Honors 353: 002

Assignments

Essay 1

The first essay asks you to interpret some observed behavior in light of Wiener's concept of cybernetics. The behavior you observe may be biological, social, mechanical, digital, or any combination of these. But you must offer an interpretation of the system as a feedback/control system.

The essay should be approximately 5 pages, doublespaced, with standard margins and fonts. Research is not required, but sources must be cited (MLA style) if used.

Some questions to consider (you may, of course, consider other questions):

• What are the components of the system?
• How do the components communicate?
• What kinds of feedback are utilized in the system?
• What adjustments or decisions does this communication make possible?
• How does this system temporarily reverse the increase of entropy to create a localized pocket of order? (That is, why doesn't it fall apart?)
• If the system is not biological, how does it differ from a biological system?
• If the system is biological, what separates it from non-biological systems?

25%

Essay 2: The second essay asks you to consider the issues raised in Gibson's Neuromancer in light of our discussions of cybernetics, control, "singularities," and the like. Some possible topics are listed below (you may, of course, consider other topics):

• The concept of "the self" in Neuromancer. You should focus specifically on two or three characters (Case, Armitage/Corso, Dixie Flatline, Wintermute/Neuromancer).
• An analysis of the AI (Wintermute/Neuromancer): To what extent are its motives understandable? What is Wintermute doing, and why?
• Why are AIs regulated in Neuromancer? The Turing Police consider AIs to be "demonic." What do they mean by this?
• An analysis of the beach scene (chapters 21-22) in Neuromancer. What does Neuromancer mean when he tells Case that "to live here is to live" (p258)?
• An analysis of the various cybernetic systems of control deployed in the world of the novel
• A discussion of the end of Neuromancer as a Vinge-style "singularity."

No matter what topic you choose, you will need to develop a thesis, not merely compare or state facts. You will need to support this thesis with examples from the text. Outside sources are not required for this essay, but if they are used they must be cited using MLA style.

25%

Midterm exam: This will be an in-class, open book exam. 20%

Study terms:

Cybernetic	Homeostasis
Contingency	Entropy
Augustinian evil	Manichean evil
Feedback (Negative)	Memex
First and Second Industrial revolutions

 

Research Project: The research project will be an research essay updating one of the issues discussed in Lessig's Code, for possible inclusion in an updated online edition of the text. 30%

 

Course Syllabus

Course Schedule

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