module
Postgraduate Module Descriptor
PHL3096: Cyborg Studies
This module descriptor refers to the 2023/4 academic year.
Module Aims
This module aims to help you to engage in a wide range of debates in posthumanism. You will be exposed to various scenarios in which the idea of humanity is questioned, either through its technological disruption or the need to develop ideas which no longer hold humans at their core. With the figure of the cyborg, as its icon, the module explores the co-evolution of humans, machines, sciences and natures. The central aim is for you to develop a critical understanding of what it means to be human and what role our technology should play in determining not only our own future but the future of the world(s) in which we live.
| On successfully completing the programme you will be able to: | |
|---|---|
| Module-Specific Skills | 1. Critically assess the meaning and significance of being human 2. Analyse the relationships between humans and non-human agents and entities 3. Demonstrate familiarity with theoretical perspectives appropriate to the analysis of these relationships and exemplify with a range of contemporary, historical and theoretical (including fictional) examples. |
| Discipline-Specific Skills | 4. Demonstrate awareness and understanding of a range of philosophical, social scientific, and historical perspectives 5. Identify the core theoretical assumptions and premises of these disciplines. 6. Apply theoretical and interpretive perspectives to the task of ethical, political and social analysis 7. Demonstrate appreciation of the strengths, weaknesses and limitations of different and competing philosophical, social scientific and historical perspectives |
| Personal and Key Skills | 8. Reflect on, and examine, taken-for-granted social, cultural and ethical assumptions, beliefs and values 9. Analyse, evaluate, and communicate a range of explanatory and interpretive theoretical perspectives; assess evidence, marshal facts and construct arguments. |