Neural Media: A Cultural History of Machine Learning

After decades at the fringes of computer science, neural networks are now recognized as one of the most effective models for machine learning. A key object of study for media studies, these systems provide a privileged entry into the history and epistemology of computing machines, digital cultures, and the supposedly “objective” data practices underpinning them. Readings works from media studies, history of science, and postcolonial theory, this course will link the historical emergence of neural networks to the remediation of broader ideals and practices of knowledge related to the classification, management, and regulation of individuals and populations.