Most of us spend a significant portion of our lives immersed in digital worlds of one form or another, whether through social media, online gaming, or in virtual communities. Our identities and relationships have always reflected our wider social networks; how has life in the digital world changed how we think about these things? In this course we will seek to understand and evaluate digital worlds and how we inhabit them from a variety of philosophical perspectives. Topics to be discussed may include: Online identity (both individual and social), anonymity and accountability, digital citizenship, piracy and file sharing, cyberbullying, cybersex, hacking and ‘hactivism’, and internet addiction. Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hoursPrerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or completion of 18 credit units at the university level or permission of the instructor.
Most of us spend a significant portion of our lives immersed in digital worlds of one form or another, whether through social media, online gaming, or in virtual communities. Our identities and relationships have always reflected our wider social networks; how has life in the digital world changed how we think about these things? In this course we will seek to understand and evaluate digital worlds and how we inhabit them from a variety of philosophical perspectives. Topics to be discussed may include: Online identity (both individual and social), anonymity and accountability, digital citizenship, piracy and file sharing, cyberbullying, cybersex, hacking and ‘hactivism’, and internet addiction. Weekly hours: 3 Lecture hoursPrerequisite(s): 3 credit units in philosophy or completion of 18 credit units at the university level or permission of the instructor.
