SOC 114 - Genes, Dreams and Machines

4 Credits

1 Units

The medical scientific community has been dedicated to mastering illness and disease, fixing whatever we collectively deem wrong with the human body, intervening when the organism is injured or invaded. In the process of fighting disease, we have created numerous physical and pharmaceutical enhancement techniques in the name of beauty, symmetry, mental stability and productivity. We are now at the crossroads of the next frontier-the creation of cyborgs, combined organic and mechanical organisms. Whether we talk about the implantation of computer chips in humans or the substitution of amputated limbs with robotic replacements, we have begun the process of integrating men and machines. In this class we will explore the use of a variety of enhancement procedures-pharmaceutical, genetic and mechanical–and reflect on what the future of human enhancement will mean for our understanding of the human experience.

Credit Type Code: Letter Grade