VCD3132 CybercultureBahçeşehir UniversityDegree Programs SOCIOLOGYGeneral Information For StudentsDiploma SupplementErasmus Policy StatementNational QualificationsBologna Commission
SOCIOLOGY
Bachelor TR-NQF-HE: Level 6 QF-EHEA: First Cycle EQF-LLL: Level 6

Course Introduction and Application Information

Course Code Course Name Semester Theoretical Practical Credit ECTS
VCD3132 Cyberculture Fall 3 0 3 5
This catalog is for information purposes. Course status is determined by the relevant department at the beginning of semester.

Basic information

Language of instruction: English
Type of course: Non-Departmental Elective
Course Level: Bachelor’s Degree (First Cycle)
Mode of Delivery: Face to face
Course Coordinator : Dr. Öğr. Üyesi İPEK TORUN
Recommended Optional Program Components: None
Course Objectives: The electronic communication technologies produced new notions of information and entertainment. These new technologies have begun to alter our perception of presence and the real. It has transformed our experience of the body, identity and self. Our understanding of concepts like public sphere, urban space and architectural space has been altered. This course is designed to situate the changes in a broader cultural history of vision, visuality and cyber-culture. It will explore the culture of cyberspace through artwork, movies and literary work (novels) that use virtual reality to speculate about society, reality, self and the boundary between human and artificial life.

Learning Outcomes

The students who have succeeded in this course;
1) Introduced to both definition and application of concepts such as cyberspace, virtual identity, cyberculture, cyberpunk, technoculture, presence, telepresence, artificial intelligence, the real, intertextuality, ect.

2) Analyse and discuss the social, cultural, psychological, and political impact of these "new" technologies.

3) Develop basic understanding of vision, visuality and art within the culture of cyberspace.

4) Formulate an adequate critique of the direction and use of changes in the cultural history.

5) Introduced to the theory of Cyberpunk, which they can relate to cultural products within areas of fine arts, music and film.

6) Be able to discuss the issues revolving around pornography, race , gender, public sphere, identity and freeedom in relation to cyber culture.

7) Be able to carry discussions on the literary work of the field

8) Be able to make virtual presentation through constructing a simple site or a blog

Course Content

Students will be introduced to the topic of cyber culture and will inspect the reflections of cyber culture in our lives through lectures, readings and project assignments throughout the semester.

Weekly Detailed Course Contents

Week Subject Related Preparation
1) Introduction to the Course / Review of the Syllabus none
2) İntroduction to Visual Culture in new technologies: What is cyberspace and how does it relate to art, literature, movies, music, lifestyles, politics, and sexuality of the postmodern world? The reading related to the subject
3) A cultural history of the Virtual: new modes of cultural experience and questions of pornography, hacking, race and gender stereotypes, freedom of information, and copyright. The reading related to the subject
4) Roots of Social Cyberspace: When Technology and Community Collide, The Virtual Public Sphere The reading related to the subject
5) Constructed Human Body and Art: The Art and Work of Stelarch and Transhumanism, Art between Body and Machine Screening: Ghost in the Shell The reading related to the subject
6) Virtual Bodies and the Definition of the Human: Human and Machine in Science Fiction Screening: The Matrix The reading related to the subject
7) Beyond the Screen and in to the interface of of Virtual Reality: Art and Work of Jeffery Shaw Preparation for midterm
8) Term Review Review of the reading done during the term
9) İnteractive Narratives in Art and Artificial Intelligence: Banishing linear sequence. Online artworks and online galleries, art with no object. The reading related to the subject
10) The Virtual City: Cyberspace and the Information Superhighways Works of Bill Viola, Dennis Oppenheim and Diana Thater The reading related to the subject
11) Virtual İdentity , Virtual Learning, Telepresence and Self in the Digital World The reading related to the subject
12) The Evolution of Cyberpunk (Technoculture): Discussion on Neuromancer Screening from Anime Series: ‘Neon Genesis Evangelion’ dir. Hideaki Anno. The reading related to the subject
13) Post and Post-post Cyberpunk in postmodern times Screening: Bladerunner dir. Ridley Scott The reading related to the subject
14) Review of the semester review

Sources

Course Notes / Textbooks: Course reading will be given on a weekly basis
References: 1) McLuhan, "Understanding Media"
2) Jean Baudrillard, "Simulations and Simulacra"
3) Walter Benjamin, "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction"
4) Lev Manovich, "The Automation of Sight: From Photography to Computer Vision"
5) Bill Nichols, "The Work of Culture in the Age of Cybernetic Systems"
6) Donna Haraway, "Manifesto for Cyborgs"
7) Paul Virilio, “Speed and Information: Cyberspace Alarm!”
8) Slavoj Zizek, "From Virtual Reality to the Virtualization of Reality"
9) M. Christine Boyer,"The Imaginary Real World of Cybercities"
10) Marshall Berman, “All That is Solid Melts Into Air: The Experience of Modernity”
11) Michael Rush, “New Media in Late 20 th Century Art”
12) Andrew Butler,” Cyberpunk”
13) Theodor W. Adorno, “The Culture Industry - Selected Essays on mass culture”
14) Mark Dery, “Escape Velocity: Cyberculture at the End of the Century”
15) William Gibson, “Neuromancer”
16) Neal Stephenson, “Snow Crash”
17) Fredric Jameson, "Progress Versus Utopia; or, Can We Imagine the Future?"

Evaluation System

Semester Requirements Number of Activities Level of Contribution
Attendance 15 % 10
Homework Assignments 2 % 30
Midterms 1 % 20
Final 1 % 40
Total % 100
PERCENTAGE OF SEMESTER WORK % 60
PERCENTAGE OF FINAL WORK % 40
Total % 100

ECTS / Workload Table

Activities Number of Activities Workload
Course Hours 14 42
Study Hours Out of Class 14 60
Homework Assignments 2 10
Midterms 1 5
Final 1 5
Total Workload 122

Contribution of Learning Outcomes to Programme Outcomes

No Effect 1 Lowest 2 Low 3 Average 4 High 5 Highest
           
Program Outcomes Level of Contribution
1) To learn and compare major sociology perspectives, both classical and contemporary, and apply all of them to analysis of social conditions.
2) To be able to identify the basic methodological approaches in building sociological and anthropological knowledge at local and global levels
3) To be able to use theoretical and applied knowledge acquired in the fields of statistics in social sciences.
4) To have a basic knowledge of other disciplines (including psychology, history, political science, communication studies and literature) that can contribute to sociology and to be able to make use of this knowledge in analyzing sociological processes
5) To have a knowledge and practice of scientific and ethical principles in collecting, interpreting and publishing sociological data also develop ability how to share this data with experts and lay people, using effective communication skills
6) To develop competence in analyzing and publishing sociological knowledge by using computer software for quantitative and qualitative analysis; and develop an attitute for learning new techniques in these fields.
7) To identify and to have a knowledge of the theories related to urban and rural sociology and demography, and political sociology, sociology of gender, sociology of body, visual sociology, sociology of work, sociology of religion, sociology of knowledge and sociology of crime.
8) To have knowledge of how sociology is positioned as a scientific discipline from a philosophical and historical perspective
9) To have the awareness of social issues in Turkish society, to develop critical perspective in analysing these issues and to have a knowledge of the works of Turkish sociologists and to be able to transfer this knowledge
10) To have the awareness of social issues and global societal processes and to apply sociological analysis to development and social responsibility projects
11) To have the ability to define a research question, design a research project and complete a written report for various fields of sociology, either as an individual or as a team member.
12) To be able to transfer the knowledge gained in the areas of sociology to the level of secondary school.