TIM_B_032 Virus in digital culture

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2023
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. et Mgr. Adam Franc, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. et Mgr. Adam Franc, Ph.D.
Department of Musicology – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Bc. Jitka Leflíková
Supplier department: Department of Musicology – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
Mon 14:00–15:40 N21
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: 18/150, 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 6 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. Objectives:
- Introduce students to the problematic of computer virus.
- To provide students with a basic overview on the current state of computer virus research in digital culture.
- To acquaint students with dominant types of thinking which surround the computer and biological virus.
- To familiarize students with the artistic potential of computer virus and its role in the contemporary digital art.
Learning outcomes
After completing the course students will be able to:
- Provide the technological and philosophical definitions of computer virus, distinguish the different types of computer virus.
- Describe the historical development of computer virus.
- Outline the contemporary research methods of computer virus used in digital culture.
- Identify and summarize the basic characteristics of the three main types thinking about computer virus (virus as artificial life, virus as metaphor, virus as speech act).
- Put art of computer virus into the broader context of twentieth-century art, describe the various forms of virus in the contemporary digital art, give examples of artworks that use 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. Virus in the context of philosophy – Gilles Deleuze, Felix Guattari, Bruno Latour, Actor-Network Theory
  • 5. Modern thinking about virus – virus as artificial life
  • 6. Postmodern thinking about virus – virus as metaphor I
  • 7. Postmodern thinking about virus – virus as metaphor II
  • 8. Nonmodern thinking about virus – virus as speech act
  • 9. Virus in digital art I – destructive creativity
  • 10. Virus in digital art II – virus as a tactical medium
  • 11. Representation of virus in popular culture
  • 12. Positive virus: praise of differences
Literature
    required literature
  • Thomas, Anne-Marie. It Came from Outer Space: The Virus, Cultural Anxiety and Speculative Fiction. PhD Thesis. Louisiana State University, 2002.
  • Buiani, Roberta. Scary Networks? Viruses as Discursive Practice. Fibre Culture, roč. 3, č. 4.
  • 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.
  • Latour, Bruno. Nikdy sme neboli moderní. Bratislava: Kalligram, 2003.
  • Dibbell, Julian. Viruses Are Good for You. Wired, roč. 3, č.2, 1995.
  • Latour, Bruno. Reassembling the Social: An Introduction to Actor-Network-Theory. Oxford - New York: Oxford University Press, 2007.
  • Cohen, Fred. Computer viruses. PhD Thesis. University of Southern California, 1985.
  • Franc, Adam. Virus jako předmět výzkumu v diskurzu nových médií. Diplomová práce. Masarykova univerzita, Filozofická fakulta, 2014.
  • Ludwig, A., Mark. Computer Viruses, Artificial Life and Evolution. Tucson: American Eagle Publication, 1993.
    recommended literature
  • Parikka, Jussi. Digital Contagions: A Media Archaeology of Computer Viruses. New York: Peter Lang Publishing, 2007.
Teaching methods
Lectures, discussion.
Assessment methods
Attendance at lectures is compulsory. Five absences are tolerated.
Written test – the combination of open-ended and closed-ended questions. At least 50 % of the total score is required to pass the test
Language of instruction
Czech
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2021, Spring 2022, Spring 2024, Spring 2025.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2023, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/spring2023/TIM_B_032