Please note that the first meeting of this course will take place in the second week of term (29.4--3.5).
In this seminar, we will be looking at several films and television programs that have portrayed artifical beings and grappled with the questions that the possible existence of such "life forms" raises: Can a machine be intelligent, even conscious? If so, should it have rights and freedoms? What would intelligent machines mean for us--how should we relate to them, and do they change anything about how we see our own humanity? Will they be our partners, friends, or slaves? Or will they eventually take our place? We will discuss these and other questions in the context of practical film analysis, with particular emphasis on the role of genre, narrative and style.
The seminar will begin with a section on the Pixar film WALL-E, which will be used to introduce students to the basics of film analysis, and to some of the central ethical, social and cultural questions which arise from the figure of the intelligent robot. Once the basics have been mastered, we will move on to the Black Mirror episode "Be Right Back," and the films Ex Machina and Her, which will allow us to examine the central questions in more depth.
The grade for this seminar will be based on two in-class essays, which will be written during regular class sessions. The essays will be written with pen and paper. The first essay, worth 1/3 of the final grade, will involve a slash grade. A slash grade means that students can improve their grade if they choose to rework and improve their essays. The second essay, written in the last meeting of the semester, is worth 2/3 of the final grade.
Readings will be provided on OLAT. All students must acquire the following films, either as DVDs or through streaming services:
WALL-E (2008)
Black Mirror, S02E01 "Be Right Back" (2013)
Her (2013)
Ex Machina (2015)
Additionally, I recommend watching the following before the beginning of term to achieve some context (not mandatory):
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Hello Dolly! (1969)
Blade Runner (1982)
Star Trek: The Next Generation, S02E09 "The Measure of a Man" (1989) |
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