Dr. Dean Taciuch
George Mason University

Spring 2016

Honors 353: 009
Technology in Contemporary Society

Course Schedule

The schedule of readings will almost certainly change during the course of the semester, depending on the interests in the class. We may not discuss all readings in class, but you should be prepared to discuss the readings if and when they come up in class discussions.

Week 1 (Jan 19 – 22): Course Introduction and Concepts
Cybernetics, communication, codes, and control.
HUHB Preface, Ch 1

Week 2 (Jan 29): Feedback
HUHB chapters ch 2 - 3
Response 1 (on negative feedback)

Week 3 (Feb 1 – 5): Homeostasis
HUHB chapters 4-8
Response 2 (on homeostasis)

Week 4 (Feb 8 – 12): the 2nd Industrial revolution
HUHB chapters 9-11
Response 3 (on 2nd Industrial Revolution)

Week 5 (Feb 15 – 19): Technological Singularity
Vernor Vinge, "Technological Singularity"
Essay 1 due Feb 19

Week 6 (Feb 22 – 26): Kurzweil I
Kurzweil Reader:
After the Singularity
Accelerating Intelligence
Max More and Ray K on the Singularity
Response 4 (on The Singularity)

Week 7 (February 29 – March 4): Kurzweil II
Kurzweil Reader: Will Machines Become Conscious (section)
Response 5 (on AI)

Week 8 (Spring Break)

Week 9 (March 14 – 18): Mindclones
Rothblatt: Foreword (by Ray Kurzweil), Intro, and Chapter 1
Response 6

Week 10 (March 21 – 25): Technological Evolution
Rothblatt: Ch 2 – 5
TED Talk: Kevin Kelly on How Technology Evolves
Response 7

Week 11 (March 28 – April 1): Social Impacts
Rothblatt: Ch 6 – 10
Essay 2 due April 1

Week 12 (April 4 – 8): Research and Technology
Google, Databases, and Wikipedia
Future of Life Institute & KurzweilAI.net
Synthesis: Using & Citing Sources
Response 8 (Research Topics)

Week 13 (April 11 – 15): On the Other Hand
Kurzweil Reader: "Are We Becoming an Endangered Species?"
Bill Joy : "Why the Future Doesn't Need Us"
Response 9 (on Joy)

Week 14 (April 18 – 22): H+
Francis Fukuyama: Transhumanism
Nick Bostrom, "A History of Transhumanist Thought"
Response 10
All revisions due by April 24

Week 15 (April 25 – 29): In Conclusion
Research Paper discussions

Week 16 (May 3): Exam Prep

Research Paper due Wednesday May 4

Final Exam Tuesday May 10, 9:45 – 11:45

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