| CODE | PHI1042 | ||||||
| TITLE | Philosophy and the Internet | ||||||
| UM LEVEL | 01 - Year 1 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Philosophy | ||||||
| DESCRIPTION | The study-unit will explore the connection between the Internet, cyberspace and cyberculture. It will give the students a good grounding in ethical thinking as a necessary tool for critically reflecting on their use of the Internet as a platform for the virtual world. Study-unit Aims: 1. To familiarize students with issues of identity, virtual reality, the information commons, privacy, security and democracy; 2. To explore the ubiquitous role of the Internet in transforming our lives on a personal and societal level; 3. To examine if the Internet is a radically new invention or merely a novel one that is nothing more than an upgrade from TV and radio. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: 1. Familiarize themselves with the architecture of the Internet and the emerging world of cyberspace; 2. Describe and explain the main philosophical issues concerning the Internet as it continues to transform society in ways hitherto unimaginable; 3. Make informed judgments on the notion of virtual world and its relation to the real world. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: 1. Critically evaluate the nature of cyberspace and cyberculture; 2. Analyze the ways the Internet, as the platform for the virtualization of information, is changing our notions of the self, community and reality; 3. Adopt an attitude towards the Internet that avoids the extremes of Luddism and technofilia. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: Alone Together by Sherry Turkle, Basic Books, 2011. The Internet by Hubert L. Dreyfus, Routledge 2011. The Internet: A Philosophical Enquiry, by Gordon Graham, Routledge, 1999. Secondary Texts: An Introduction to Cybercultures, by David Bell, Routledge, 2006. Networks of Outrage and Hope: Social Movements in the Internet Age, by Manuel Castells, Polity, 2012. The Net Delusion by Evgeny Morozov, Penguin 2011. Social Media by Christian Fuchs, Sage 2014. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture and Seminar | ||||||
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| LECTURER/S | Jean Buttigieg |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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