B5362 - The Political and Cultural Imaginaries of Digital Technologies (1) (LM)

Conoscenze e abilità da conseguire

Students develop a critical approach to the diffusion and use of digital technologies. They are expected to acquire a preliminary knowledge of the historical context of these innovations to strengthen their understanding of the challenges posed by digitisation. Students consider art as a field in which these technologies are both applied and criticized. By the end of the course, students are able to evaluate the variegated cultural and political imaginaries that are contributing to shaping digital innovations.

Contenuti

The course will be articulated into the three parts.

First, we will frame a political genealogy of the digital technologies, highlighting the philosophical issues they pose. For this reason, a brief history from the birth of internet to the success of platform capitalism and the expectations on artificial intelligence will be presented.

Then, we will focus on some of the main cultural paradigms about technological innovations (Californian Ideology, Transhumanism, Accelerationism, etc.) to analyse the way they frame the relationship between the "digital" and the “human”.

The last part of the will be more collaborative and interactive with guest experts facilitating a workshop on art curatorship and digital technologies, and students presenting their response papers to course’ topics.

 

Testi/Bibliografia

Section I: Genealogy of digital technologies

J. Lingel, The Gentrification of Internet, University of California Press, 2023

N. Srnicek, Platform Capitalism, Polity Press, 2016.

T. Terranova, After the Internet, Semiotexte, 2022.

 

Section II: Techno-cultures

R. Barbrook, A. Cameron, The Internet Revolution, Network Notebook, 2015.

A. Williams, N. Srnicek, Accelerate. Manifesto for an Accelerationist Politics, 2013.

D. Haraway, A Cyborg Manifesto, 1985.

W. McKenzie, A Hacker Manifesto, Harvard University Press, 2004.

G. Lovink, Dark fiber: tracking critical internet culture, MIT Press, 2002.

 

Section III: Digital Arts

D. Quaranta, Beyond New Media Art, LINK editions, 2013

V. Tanni, Memesthetics, Nero Editions, 2024

Metodi didattici

During each class, with the support of videos and images, the instructor will introduce a topic providing bibliographic and artistic references (available on Virtuale after the class).

During the course, a workshop will be organized with guest experts.

Moreover, students will be required to elaborate a response' paper on one of the topics introduced and to present it during the course (about 1.500 words, highlighting the issue, main arguments, and personal comments).

Modalità di verifica e valutazione dell'apprendimento

Students who attend the course may choose between oral and written exam.

Written exam (around 4.000 words) will be based on a theoretical (articulated into the sections: topic, arguments, conclusions) or curatorship project (articulated into the sections: concept, artists, installation setting) elaborated by the student and based on the topics discussed during the course. The project must be submitted at least 7 days before the date of the exam, then it will be discussed with the instructor.

Oral exam will be based on 2 texts to be chosen, one for each of the first two sections of the reading list. They are invited to communicate the selection to the instructor before the exam.

 

Students who do not attend classes have to pass an oral exam based on 3 texts to be chosen, one for each section of the reading list. They are invited to communicate the selection to the instructor before the exam.

 

Students with SLD or temporary or permanent disabilities. It is necessary to contact the relevant University office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en) with ample time in advance: the office will propose some adjustments, which must in any case be submitted 15 days in advance to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of these in relation to the teaching objectives.

Orario di ricevimento

Consulta il sito web di Maurilio Pirone