Hopkins at Home: Androids, Cyborgs, and the Human of Our Dreams

Description

Monica Lopez-Gonzalez, a senior lecturer in the Department of Cognitive Science, leads a six-week online mini-course at the intersection of world literature, the history of robotics, and cognitive science as part of Hopkins at Home.

Each week will consist of a short lecture followed by class discussion. All readings will be shared via email the week before class sessions begin. Although all the readings are fairly quick reads and page-turners, this is a reading-intensive course. Writing a fictional narrative is suggested but not required. The last week of class (week 6) will be an open discussion for students to share their own written fictional narratives and/or ideas for the future of humanity.

Course description:

Looking for some inspiration to get your summer reading done during the dog days of summer? Search no more. In this mini-course at the intersection of world literature, the history of robotics, and cognitive science, we will explore the changing face of the humanoid robot and its societal consequences through selections of fictional narratives (the short story, novel, and theatrical play) from the 1800s to today. Merging empirical fact with creative fiction, you will also get a chance to unleash your imagination and write and/or share ideas of your very own short story, one-act theatrical play, or poetry.

• July 31 - Week 1: A Quick Timeline of Our Love Affair with Machines
• August 7 - Week 2: The Dawn of Science Fiction (Readings: E.T.A. Hoffman's "The Sandman" and selections from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus)
• August 14 - Week 3: Machines Rule (Readings: E.M. Forster's "The Machine Stops" and Karel Čapek's R.U.R.)
• August 21 - Week 4: Do We Live in A Simulation? (Readings: Frederik Pohl's "The Tunnel Under the World" and selections from Kōbō Abe's Inter Ice Age 4)
• August 28 - Week 5: Mechanical Clones vs. Prisoners of Tech (Readings: Ray Bradbury's "Marionettes, Inc." and Pepe Rojo's "Grey Noise")
• September 4 - Week 6: In Your Own Voice

Learn more about instructor Dr. Monica Lopez-Gonzalez online.