{"id":420,"date":"2010-11-16T19:04:40","date_gmt":"2010-11-17T00:04:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.quinnnorton.com\/said\/?p=420"},"modified":"2011-04-11T19:36:37","modified_gmt":"2011-04-12T00:36:37","slug":"laboratory-of-the-self-description-and-syllabus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.quinnnorton.com\/said\/?p=420","title":{"rendered":"Laboratory of the Self: Description and Syllabus"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Laboratory of the Self<\/div>\n
Quinn Norton<\/div>\n
Monday, 2:30pm \u2013 5:25pm<\/div>\n
Location: Somewhere at ITP…<\/div>\n
Office Hours: Usually Tuesday, 2-3<\/div>\n

Course Description<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
This course will explore the relationship between the body and the self, both in theory and in hands-on application. We’ll begin by learning the basic physiology that links perception to memory and action. How does your mind and body react when you get a coffee, or see a text on your phone? How do you get from there to drinking the coffee or replying to a friend? The process of perception, cognition, and action underlies how we relate to the world, and ultimately, who we believe we are.<\/div>\n
The first half of the class culminates in a midterm self-monitoring project. Examples of projects include monitoring heart rates, glucose levels, or music and mood. Students will report on what the data they’ve collected tells them about their body and their understanding of their individual self.<\/div>\n
The second half of the class examines the history and state-of-the-art of human modification, from both a technical perspective, and how the practice of body modification has changed society. We’ll discuss ancient changes, and the latest and greatest cybernetic advances, along with bio-ethics and a bit of cyborgian philosophy. For the final projects, students will engage in a self modification project, which will be presented at the end of the term. By the end of the class the student will have a basic understanding how their own perceptions and memory are formed, how this gives rise to their sense of self– and how to change it.<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Projects<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
There will be examples, but I will be looking for students to designs projects that are really about themselves. Technical complexity takes a backseat; design for personal insight. You will have a couple weeks to think of ideas, and the chance to discuss them in class, or with me privately.<\/div>\n
Both the monitoring and modification projects have the option of privacy and can be presented only to myself if they cover sensitive material.<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Attendance<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
Missing class will affect your grade. If you’re ill, please stay home, but consider Skyping in. If you know you will have to\u00a0miss a session let me know in advance.<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Grading<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
projects: 60%,<\/div>\n
class participation 20%,<\/div>\n
reading response 20%.<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Class blog<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
We will have a blog as a place for people to share their thoughts on the reading and their projects publicly. Blogging is optional for those wishing to work more privately. But reading the blog is required.<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Reading and Reading Response<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
Reading will be a mix of offline and print. You must email me or post to the class blog a brief response after every reading. Not required for the coloring book, though I will run though quick verbal checks on it in class.<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Classes<\/strong><\/p>\n

Week One: The Only Animal That has to Find Itself<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
Introductions to the topic, and each other, & setting up the first project.<\/div>\n
Reading:<\/div>\n
A Colorful Introduction to the Anatomy of the Human Brain: A Brain and Psychology Coloring Book, chapters one, two, three<\/div>\n
Reinventing Ourselves, Andy Clark<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Week Two: The Substrate of Sensory-Motor Experience, part 1<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
Anatomy of the Neuron, Sympathetic and Parasympathetic responses, Ramon Y Cajal and the Neuron Doctrine, Basics of the physiology of sense, Styles of the major neurotransmitters, A little on how psychoactive drugs work, Neurological and psychological homeostasis, Addiction.<\/div>\n
Reading:<\/div>\n
A Colorful Introduction to the Anatomy of the Human Brain: A Brain and Psychology Coloring Book, chapters seven, eight, nine<\/div>\n
Except of Swann’s Way<\/em>,\u00a0Marcel Proust<\/div>\n
A Sixth Sense for a Wired World, Quinn Norton<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Week Three: The Substrate of Sensory-Motor Experience, part 2<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
Discuss the reading responses, lobes and locations, thalamus: the great receptionist in our heads, describing the sensory-motor loop, \u00a0the various\u00a0homunculi, the\u00a0homunculi\u00a0we’re missing, our six and seventh sense, The strange path of the olfactory bulb,\u00a0the stranger case of toxoplasmosis, comparative brains across evolution, the corpus collosum, Alien Hand syndrome, grey vs white matter, association areas, TMS, the pain circuit and P, fun with P, why I hate the term ‘lizard brain’, finalizing quantitative self projects.<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\n
Reading:<\/div>\n
A Colorful Introduction to the Anatomy of the Human Brain: A Brain and Psychology Coloring Book, chapters ten, eleven, twelve<\/div>\n
Better Than Well: The perfect voice, Carl Elliott<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Week Four: The Substrate of Sensory-Motor Experience, part 3<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\n
Memory formation, the reliability of memory, dreams as a paradigm for the problems of neuroscience,\u00a0EMDR,\u00a0Association, Emotion and Motivation,CBT, Gourmand’s syndrome, Demyelination (MS), Spinal response variation in mammals, circadian rhythms, sleep in mood and memory, No talking but singing, inner speech, emotions.<\/div>\n
Reading:<\/div>\n
A Colorful Introduction to the Anatomy of the Human Brain: A Brain and Psychology Coloring Book, chapter four<\/div>\n
\n
\u202aDr. Robert M. Sapolsky – Stress, Neurodegeneration And Individual Differences\u202c (Optional)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Sixth Meditation, Rene Descartes<\/div>\n
“I sing the body electric” Walt Whitman<\/div>\n
I have not the words, Quinn Norton<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Week Five: The History of Our Selves<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Dualism vs materialism, Whitman v Descartes cage match, the drift of childrearing, the disruption of feminism, gender in the modern age vs gender in history.<\/p>\n

Better Than Well, Chapter 2: The True Self<\/div>\n
Oxford Uehiro Center: Neuropunditry<\/div>\n
“Bring them on, the power plants”, Dale Pendell<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Week Six: Self monitoring projects + More History of the Self<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Social construction of self,\u00a0history and perspectives on depression, bipolar, and schizophrenia, authenticity\u00a0as moral right,\u00a0fMRI studies,\u00a0Class presentations and discussion, setting up the second project<\/p>\n

Reading:<\/div>\n
Becoming Dragon, Micha C\u00e1rdenas<\/div>\n
Chapter 5, Better than well<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Week Seven: <\/em> Self monitoring projects <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
Midterm presentations<\/div>\n
Reading:<\/div>\n
Coffee and tea chapters from Pharmako\/Dynamis, Section Excitantia by Dale Pendell<\/div>\n
Surviving in an Alien Environment: Human + Christ as Medieval Natural-Born Cyborg<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Week Eight<\/strong>: <\/strong><\/em>History of modification<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\n
How we’ve modified ourselves, and the shifting baseline of wellness and rights.\u00a0Caffeine, tobacco, our many camp followers, literacy and memory, vaccination.<\/div>\n
Reading:<\/div>\n
\n
Nature: Professor\u2019s little helper<\/div>\n
If steroids are cheating, why isn\u2019t LASIK? William Saletan<\/div>\n
The Brain on the Stand, Jeffrey Rosen<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Week Nine: <\/em>Bioethics of Enhancement<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
Policies that affect how we choose to modify, neurolaw and its problems, sports and its triumphs, cognitive enhancers and academia, the social role of medicalization, the redefinition of well.<\/div>\n
Reading:<\/div>\n
Kanye West, Media Cyborg, Robin Sloan<\/div>\n
The Body Without Memory: An Interview with Stelarc, Mark Fernandes<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Week Ten: High Weirdness Pt 1: Body modders, artists, drugs and DIY +<\/strong> <\/em>Media and Politics<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
The artists, body modders, and edge cases, modern primitives, portrayal of enhancement in the media<\/div>\n
Reading:<\/div>\n
Better than Well, Chap. 9, Carl Elliott<\/div>\n
Transhumanism, Francis Fukuyama<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Week Eleven: High Weirdness Pt 2: Medical Frontiers<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
Research on brain computer interface, drug delivery, implantables, optogenetics, gene therapy, transhumanists, extropians<\/div>\n
Reading:<\/div>\n
Better than Well, Conclusion, The tyranny of happiness, Carl Elliott<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Week Twelve: Self modification projects<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
Class presentations and discussion<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Laboratory of the Self Quinn Norton Monday, 2:30pm \u2013 5:25pm Location: Somewhere at ITP… Office Hours: Usually Tuesday, 2-3 Course Description This course will explore the relationship between the body and the self, both in theory and in hands-on application. We’ll begin by learning the basic physiology that links perception to memory and action. How […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[129],"tags":[63,140,64],"class_list":["post-420","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-class","tag-enhancement","tag-itp-nyu","tag-self"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quinnnorton.com\/said\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/420"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quinnnorton.com\/said\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quinnnorton.com\/said\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quinnnorton.com\/said\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quinnnorton.com\/said\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=420"}],"version-history":[{"count":68,"href":"https:\/\/www.quinnnorton.com\/said\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/420\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":425,"href":"https:\/\/www.quinnnorton.com\/said\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/420\/revisions\/425"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quinnnorton.com\/said\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=420"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quinnnorton.com\/said\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=420"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quinnnorton.com\/said\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=420"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}