“Technology is essentially political – there is no such thing as a politically neutral technology.” Do you agree with this statement? Critically discuss.
Paper details:
Respond to either:
- one question from the set list, which will be based upon the substantive academic
debates from each of the weekly topics
• Formulate a concrete line of argument in direct response to the selected question, set it
out in a thesis statement, and structure a well-rounded discussion to support and evaluate
your position.
• Take in to account counter-arguments to your own position, outlining them and
explaining why they are wrong.
• Make detailed reference to primary and secondary sources, which might include books,
journal articles, events, objects, sites, government reports, newspaper articles, etc. Engage
closely with the sources you are writing about. Quote or paraphrase from them carefully
and analyse these passages in detail (close reading) in support of your argument.
• Support your claims and ideas with evidence and careful argumentation, backed up by
reference to your secondary reading (i.e. providing a footnote or in-text reference giving
your source). Wikipedia and non-reputable websites will not be considered suitable
sources and will not be credited. a list of the main references i'd like you to include in the essay
- Foucault, Michel, ‘Lecture 9 – 14 March 1979’, in The Birth of Biopolitics: Lectures at the Collège de France, 1978-79, ed. by Michel Senellart, trans. by Graham Burchell (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2010), pp. 215-233
Mumford, Lewis, ‘Machines, Utilities, the “The Machine”’ and ‘The Monastery and the Clock’, in Technics and Civilization (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2010), pp. 9-18
-Adorno, Theodor, The Culture Industry: Selected Essays on Mass Culture, ed. and trans. by J. M. Bernstein (London: Routledge, 2001) - Abbinnett, Ross, ‘The Politics of Spirit in Stiegler’s Techno-Pharmacology’, Theory, Culture & Society 32, 4 (2015), 65–80
- Becker, Gary S., Human Capital: A Theoretical and Empirical Analysis with Special Reference to Education (London: University of Chicago Press, 1993)
- Beniger, James R., The Control Revolution: Technological and Economic Origins of the Information Society (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1986)
Rouvroy, Antoinette and Berns, Thomas, ‘Algorithmic Governmentality and the Prospects of Emancipation’, trans. by Elizabeth Libbrecht, Réseaux, 1, 177 (2013). See: https://www.cairn-int.info/article-E_RES_177_0163--algorithmic-governmentality-and- prospect.htm, pp. III – IX - Agger, Ben, ‘iTime: Labor and Life in a Smartphone Era’, Time & Society, 20, 1 (2011), 119-136
Sample Solution