Undergraduate Course: Technology, Religion and Ethics 3/4 (THET10030)
Course Outline
| School | School of Divinity |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Course type | Standard |
Availability | Available to all students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Credits | 20 |
| Home subject area | Theology and Ethics |
Other subject area | None |
| Course website |
None |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | The investigation of technology as religion and of the religious origins of technological innovation. Learners will explore the ways in which technology reorders the character of human life and the biosphere, and they will examine the attempts of ethicians and religious communities variously to resist or set limits to this reshaping. The course will involve the study of classical and contemporary narratives of technology, and the use of case studies of particular technological developments such as genetic engineering, electronic communication, and intensive farming. Case studies of traditional religious communities ? such as the Amish and some indigenous peoples ? who have resisted the technological reshaping of life on spiritual grounds will also be deployed. |
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students should have at least 3 Divinity/Religious Studies courses at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this). We will only consider University/College level courses. |
| Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? | Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
- Recognise and critique the principal narrative devices by which technologies are advocated and embraced in modern consumer oriented societies
- Identify and discuss narratives of resistance to technology deployed by religious groups, new social movements, and philosophical, literary and cultural critics of technology
- Illustrate the deployment of such narratives by groups which are either early or late adopters of new technologies, and of groups who consistently refuse to utilise certain technological devices.
- Explore the ethical implications of new technologies for the character of human life and human dwelling and for the human spiritual journey
- Analyse and critique the particular impact of novel technologies - such as genetic engineering - on the biological as well as psychological constitution of human and other than human existence.
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Assessment Information
30% Blog and Seminar Participation
30% Mid-Semester Essay 2000 words
40% End-Semester Essay 3000 words |
Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
Not entered |
| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
Not entered |
| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords | TechRelEth |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Prof Michael Northcott
Tel: (0131 6)50 8947
Email: |
Course secretary | Mrs Joanne Cannon
Tel: (0131 6)50 8900
Email: |
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