Living the Body Through Technology

Undergraduate / Graduate

We live with and in our bodies, we cannot experience the world without them. Yet, much of the time, we remain unaware of how our bodies are shaped by the technological infrastructures that surround us. This course examines the complex ways in which technologies, broadly defined, mediate and transform our experiences of the body and influence conceptions of health and well-being. Drawing on philosophical, anthropological and artistic perspectives, we will explore how contemporary technologies influence not only the conditions of the human body but also our very understanding of embodiment in modern life. Key questions include: How do brain scans and real-time ultrasounds reshape our inner sense of self? In what ways do organ transplants challenge traditional notions of bodily integrity and personal identity? What are the political and embodied implications of technological augmentations, from cochlear implants to bionic breasts? How do profit-driven markets shape the development of these technologies? We will also investigate how artists use new technologies to narrate embodied experiences of illness or transformation, and how fitness trackers and biometric devices are redefining concepts of health and well-being. The course will conclude with an exploration of consciousness and the mind, focusing on near-death experiences and the altered states brought on by psychedelics.Through critical reflection, we will generate new possibilities for living in and through our bodies.