What does it mean to be human? In an era of rapid technological advancement and ecological crisis, the boundaries of the human are constantly being contested, modified, and redefined. This course aims at introducing students to key concepts and debates about the posthuman. It encourages students to not only question existing hierarchies of humanness in relation to human-animal and human-machine paradigms, but also interrogate emerging materiality, morality, and ethics in cultural imaginations of the cyborg, AI, biotechnology, and environmental degradation. Through analyses of critical theory, science fiction, film, art, and popular culture, students will learn tools and skills to think critically about the ambiguous nature of the human and its racial, gender, and sexual embodiment. The course will help students develop perspectives on the risks and benefits of being human in technologically mediated futures.
