HSCI 236
Automatic Culture: From the Mechanical Turk to A.I.
Spring 2018
Division II
Cross-listed
SCST 236
This is not the current course catalog
Class Details
This course examines the histories of real and imagined automata–machines that perform complex and multi-step operations without continuous input from human minders. Case studies range from the late 18th-century “Mechanical Turk” hoax to factory automation in the 19th and 20th centuries to the contemporary automation of writing, reporting, and game playing by algorithms and artificial intelligences. We will study the receptions of automata by various audiences, their representations in literature and art, and occasional efforts by humans behave like automata themselves.
The Class:
Format: seminar
Limit: 25
Expected: none
Class#: 3945
Grading: yes pass/fail option, yes fifth course option
Limit: 25
Expected: none
Class#: 3945
Grading: yes pass/fail option, yes fifth course option
Requirements/Evaluation:
students will be evaluated based on mid-term and final essays, discussion participation, and brief in-class writing exercises.
Prerequisites:
none
Enrollment Preferences:
SCST concentrators
Distributions:
Division II
Notes:
This course is cross-listed and the prefixes carry the following divisional credit:
SCST 236 Division II HSCI 236 Division II
SCST 236 Division II HSCI 236 Division II
Class Grid
-
HEADERS
Column header 1
CLASSESColumn header 2DREQColumn header 3INSTRUCTORSColumn header 4TIMESColumn header 5CLASS#
-
HSCI 236 - 01 (S) SEM Automatic Culture
HSCI 236 - 01 (S) SEM Automatic CultureDivision IIMR 2:35 pm - 3:50 pm
Class of '66 Env Ctr Room 1043945
Megamenu Social