[Close Reading: Humans and Technology]

Here are the eight scenes you may choose from for your close reading this week. Again, you will be examining the ways in which humans interact with technology in a scene from a film. The goal is to closely analyze the scene and in order to reveal new levels of understanding. We will discuss how this is done in class this week.

"We Made You Cause We Could" from Prometheus (Ridley Scott, 2012)


"Mr. Eddie Vedder from Accounting" from Hackers (Iaine Softley, 1995)


"The Duel" from Electric Dreams (Steve Barron, 1984)


"Do You Know How to Get Out of Here?" from Her (Spike Jonze, 2013)—NSFW

"It's Someplace That Does a Thing" from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry, 2004)


"Die, Mutha F--kas, Die" from Office Space (Mike Judge, 1999)—NSFW


"I May Throw Up on Ya" from Star Trek (JJ Abrams, 2009)


"Mecha, Orga" from A.I. Artificial Intelligence (Steven Spielberg, 2001)

[Week 12: Tu 08/Th 10]

Week 12: Tu 08/Th 10
Class: CLOSE READ; Reading discussion; Multimedia presentations, Lecture—"Close Reading a Film”
Due: REFLECTION 05

Upcoming:

Week 13: Tu 15/Th 17
Class: EXPOSITORY; Reading discussion; Multimedia presentations
Due: RESEARCH PAPER (UP TO PAGE 2; BRING 2 COPIES)

Week 14: Tu 22/Th 24
Class: Reading discussion; Multimedia presentations
Due: REFLECTION 6; RESEARCH PAPER (UP TO PAGE 4; BRING 2 COPIES)

Week 15: Tu 29/Th 01
Class: Writers workshop; Multimedia presentations
Due: RESEARCH PAPER (UP TO PAGE 8; BRING 1 COPY)

Week 16: Tu 06/Th 08
Class: Multimedia presentations
Due: RESEARCH PAPER (FINAL DRAFT)

Week 17: Tu 13
Class: End-of-class review
Due: PROCESS ANALYSIS

[Futurism News 04.03.14]

• Go to space in a balloon—for only $75,000 (The Awesomer)
• Coming soon: Night vision contact lenses (Discover)
• "Lab-grown" Chicken McNuggets coming to McDonald's (Inhabitat)
• The Navy has developed a fire-fighting robot (ITProPortal)
• The Crabster is ready for ocean exploration (Discover)
• For those times you don't need your swimming pool (DesignLaunches)

[Week 11: Tu 01/Th 03]

Week 11: Tu 01/Th 03
Readings: PHYSICS—3: Future of Medicine – 9: A Day in the Life in 2100; eR—“The Basics of How to Read a Film” (Rutgers University WIRE), “How to Do a Close Reading” (Harvard College Writing Center)
Class: EXPOSITORY; Reading discussion; Multimedia presentations; Lecture—“Constructing a Research Paper: A How-To”
Due: RESEARCH PAPER THESIS

Upcoming:

Week 12: Tu 08/Th 10
Class: CLOSE READ; Reading discussion; Multimedia presentations, Lecture—"Close Reading a Film”
Due: REFLECTION 05

 

[Futurism News 03.29.14]

• New program turns you into a composer simply using just your keyboard (Wired)
• Computer programs begins deciphering dolphin whistles (New Scientist)
• New app gives you a floor plan in minutes (Architizer)
• David Beckham unveils his stunning proposal for a new Miami MLS soccer stadium (Huffington Post)
• Smell your food before ordering using this new app (Inhabitat)
• "Android Wear" has arrived (Ecouterre)

[Reflection 05: Count Me In—On the Rise of the Citizen Scientist]

In their "Top Ten Forecasts for 2014 and Beyond," the World Futurist Society said citizen science "is on its way to becoming the favored twenty-first-century model for conducting large-scale scientific research." Indeed, citizen science, in which the public participates and collaborates with scientists in research, has had a democratizing effect on the scientific world. The trend has allowed people from all walks of life the opportunity to participate in a variety of research, ranging from the tracking of migration patterns to the measuring ocean acidification. For this reflection, explore the potential impact of the citizens scientist in the 21st century.

Include at least two of the following in your discussion:

• "Citizen Science Rocks!" (Philadelphia Inquirer)
• "Eight Apps that Turn Citizens into Scientists" (Scientific American)
• "First-ever Bluebird Twins Highlight Citizen Science’s Value in Studying Rare Events"  (PLOS)
• "Kids Count: Young Citizen Scientists Learn Environmental Activism (Edutopia)
• "'Citizen Science' Gains Momentum in Northwest and Nationally" (NPR) 
• "Use Your Computer to Help with Climate Research" (Lifehacker Australia)

Required:

• MLA Style
• Works cited 
• One full page in length

Due: Th 04.03

[Week 10: Tu 25/Th 27]

Week 10: Tu 25/Th 2
No Class—Spring Break

Upcoming:

Week 11: Tu 01/Th 03
Readings: PHYSICS—3: Future of Medicine – 9: A Day in the Life in 2100; eR—“The Basics of How to Read a Film” (Rutgers University WIRE), “How to Do a Close Reading” (Harvard College Writing Center)
Class: EXPOSITORY; Reading discussion; Multimedia presentations; Lecture—“Constructing a Research Paper: A How-To”
Due: RESEARCH PAPER THESIS