Seminar 5.2 Matters of Life and Death (gLV) 

The seminar explores the problems of human survival on an ecological, technological, cultural and personal level. It aims to engage students critically with survival strategies and their cultural manifestations.
  • Kategorie: Ökologie / Umwelt
  • Keywords: Ethik, Ästhetik, Gesellschaft

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Nummer und TypBDE-BDE-T-WP-AK-5012.01.19H.001 / Moduldurchführung
ModulWahlpflichtmodul Theorie 5. Semester 
VeranstalterDepartement Design
LeitungDr. Björn Franke
Zeit
Mo 23. September 2019 bis Mo 9. Dezember 2019 / 17–18:30 Uhr
Anzahl Teilnehmende8 - 24
ECTS2 Credits
VoraussetzungenFor DDE Bachelor students:
None
For ZHdK students of other courses or specializations, binding enrollment takes place within the scope of the open lectures (gLV) via ClickEnroll (limited number of places):
https://intern.zhdk.ch/?clickenroll
LehrformSeminar
ZielgruppenCompulsory elective subject (Wahlpflichtfach) for students of the Department Design, 5th semester
Lernziele / KompetenzenThe seminar explores the problems of human survival on an ecological, technological, cultural and personal level. It aims to engage students critically with survival strategies and their cultural manifestations. Furthermore, the seminar will introduce the students to scholarly methods, to explore and evaluate relevant literature and to critically engage with texts, films, images and artefacts.
InhalteThe long term survival of humans on earth seems to be in jeopardy in the face of massive social, technological and ecological problems. Many are paralysed given the scale of these problems, as they seem to be to large for any individual or collective effort to solve them and are thus postponed to an undetermined future. This is particularly difficult for designers as they are habitually in pursuit of holistic solutions that would solve these problems once and for all. Very much in line with the modernist tradition, these solutions often would involve the redesign of the entire global system of production. An alternative strategy, however, would be not to change the system, but to explore possibilities and strategies for survival by questioning, changing or giving up accustomed ways of living and thinking.

In this seminar, we will explore issues of human survival in a very broad sense—form ecological and technological survival to making good decisions in everyday situations—based on texts, films, images and artefacts that focus on key topics such as shelter, climate, crisis, accidents, escape, decision making and foresight.
Bibliographie / LiteraturBostrom, Nick. Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014.

Emmott, Stephen. 10 Billion. London: Penguin Books, 2013.

Klein, Naomi. This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2014.

McKibben, Bill. Eaarth: Making a Life of a Tough New Planet. New York: Times Books, 2010.

Mitchell, Richard G., Jr. Dancing at Armageddon: Survivalism and Chaos in Modern Times. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2001.

Mulgan, Tim. Ethics for a Broken World: Imagining Philosophy after Catastrophe. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2011.

Rowlands, Mark. A Good Life: Philosophy from Cradle to Grave. London: Granta Publications, 2015.

Virilio, Paul. Unknown Quality. London: Thames & Hudson, 2003.

Additional Literature will be announced in the seminar.
Leistungsnachweis / TestatanforderungActive and regular attendance (min. 80%); reading and preparing the weekly reading assignments; term paper; presentations.
TermineEvery Monday from 23 September until 9 December 2019.
Bewertungsformbestanden / nicht bestanden
BemerkungThe seminar will be in English, including discussions, literature and films.
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