Studies in Literature and Film (386-0-21)

Topic

Robots Real and Imagined

Instructors

Ilana Vine Larkin

Meeting Info

University Hall 218: Mon, Wed 2:00PM - 3:20PM

Overview of class

Will you support our future robot overlords? Robots have long played a significant role in our cultural imagination, from the earliest science fiction to dozens of recent shows and movies. And with recent advancements in robotics and AI, they are playing an ever-greater role in our everyday life. This course will delve into the cultural history of the robot, from the coining of the term in the 1920 play R.U.R. to The Terminator to contemporary depictions such as Blade Runner 2049 and Westworld. We will compare these fictional robots to the growing number of real robots that increasingly shape our world, from mining and manufacturing to healthcare and food delivery. The course will explore cultural anxieties around AI and robotics, their increasing indistinguishability from humans, our ever-greater reliance on them, and the inevitability of robot world domination.

Teaching Method

Discussion-based seminar.

Evaluation Method

Student presentations and final essay.

Class Materials (Required)

Karel Čapek, R.U.R. (play, 1920)
Ray Bradbury, The Illustrated Man (short stories, 1951)
Isaac Asimov, The Complete Robot (short stories, 1982)
Philip k. Dick, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (novel, 1968)
WALL-E (film, 2008)
Selections from Futurama (series, 1999 - 2006)
Selections from Atomic Robo (comic, 2007-present)
I, Robot (film, 2004)
Blade Runner 2049 (film, 2021)
Selections from Westworld (series, 2019-present)
Selections from Lost in Space (series, 1965-1968)

Class Attributes

Literature & Fine Arts Distro Area