Continuing Education

133/141 West 21st Street

In this course we will examine the desire to merge with and become a machine. We will consider the relationship between humans and machines since Plato and through ChatGPT, exploring together the changing role of technology in society. We will ponder the desire for immortality through technology, question the origins of animate life and consciousness, debate whether robots will overtake us and take a deep dive into the question of what it means to be human. We will look at the fascination with machines in early 20th-century utopianism, read the "Futurist Manifesto," learn about posthumanism and transhumanism. We will intertwine the theoretical readings with a discussion of literature, film, visual art and performance, including Chicanafuturism and Afrofuturism. We will discuss the ramifications of AI and our communion with our smartphone in relation to the demands and desires of neoliberal capitalism. Ultimately, we will ponder if we are, in fact, already machines.
Note: This course is held on campus at SVA.