Most of what we commonly think of as "technology" had at its moment of origin deep connections to discourses of boundary and invisibility. E.g., Edison believed the phonograph was an apparatus for communicating with the dead; and his work on that aspect of prosthetic apprehension, taken up by others, continues to the present day. Near the beginning of the XXth century Jules-Etienne Marey conceived of photography as a device through which Nature could attest to itself, without the problematics of human intervention and consequent interpretation. And in the 1970s a group of Stanford physicists designed a machine by which Nature might communicate with humanity by means of text.

In this seminar we will consider technologies of apprehension and the boundaries of the apprehensible, and their inflection upon the powerful human drive to create the illusion of order where no order exists. Our thread will include Gestalt psychology, cognitive science, spiritual mediums, Fortean phenomena, the placebo effect, Avital Ronell's telephone, Joseph Davis's musical bacteria, Surrealist Anthropology, brain/mind machines, and subliminal communication, plus other examples we will ferret out over the course of the semester. Our organizing principle will be a discourse of the human drive for closure and its expression in apparati of vision, hearing, and other human senses -- the realm that we will call Near-Legibility. As part of the course you will design and build one or more apparati (in the larger sense) whose function is to play in the boundaries between the perceptible and the imperceptible. No specific manual skill is expected of you, but the desire to imagine, to think strangely, to take conceptual risks, and to manifest your imaginings in forms that others can experience, is.

The course is organized as a series of discussions. I will provide a framing narrative. Each week at the start of the seminar a student will present their own work, both for its own sake and in terms of its relationship to the theme of the seminar. The week's discussion will emerge from that presentation. As in previous seminars, I prefer unconventional methods of presenting work, buth during and at the conclusion of the semester.

The success of the seminar depends upon what you bring to it. I rarely lecture; instead, I guide discussion. This approach has its risks as well as its rewards. Some days nothing happens. When we can't kickstart a discussion for whatever reason, rather than requiring all of us to sit and stare at each other I will send you home. Other days the heavens open and Truth descends in a fiery chariot. It's unpredictable. Go figure.

The Fine Print:

Regarding Scholastic Dishonesty: The University defines academic dishonesty as cheating, plagiarism, unauthorized collaboration, falsifying academic records, and any act designed to avoid participating honestly in the learning process.  Scholastic dishonesty also includes, but is not limited to, providing false or misleading information to receive a postponement or an extension on a test, quiz, or other assignment, and submission of essentially the same written assignment for two courses without the prior permission of the instructor.  By accepting this syllabus, you have agreed to these guidelines and must adhere to them.  Scholastic dishonest damages both the student's learning experience and readiness for the future demands of a work-career.  Students who violate University rules on scholastic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary penalties, including the possibility of failure in the course and/or dismissal from the University.  For more information on scholastic dishonesty, please visit the Student Judicial services Web site at http://www.utexas.edu/depts/dos/sjs/.

About services for students with disabilities:  The University of Texas at Austin provides upon request appropriate academic accommodations for qualified students with disabilities.  For more information, contact the Office of the Dean of Students at 471-6259, 471-4641 TTY. 

About the Undergraduate Writing Center:  The Undergraduate Writing Center, located in the FAC 211, phone 471-6222, offers individualized assistance to students who want to improve their writing skills.  There is no charge, and students may come in on a drop-in or appointment basis.

Disclaimer: This syllabus may contain material from other syllabi written by the instructor or other faculty. Where possible, acknowledgement is given to additional sources.

Warning: This class may contain explicit descriptions of, or may advocate simulations of, one or more of the following: Nudity, satanism, suicide, sodomy, incest, bestiality, sadomasochism, adultery, murder, morbid violence, paedophilia, bad grammar, deviate sexual conduct in a violent context, the use of illegal drugs or alcohol, or offensive behavior. But then again, it may not. Should your sensibilities be offended at any time, you are free to leave the classroom without penalty provided that you notify either the instructor or teaching assistant when you do so.

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