Moist Media II: Bio-ethics through Speculative Lenses

Moist Media II: Bio-ethics through Speculative Lenses is the second course of Moist Media series designed by Frank Cong. This course focuses on ethical implications for artistic practices that involve living organisms and/or nonhuman species and helps students develop a critical view on their own moist media practice.

 

The lectures and readings introduce students to important bioethical arguments concerning human cloning, human enhancement, and human-nonhuman chimeras in the post-human culture(by Cary Wolfe, María Puig de la Bellacasa, Leon Kass, Jason Scott Robert, Françoise Baylis, etc.). The course also discusses speculative/hyperrealist works (by Sputniko!, Ai Hasegawa, Patricia Piccinini, etc.) and analyzes how the artists and designers craft artifacts and scenarios to stimulate public discourses about the social and ethical implications of emerging biotechnologies. Throughout the lectures, discussions, and workshops, student groups should develop their research projects that are manageable within one semester and have potential for future investigation. The final submission includes a collaborative project from each student group and an individual research journal from each group member.