning. After that,you will be marked as absent for the day.

Learning Disability

If you have a learning disability that could impair your progress in this course, please contact EqualOpportunity Services on campus (http://hr.web.cmu.edu/dsrg/students.htm). We can arrange toaccommodate your learning style based on EOS recommendations. Please notify me at thesemesters beginning of your learning needs--do not wait until the semester becomes overwhelmingto acknowledge the problem.

General Guidelines on Submitting Assignments

Please note that to receive a passing grade, you MUST hand in BOTH DRAFTS of thethree major papers and complete a presentation at the end of the semester.

All major assignments must be submitted via the SafeAssign feature on Blackboard. All papers, including daily assignments, must be typed, double-spaced, with 1 margins.(Note: The default spacing in MS Word is 1.25) Include page numbers on all assignments longer than one page. Staple all assignments longer than one page. I will deduct five points from the final grade

for failure to demonstrate this common courtesy and rudimentary organization skill.

Carefully edit and proofread all texts to eliminate problems in grammar, spelling, andpunctuation.

Spell-check your documents. A hint in this regard: typos typically occur in the last minuteswhen you are making final revisions to a text. Be sure, therefore, to always do a final spellcheck on at least the section of the document in which you have been making changes. Justbecause there are no spelling errors found by the spell check does not mean that your paper

is error-free; often the spell check fixes errors by replacing a similar correctly spelled word.Closely re-reading every word you submit to me is the only fail-proof way to spell-checkyour papers.

Any time you cite an essay, film, or book in your main essays, you will need to include aWorks Cited section of your essay that provides complete and accurate bibliographicinformation of the material mentioned in your essay. If youre not sure how to cite sources,please consult the Citation Guidelines in this course packet.


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Documents that do not meet these and other assignment-specific requirements will not be graded. They will bereturned to you and when resubmitted will be treated as late submissions. Pay attention to these details forhanding in your final drafts. Superficial errors do not signify poor thinking; but they canindicate, for some readers, a lack of precision and a nonchalance toward the task. When youwrite papers for your courses within your major, your professors will expect high quality,

readable prose. Use this class as a stepping stone toward that end. Youll have to plan yourwriting process to make time for proofreadingprinting a just-written paper 10 minutes beforeclass time will probably not yield terrific results.

On-Campus Writing ResourcesI enthusiastically encourage all students to take advantage of the Global Communication Center inthe Hunt Library. All students are eligible for one-on-one tutoring, but you must make anappointment. Remember, though, that tutors are not editors. It is not their job to correct yourwork or simply edit it while you go on Facebook. Think of the GCC tutors are supplementaryinstructors for the class. They can address some issues (from the lowest-level to the highest) in muchgreater detail than I can since are not responsible for teaching you academic argumentation. Forthose of you who feel anxious about the requirements of this class, I recommend that you establish arelationship with a tutor early in the semester and rely on their expertise regularly.

Global Communication Center web address: http://www.cmu.edu/gcc/

All students are also welcome and encouraged to take advantage of the peer tutoring serviceprovided through the office of Academic Development.

Academic Development web address: http://www.cmu.edu/academic-development/

Communications

You can reach me via e-mail, office phone, or a note in my mailbox in the Baker 245 Faculty Office.

The best way to reach me, of course, is through email I check it frequently and, while I cannotguarantee an immediate reply, it is certainly the fastest way to reach me.

If you have questions about the policies of this class, review the syllabus first, and then come to seeme.

I reserve the right to make any alterations, additions, or subtractions I see fit.

Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/us


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Grading Policy And ScaleGeneral rating scale for short assignmentsA Exceptional. Assignment criteria met with creativity, rigor, and insight. Rich theoretical,

historical, and creative analysis of the objects grounded within the larger academic context.

Ideas articulated with convincing detail and display careful planning. Research and writing islucid. Errors in style in grammar are rare and never prevent easy comprehension.

B Good work. Displays sustained analysis, concentration and effort, although mainlyrecapitulated from class discussion and/or directly from class sources. Minor style problemsnever completely obscure writers meaning.

C Acceptable, but uninspired. There may be a glaring conceptual or execution problems.Work mostly descriptive with little to no historical, critical, or theoretical analysis. Seriousissues with validity and/or depth of research. (Note: this is the median grade in theuniversity system)

D Unsatisfactory work. Ideas never move beyond generalizations. No analysis of any kind.Lacking research and focus. Work displays little to no grasp of the goals of the assignment.

R Fail. Student does not submit complete work or shows no attempt to engage the concerns ofthe assignment.

Lateness and Grades for Rough DraftsI do not assign formal grades for the rough drafts of the 3 major assignments. However,for each day that a rough draft is late, the final draft loses 2 points for the final grade. Inother words, if a rough draft were 2 days late, the final grade would be docked 4 points. (Pleasenote that this point deduction is for the calculation of the grade and not for the raw score.)

Late homework assignments will only be accepted in case of absence. You are responsible tosubmit all late work upon your return to class. If you miss a quiz, its up to you to arrange for themake up. You must make up quizzes within one week after your absence. Otherwise, the gradeis a zero.

Assessing your class participationSince 76-101 is a discussion course, its necessary that you participate in class.Participation which includes both classroom involvement and physically being in classmakes up roughly 10% of your total grade. Your in-class participation grade falls to my discretionand can nudge a borderline grade higher or lower. When you contribute to class discussion, be sure

that your comments are helpful ones and not tangential to the current threads of conversation. Youshould be ready to participate in general class discussion at least once a week, and you should alwaysbe prepared to generate thoughtful input in small-group discussions and peer review work. Be sureto be supportive of your peers ideas, even when you disagree with them. Disagreement can beconstructive - very constructive - but when you raise disagreement within class discussion, be sureto do so respectfully by articulating your grounds for disagreeing with an idea rather than withyour peers. Of course, all discussion should refrain from language and tone that could beconsidered inappropriate or offensive.


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Course Schedule

Unit I : A Singular Future.Monday, August 26: Introductions and course overview. Read course policies

together.

Wednesday, August 28: Simons and Chabris, Is Google Glass Dangerous?Introduce the class vocabulary of claim, evidence, and warrant foranalyzing logic behind academic arguments.Due: Simons and Chabris response. Prepare a one-page, typedresponse to Simons and Chabris essay. Try to answer these threequestions in a unified argument: How do they argue? Whatassumptions do they make about attention? Who is their audience?

Friday, August 30: Graff, They Say, I Say Preface, Introduction and Chapter 1Discuss Simons and Chabris ideas and argumentative tactics.Introduce the basic dynamics of academic argumentation. Discusswhat differentiates academic and popular arguments.

Monday, September 2: Labor Day; No Class.

Wednesday, September 4: Vinge; On the Coming Technological Singularity.Due: Simons and Chabrisresponse assignment, drafts andrevisions.

Short quiz on Vinge.

What genre is Vinges argument? What large distinctiondoes he attempt to make between kinds of intelligence?

Friday, September 6: Continue discussing Vinge.

How does Vinge use science as evidence? Is he writing as a scientisthere, or a science fiction author?

Watch Vinge video on Reason.com.

Monday September 9: Lanier, An Apocalypse of Self-Abdication.Why is Lanier so pissed off? What does he have to lose? Why doeshe write like he does? What do you make of his direct attack? Howcan we define cybernetic totalism?

Wednesday, September 11: Due: Class Wiki Definition.


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Continue discussing Lanier. Why stress empathy? How does emotioncomplicate rationality in terms of humanity? Why is the self soessential here? How might cooperation trouble Laniers support?

Watch Singularity music video.

Friday, September 13: Read: Argument Summary Assignment sheet.Introduce the Argument Summary Assignment. Fieldquestions about the assignment.

Watch: Sankar, The Rise of Human-Computer Collaboration.

Unit II : Making Knowledge.Monday, September 16: Rushkoff, Complexity: You are Never Completely Right.

Discuss Rushkoff. Focus on discussions of audience andimplications. How radical is Rushkoffs critique of the informationeconomy? Is his audience primarily scientific, humanistic orsomewhere in the middle?

N.B. Please bring laptops to our next class session.

Wednesday, September 18: Graff; Chapters 2 and 3 ofThey Say , I Say .Slow Reading Exercise.

What claims does he make? What warrants these claims? How is hissolution comparable to Vinge or Lanier? Can the inconsistencies beexplained on the level of evidence, assumptions, solutions orsomething else?

Friday, September 20: Due: Write a one-page working argument based off the slowreading exercise. Writing workshop. Analyze the strengths andweaknesses of various approaches in class. Discuss the proper use of

quotes and paraphrases and the Works Cited Page.

Monday, September 23: Due: First draft of the Argument Summary Assignment; bringtwo copies to class. In-class peer review session.

Wednesday, September 25: Davidson, Now You See It.


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Davidson changes the rules of the game by applying assumptionsmade (and rejected) by earlier authors to extremely pragmatic, real lifeissues. Why might the logic of productivity an essential target for her?How does this reinforce and complicate Laniers sense of self andempathy?

Monday, Sept. 30: Continue Davidson.

Wednesday, October 2: Wellmon; Why Google Isnt Making Us Stupid or Smart.How does Wellmon use history to make his argument? How wouldhe respond to Rushkoff in particular?

Friday, October 4: Due: Final draft of the Argument Summary assignment.Finish up Wellmon.

N.B. Please bring laptops to our next class session.

Monday, October 7: ClassProject: written analysis of the rhetorical strategies of theSingularity Hub.

Assignment: This will be an experiment in what some have calledpower browsing as opposed to the deep reading I ask youperform throughout the class, specifically in the argument summaryessay. Instead of analyzing one argument on its own, here I want youto try to analyze an entire website.

Assuming that it is neither wise nor realistic to read every singlearticle on the page, I want you and your partner to try to answer thequestion what is the singularity by surveying the sites metadata,that is, the tags used to organize access to the information hosted onthe page. Rather than closely reading the arguments, I want you todistantly read for rhetorical clues based on organization,classification, and presentation of the websites material.

In a short (500-word) jointly written analysis, I expect you willaddress the following questions: How do the topics discussed on this

website compare to patterns laid out by our class authors? Whattrends do you notice from scanning the site? What words, ideas, ortags are popular? Do we notice any of the trends Rushkoff ralliesagainst? What kinds of sponsors attach their brands to these ideas?What do we notice about the biographies of the authors? How dothey trace the idea of the singularity across all of these distinctcategories? What is the organizational logic to the stories and videospublished on this website?


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Wednesday, October 9: Fukuyama, The Political Control of Biotechnology.How does Fukuyama create camps? What assumptions does he basethese distinctions on? How does scientific knowledge relate to

humanistic knowledge? How does this compare to Davidson?

Friday, October 11: Read Issue Analysis Assignment Sheet.Discuss the Issue Analysis assignment. Field student questions aboutthe assignment. Introduce the idea of a good analysis question.

Introduce the idea of mapping/treeing information. Have thestudents start their own synthesis trees based on their questions.

Due: Draft a working analysis question to bring to class. Workshopthe analysis questions at the board.

Monday, October 14: Hayles; What Does it Mean to be Posthuman? How doesHayles view knowledge? How does she define the relationship of selfto technology? What fuels her sense of optimism? Is hers the samebrand of optimism championed by Davidson?

Wednesday, October 16: Due: Singularity Hub Analysis.Continue discussion of Hayles.

Video from Center for Postnatural History.

Friday, October 18: Midsemester break! No class; read Drum.

Unit III : The (post)Human ExperienceMonday, October 21: Drum, Welcome Robot Overloads. Please Dont Fire Us?

How does the question of labor redirect the debate? What kind ofwork (intellectual and/or physical) define what we are and how welive? If we lose the direct connection to our work, do we threaten ourlives and livelihoods?

Wednesday, October 23: Due: first draft of the Issue Analysis Assignment;

bring two copies to class.In-class Peer Review.

Friday, October 25: Franzen; Liking is for Cowards. Go for What Hurts.How does the problem of emotion complicate the process ofmediated life? Is Franzens view of the human a romantic holdover


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of humanism? Or a pessimistic twist on Hayles appreciation of thesituation?

Show Blackberry ad.

Monday, October 28:Read Contribution Assignment Sheet.Introduce the Contribution assignment. Field studentquestions.

Wednesday, October 30: Dick; Pay for the Printer.Why might Dick choose to represent adystopian future in terms of symbiotic reliance on alien life? Whatcould serve at the Bitong in contemporary society? What aboutDicks 1950s America? What has changed and what has stayed thesame? How does this story represent the issues of labor laid out byNourbakhsh/Drum?

Friday, November 1: Continue discussion of Pay for the Printer.

Monday, November 4: Watch Bionic Man.Wednesday, November 6: Quiz on Bionic Man.

Homework: Social media experiment. Dont use social networking, atall, for 24 hours. Shut off your smart phones, log-out of Facebook,Twitter, and LinkedIn. Write your paper and we can discuss theamputation after you turn in your papers on Friday.

Friday, November 8: Due: Final draft of Issue Analysis assignment.

Watch Video on 23andMe. Are we more than the sum of our genes?

Monday, Nov. 11: Due: Identify a working topic for your contribution assignment. Ona maximum of one double-spaced typed page Identify the problem,issue, gap, or idea from class on which you will focus. In addition,briefly (one or two sentences, each) summarize how each sourcefromclass deals with this focus.

Wednesday, November 13: Singer; Wired for War . What kind of questions does this chapterraise about the economic and martial nature of our posthumanity?How can we discuss the ethics of warfare in terms of the robotics

revolution that Singer chronicles? Are we becoming something otherthan human by becoming increasingly callous or distanced fromhuman suffering?

Friday, November 15: Due: Proposal for Contribution essay.In-class peer review.


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Unit IV: The Final FrontierMonday, November 18: Watch TED talks; Singer On Military Robots and the Future of

War, Rodney Brooks Why We Will Rely on Robots, and DIYDrones.

Wednesday, November 20: Open discussion day.

Friday, November 22: Presentation Group A

Monday, November 24: Presentation Group B

Wednesday, November 26: Presentation Group C

Friday, November 28: No class; Thanksgiving.

Monday, December 2: Presentation Group D

Wednesday, December 4: Course review. Final questions and concerns. In-class essayconcerning participation points.

Friday, December 6: Due: Final draft of Contribution essayCourse wrap-up, Faculty Course Evaluations (FCEs).


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PosthumanFutureArgument Summary Assignment

Summarize the argument of Douglas Rushkoffs Complexity: You are Never Completely Right.This is not a high school book report; an academic summary is really an argument analysisit is thefirst step toward entering an academic conversation because it requires us to rearticulate anotherauthors point of view.

What summarizemeans for this class is picking out what is most important in the argument and

explaining it in your own words, articulating the significance of your chosen elements to theargument itself. The key to this assignment is not trying to account for every point Rushkoff makes,but rather to focus on isolating how the key claims of his argument address its larger purpose.Rushkoffs article is not short; there is no way to repeat every point, but look for clues the authorgives you to dismantle the architecture of the argument.

Your assignment is to explain what is at stake in Rushkoffs argument, or what he is ultimatelyarguing about the state of knowledge. There are several ways to read Rushkoff but not an infiniteamountso be careful and thoughtful about your analysis of his argument.

The ProcedureGenerating ideas.

Whatis the argument? First, you must select the most important parts of his argument.You can do this by identifying the issue Rushkoff addresses, the problem he defines, andhow he resolves that problem. Your thesis statement should explain Rushkoffs bottomline argument and then should indicate why Rushkoff feels this perspective isimportant. What elements did Rushkoff choose to focus on to make his argument?

Howdoes Rushkoff make his argument? Second, you must analyze and explain thesecrucial parts in such a way as to demonstrate how each part fits together in the largerframework of the argument. Its not enough to merely repeat what the author says,changing the words slightly. Your task is to explain how Rushkoff establishes anddefines the issue, problem, and solution in his argumentusing the

claim/evidence/warrant vocabulary can help you get at this how question byexamining evidence and the assumptions that build Rushkoffs argument.

Supporting your argument.It is important to provide textual evidence from the article to support your argument. Use directquotes and paraphrases to support what you think Rushkoffs major claims and strategies are.Remember to be selective about what evidence you use and always ask yourself, Is this integral toRushkoffs goal? In this sense, you should also be careful not to let your supporting material take


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over your argument and subsume your own explanation of his essayif you were to do this, youmay as well hand in a copy of the text youre summarizing. And remember. . . you have only 3-4pages to make your argument.

Considering your audience.

For this essay, of course, your immediate audience is your instructor. However, assume yourhypothetical audience is composed of people interested in medias affect on knowledge who haveeither not read the text, might need help to understand it, or perhaps have a different view of theargument than you do. Writing to an imagined audience of your peers at Carnegie Mellon is a goodplace to start.

Common MisconceptionsIt might be useful for you to know some of the popular misconceptions or pitfalls some

students have had in the past with this assignment.

Thinking the argument summary is not an argument of your own interpretation. Youinterpret Rushkoff by selectively presenting his argument to your audience. You alsoexpress your opinion when you explain how Rushkoffs argument hangs together logically.Believe it or not, every student will notrepresent Rushkoff in the same way.

Writing an argument summary about the lack of deep reading or information culture ratherthan about Carron biological impact of digital media. In other words, your bottom-lineclaim in this summary should not be about what Google does to the brain but about whatCarr arguesthat it does.

Organizing the argument summary chronologically, according to the organizational structurein Rushkoffs article. Since part of your task is to select the most important claims in Carrsargument, its imperative to realize that you will order those claims according to importance

rather than chronology. Look for ways Rushkoff summarizes his own argument for insighton how you might accomplish a similar task.

Important Dates and Details

Rough Draft Due: Monday, September 23 at the beginning of class (Please bring twocopies of your essay to class.)

Final Draft Due: Friday,October 4 at the beginning of class (Please turn in your roughdraft with my comments, your peers review, and the final.)

The Argument Summary should be 3-4 pages, typed, double spaced. It should include aWorks Cited page (even though there is only one author, Carr, you need to get in the habitof including the page).

As the syllabus states, you must hand in your drafts (both rough and final) via the SafeAssignfeature on Blackboard.


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PosthumanIssue Analysis Assignment

Write a paper that explores an issue raised by the essays weve read so far (such as therelationship between optimistic and pessimistic outlooks on the future of human nature).

The ultimate goal of the paper is to explore a particular question related to the ideaof the posthuman through explaining the possible approaches to the question, and to dothis in such a way that you can discover something new about the larger issue. Thissomething newcould

refer to a point that has been overlooked by other writers present a way of bringing opponents closer together introduce a new development that might cause parties to rethink their positions

The perspective you offer on the debate will naturally reflect your own opinion, but the mainpurpose of this paper is not to argue your own opinion but to persuade others about the source of acontroversy. Ideally, the Issue Analysis paper should function as a point of entry for theContribution paper.

The Procedure1) You will first need to write a research question that will allow you to explore an issue raised by

the essays we have been reading. That is, if you are focusing on the relationship between digitalmedia and human brain function (for instance), your first priority is to work out what issues areat stake in this topic, and what questions come up around it that your essay will attempt to workout, and answer.

2) An effective way to begin integrating perspectives in answer to your question is to choose aparadigm casea case that, for you, sums up or epitomizes the issue. For example, you couldlook at a specific robot designed by Carnegie Mellon and its consequent popularity andsurrounding controversy. In other words, why have people protested down at the Robotics Labin Lawrenceville? Using this example to begin your paper can be very effective in grabbing yourreaders attention, and referring to it throughout your paper can strengthen your evaluation ofpositions on the issue. The skillful representation of the paradigm case should permit youentrance into the field of argument you have chosen.

3) Develop a thesis sentence for your introduction that explains why, in your opinion, thepositions on your chosen issue (the issue as a whole, notyour paradigm case) are unresolved. The

thesis is not a judgment of the correctness of either side but an argument why this issue isimportant enough to merit outside academic attention and why the issue stimulates debate. Ifyou cannot answer why your reader should see a conflict within your issue, you will have troublesucceeding in arguinganything furtherin the assignment.

4) Youll need to explain the 2-3 major approaches to handling the problem. Your job isnt onlyto explain these major approaches, but to explain whythese approaches are pitted in debate withone another and what is ultimately at stake. Examining the debate in the context of yourparadigm case is a good way to do this.


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5) You need to explain the positions within each approach. For example, what assumptionsinform an authors definition of humanity? How does one make knowledge? How does attentioninform what we know and how we know it? What accounts for humanity, the mind or the body?By explaining these divergences you are not merely telling your reader that these positions exist.Rather, you are explainingwhyand howthese positions diverge.

6)

Finally, you will need to analyze the map of the issue that you just created for commonassumptions, ideas, or relationships that play out among your groups. Explore this trend (orgap) as it changes from group to group. Identify the importance of this analysis for theunderstanding of how the arguments about posthumanism work. This is your something new.

NOTE: Do not be surprised if you find that you must reshape your question(s) as you beginto work through the different arguments youve read. Likewise, expect to spend time re-readingmaterial as you think through this project. Most good questions evolve over time as you work withthe readings, and youll want to do a lot of re-reading for this assignment.


Rough Draft Due: Wednesday, October 23 at the beginning of class (Please bring twocopies of your essay to class.)

Final Draft Due: Friday, November 8 at the beginning of class (Please turn in yourrough draft with my comments, your peers review, and the final.)

The Issue Analysis should be 4-5 pages, typed, double spaced. It should include a WorksCited page (even though all of the authors are from the course readings), and you should

use quotes from the texts.

As the syllabus states, you must hand in your drafts (both rough and final) via theSafeAssign feature on Blackboard.


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PosthumanFutureContribution Essay

The AssignmentYou now know enough about many different predictions about the future of human

mediation to join the conversation and write your own argument. From your own work in thiscourse, you must argue for your own position that responds to a question you have constructed.

Imagine every author that we have read so farand perhaps one or two authors that youfind on your ownstanding in judgment of your position. It is your job to find allies for yourposition and to silence your positions critics. The position that you wish to argue is your decision.

The number of sources that you will draw upon is likewise your decision (the minimum is six).

Assignment OptionsYou have two different options for writing your contribution essay.

(1) Case Study Analys is and Evaluation. You may choose a particular case to test andevaluate the different perspectives that you have synthesized about the course issue. Youcould useAlmost Humanand Wired for Warto interrogate the public conceptions (andmisconceptions) about the role of robotics in America business and warfare. You could alsouse a movie, short story, or any other kind of representationfictional or truthfulof theissues of the class that you find in contemporary culture.

(2) Discovery . You may choose to write an argument for a perspective that you think ismissing from the authors we have read so far this semester. This kind of contribution essaydemands that you locate gaps in reasoning through your own synthesis and analysis of thereadings we have done so far this semester.

(Note: This option should not be devoid of outside information that can work as evidenceto buttress your specific take on the issues.

Structuring Your ArgumentMapping the issue Locate your opinions in terms of the debates on this issue. Pick a side to this debate, and let

your readers know why you have done so. Picking a side requires that you include the most important critiques of this position, so be sure

to include them in your argument. And if there are critical points that you think are valid, thensay so, and suggest reforms for your position.

Identi fy ing and confronting opposing viewpoints You should think of structuring your argument around the most compelling points againstyour

position. Texts that oppose your point of view can be very helpful in establishing how and why


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your position is the better one. But rememberwhen you introduce rival hypotheses, you willhave to be careful to take your reader through the steps in your logic.

You are notstraying from the papers focus when you confront opposing points of view in yourargument. Dont forgetif you can think of a good, obvious objection to your argument,chances are a reader can think of it as well. Confronting counter arguments can persuade

readers (1) that your view makes sense or (2) that your argument considers this critique and canacknowledge where its points have merit.

Your AudiencePersuasiveness is a key criterion for this assignment. Direct this paper toward a culturally western,academic audience that is interested in posthumanism as the course has defined the term. Basicideas about the subject matter will be familiar to your readers, but they may not have read theauthors youve included in your essay or have expert understanding of the vocabulary of the course(i.e. memes, Luddites, mediation, singularity). Hence, some background, context, and explanationwill be necessary for your reader to understand the significance of the question youre exploring.

Text FeaturesFor a paper of this length, it is helpful to include text features that help the reader comprehend yourargument. Your job as a writer is to make your ideas clear to your reader. One way you can makeyour argument easy to read is to prepare a capsule of it in the form of an abstract. The abstractcan give readers a big picture view of the text, which can help direct the reading process.

Another way to help your reader navigate your text is to chunk your essay into meaningfulsections that are separated and defined by subheadings. For 76-101, your subheadings will be mosteffective when they forecast the main claim of the section. Consult the digital version ofThought,the Carnegie Mellon undergraduate research journal, for examples of research articles that have bothabstracts and subheadings.

Abstracts and subheadings are text features that force writers to really focus on their work. Themore precise a writer makes an abstract and subheadings, the more the writer is pushed to refine andultimately know his or her argument.


Proposal Due: Friday, November 15 at the beginning of class (Please bring two copiesof your essay to class.)

Final Draft Due: Friday, December 6 at the beginning of class (Please turn in yourrough draft with my comments, your peers review, and the final.)

The Contribution Essay should be 6-9 pages, typed, double spaced. It should include aWorks Cited page.

As the syllabus states, you must hand in your drafts (both rough and final) via theSafeAssign feature on Blackboard.