Technology, Self, and Society: A Humanities Initiative

FAIN: AC-50199-14

CUNY Research Foundation, LaGuardia Community College (Long Island City, NY 11101-3007)
Phyllis E. Van Slyck (Project Director: July 2013 to September 2014)
Naomi J. Stubbs (Project Director: September 2014 to April 2018)
Naomi J. Stubbs (Co Project Director: December 2013 to September 2014)
Richard Brown (Co Project Director: March 2015 to December 2016)
Bethany D. Holmstrom (Co Project Director: December 2016 to April 2018)

A three-year interdisciplinary project that would examine the theme of technology and the self, in order to enrich introductory courses, as well as the college's capstone course, "Humanism, Science, and Technology."

LaGuardia Community College proposes a 3-year Project connecting liberal arts faculty, the college community, and our diverse student body, through interdisciplinary study and curriculum development inspired by visiting scholars and readings on the theme of technology and the self. The goals of the Project are to: 1) enhance the capacity of LaGuardia faculty to enrich their curriculum in the humanities, and 2) bring NEH faculty Fellows into conversation with visiting scholars and current issues involving identity in relation to new technologies.

Associated Products

Meanings of Media Refusal in a Connected Culture: The Consequences of Logging Off in an Always-on World (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: Meanings of Media Refusal in a Connected Culture: The Consequences of Logging Off in an Always-on World
Abstract: In a thoroughly connected culture where media are ubiquitous, even inescapable, what does it mean when individuals consciously turn away from media technologies? What do we accomplish, or what do we imagine we might accomplish, by unplugging, deactivating, and tuning out? In this presentation, Portwood-Stacer will share her research on the conscious disavowal of media engagement, a phenomenon she has termed "media refusal." Focusing especially on social network platforms, Portwood-Stacer argues that lifestyle practices involving refusal accrue meaning through their situation in contexts where participation is the norm. Her presentation will discuss various dimensions of media refusal discourses, including the political, economic, ethical, and gendered aspects of disconnection, and how they function in our overall understanding of the relationship between digital technologies, identity, and society.
Author: Dr. Laura Portwood-Stacer
Date: 10/09/2014
Location: LaGuardia Community College, 3110 Thomson Ave, Long Island City, NY11104

Racism, Sexism, and Gaming’s Cruel Optimism: Analyzing Social Justice Strategies that Address Gamergate (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: Racism, Sexism, and Gaming’s Cruel Optimism: Analyzing Social Justice Strategies that Address Gamergate
Abstract: In 2014 Video game culture was rocked by a major scandal--Gamergate--that highlighted its problems with sexism and racism. Women and players of color must negotiate intense and sometimes-painful attachments to a dream of equality and respect earned through “good play” both within and without games. This paper will analyze social justice strategies for addressing racism and sexism within gaming culture.
Author: Dr. Lisa Nakamura
Date: 05/01/2015
Location: LaGuardia Community College, 3110 Thomson Ave, Long Island City, NY11104

Technology, Self, and Society (Web Resource)
Title: Technology, Self, and Society
Author: Dr. Naomi Stubbs, Ann Matsuuchi, Dr. Bethany Holmstrom, and the Faculty Fellows
Abstract: This website provides an overview of our activities on the grant, including an ongoing list of resources (books, articles, websites, and films), our Twitter feed, and our blog.
Year: 2014
Primary URL: https://techselfsociety.commons.gc.cuny.edu/

Dawn of the Anthropocene: New Technologies, New Challenges, and New Modes of Thinking (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: Dawn of the Anthropocene: New Technologies, New Challenges, and New Modes of Thinking
Abstract: In his presentation, Allenby discussed: The rapid evolution in nanotechnology, biotechnology, information and communication technology, robotics, and applied cognitive science Today’s epoch -- known as the Anthropocene -- in which human activities have significant global impacts How our planet and humans have become design spaces subject to deliberate change in ways never before possible The unprecedented levels of complexity today’s world presents Steps towards ethical, rational, and responsible participation in the world today
Author: Dr. Braden Allenby
Date: 11/13/2015
Location: LaGuardia Community College, New York

American Android: Artificial Humans in the US, 1895-2719 (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: American Android: Artificial Humans in the US, 1895-2719
Abstract: Artificial humans have populated the human imagination for millenia. In recent centuries, speculation about artificial humans has been the province of fiction writers and, increasingly, scientists (both the mad and the not-so-mad varieties). But the history of the US is also full of real—not imagined—artificial humans. In this talk, I will offer fragments toward a history of the android, showing that its reach extends well beyond science fiction, impacting nineteenth-century feminism, mid-20th-century thought about gender, and the contemporary policing of African Americans.
Author: Dr. Scott Dexter
Date: 10/28/2015
Location: LaGuardia Community College, New York

Perception and Illusion in Virtual Reality (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: Perception and Illusion in Virtual Reality
Abstract: Do virtual reality devices such as the Oculus Rift produce the illusion of an external reality? Or do they produce non-illusory experiences of a virtual reality? Chalmers addresses this question by starting with an analogous question about mirrors. When one looks in a mirror, does one undergo the illusion that there is someone on the other side of the mirror, or does one have a non-illusory experience of someone on this side of the mirror? He argues that at least for familiar users of mirrors, there is no illusion. Knowledge of mirrors provides a sort of cognitive orientation (a variety of cognitive penetration) that affects the content of visual experience and renders it non-illusory. Chalmers suggests that familiar users of virtual reality devices have a similar sort of cognitive orientation that renders their experience non-illusory
Author: David Chalmers
Date: 03/23/2016
Location: LaGuardia Community College, CUNY

The Future of the Mind (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: The Future of the Mind
Abstract: Telepathy. Telekinesis. Mind reading. Photographing a dream. Uploading memories. Mentally controlled robots. A Brain Net to replace the internet. These feats, once considered science fiction, have now been achieved in the laboratory, as documented in The Future of the Mind. In this presentation, Dr. Kaku will expand upon the ideas in his number one bestselling book to explore the economic, social, and philosophical implications of these technological developments.
Author: Michio Kaku
Date: 03/29/2016
Location: LaGuardia Community College, CUNY

Future Humans (Web Resource)
Title: Future Humans
Author: Dr. Bethany Holmstrom, Ms. Priscilla Stadler, and Faculty Participants
Abstract: This website will feature a range of teaching activities developed during the Future Humans mini-seminar by faculty participants. Contributions are ongoing.
Year: 2016
Primary URL: http://futurehumans.commons.gc.cuny.edu/

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