IM141 Virus in a new media discourse

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2016
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. et Mgr. Adam Franc, Ph.D. (lecturer), doc. Mgr. Jana Horáková, Ph.D. (deputy)
Guaranteed by
doc. Mgr. Jana Horáková, Ph.D.
Department of Musicology – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Bc. Jitka Leflíková
Supplier department: Department of Musicology – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
Wed 10:50–12:25 zrusena M13
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 150 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/150, only registered: 0/150, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/150
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 7 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
Virus is a phenomenon difficult to grasp and study because exists in many different forms and permeates diverse layers of our reality. Virus can be found in the form of poetry, artificial life, piece of digital code, useful software, dangerous terrorist, tool of political activism, metaphorical concept, illness, speech act and specific artwork. This complex entity requires a thorough examination which is not limited to one domain of research. The best solution for the complex research of virus is therefore an interdisciplinary approach. For this reason, students of the course take journey through various concepts and theories coming from different fields of knowledge, whether of philosophy, software studies, art theory, artificial life, science and technology studies or archeology of media. The course is divided into several sections which explore history, definition and different forms of virus as well. Students gain a basic overview about the current state of research of virus in the new media discourse and get knowledge about the dominant types of thinking which surround the computer and biological virus.
Syllabus
  • 1. An introductory lesson – course content and structure, way of completing the course 2. Definition of computer and biological virus 3. Historical development of computer virus, current (computer) viruses 4. Philosophical thinking about virus I - Gilles Deleuze, Felix Guattari, Michel Serres etc. 5. Philosophical thinking about virus II - Bruno Latour, Actor-Network Theory 6. Virus as artificial life 7. Virus as metaphor I – illness, HIV virus, discourse of hygiene 8. Virus as metaphor II – terrorism, vizualization of computer virus in science and art 9. Virus as speech act 10. Virus as artwork: destructive creativity 11. Representation of virus in popular culture 12. Positive virus: praise of differences 13.Archaeology of software: the moment of the birth of the computer virus (case study)
Literature
    recommended literature
  • Latour, Bruno. Nikdy sme neboli moderní. Bratislava: Kalligram, 2003.
  • Thomas, Anne-Marie. It Came from Outer Space: The Virus, Cultural Anxiety and Speculative Fiction. PhD Thesis. Louisiana State University, 2002.
  • Ludwig, A., Mark. Computer Viruses, Artificial Life and Evolution. Tucson: American Eagle Publication, 1993.
  • Franc, Adam. Virus jako předmět výzkumu v diskurzu nových médií. Diplomová práce. Masarykova univerzita, Filozofická fakulta, 2014.
  • Latour, Bruno. Reassembling the Social: An Introduction to Actor-Network-Theory. Oxford - New York: Oxford University Press, 2007.
  • Parikka, Jussi. Digital Contagions: A Media Archaeology of Computer Viruses. New York: Peter Lang Publishing, 2007.
  • Sampson, D., Tony – Parikka, Jussi (eds.). The Spam Book: On Viruses, Porn, and Other Anomalies from the Dark Side of Digital Culture. Cresskill: Hampton Press, 2009.
    not specified
  • Dibbell, Julian. Viruses Are Good for You. Wired, roč. 3, č.2, 1995.
  • Cohen, Fred. Computer viruses. PhD Thesis. University of Southern California, 1985.
  • Buiani, Roberta. Scary Networks? Viruses as Discursive Practice. Fibre Culture, roč. 3, č. 4.
Teaching methods
The course consists of lectures.
Assessment methods
Written test.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2017, Spring 2018, Spring 2019, Spring 2021, Spring 2022.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2016, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/spring2016/IM141