We will then consider the relationship between Punk and the society that initially produced and consumed these records, films, fanzines, fashions, icons, ideas. And, of course, the seemingly everlasting legacy that Punk has left behind (in music, film, fashion, youth culture, and the list goes on…) In short, this class will investigate Punk not only in terms of the question “What does it mean?” but also “HOW does it mean?” LA8504 | Freud and Lacan Graham Harman The celebrated Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) was a Viennese medical doctor who became known for treating hysteric and neurotic patients, at first through hypnosis but increasingly through the “talking cure,” now in widespread use in the form of psychotherapy. In doing so, he offered a powerful theory of dream interpretation as well as a revolutionary conception of human culture. Though Freud is accused by many today of following an “unscientific” approach to psychology, his basic concepts have shaped our contemporary selfunderstanding. Though Freud had many followers and imitators, one of the most original was the French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan (1901-1981), who is also a giant in such areas in cultural studies and film theory. By separating the concepts of masculinity and femininity from biological sex, Lacan also provided new resources for feminism. Perhaps the biggest difference between Freud and Lacan is that whereas Freud treated the unconscious as a real force hidden from human view, Lacan sees the unconscious as lying at the surface of psychological reality rather than in some concealed depth. This approach made Lacan a major influence on postmodernist philosophers, with their inherent distrust of all notions of deeply hidden essence. In this course we will read some of the key works of both Freud and Lacan, so as to become aware of the stakes in their important debate. LA8507 | The Swirling Swarm of Drive-less Cars neither loves you nor hates you Benjamin Bratton This seminar will trace paths design research drawn from triangulations of artificial intelligence, virtual reality and machine sensing. Why so? For ourselves, we develop virtual environments as a form of mass media native to a post-truth economy; for our cities, we outfit their surfaces with sensory media that situate the evolution of artificial intelligences as a landscape-scale phenomenon. Where do synthetic sensation and machine sensing intersect? This seminar will oscillate between theoretical mapping of possibilities and practical modeling of tangible experiments. The latter will focus on modeling new VR tools for scientific design and discovery, and exploring what experiences are possible when new map virtual tactility and virtual sight/sound. As a group, we will move between seminar, studio and laboratory, meeting both at SCI-Arc in Los Angeles and, on occasion, at UC San Diego in La Jolla.
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