Course Description

The nature of human identity - how we think of ourselves, how we perceive others - is a mutable concept, changing with the rise and fall of religious beliefs, social mores, philosophical theories. Today, we live in a world in which science and technology are among the most powerful forces reshaping our culture - and …

The nature of human identity - how we think of ourselves, how we perceive others - is a mutable concept, changing with the rise and fall of religious beliefs, social mores, philosophical theories. Today, we live in a world in which science and technology are among the most powerful forces reshaping our culture - and thus our definitions and perceptions of identity. In this seminar, we will examine the impact of science and technology on identity.

The instructor’s course page may be viewed at http://smg.media.mit.edu/classes/IdentitySeminar/

A series of overlapping book titles.
Defining a person through objects, in this case books. Image inspired by the work of Danah Boyd. See Assignment 8 in the Projects section. (Image by Keith McCluskey. Used with permission.)