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New 1-Credit Course!


Intelligent Machine:
The Computer in
Popular Culture

CSE 097  °  Spring 2007  °  Professor Daniel Lopresti


No technology has had a bigger impact on society over the past 50 years than the computer. This 1-credit course will examine how computers – and the scientists and engineers who build and use them – have been portrayed in movies and literature. We will study both realistic, present-day depictions as well as dark, futuristic visions. By tapping the creative imaginations of filmmakers and authors, we will strive to acquire a deeper understanding of the ultimate potential of this “intelligent machine” that now pervades nearly every aspect of our lives.


Films we will watch include:
2001: A Space Odyssey directed by Stanley Kubrick
The Net starring Sandra Bullock
The Matrix starring Keanu Reeves
►  I, Robot starring Will Smith

Books we will read include:
The Soul of a New Machine by Tracy Kidder
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
2001: A Space Odyssey
I, Robot
The Matrix
The Net

The course will meet once a week on Fridays from 12:10 pm – 1:00 pm. Attendance at all classes and participation in online discussions is mandatory. Films will be scheduled for an evening screening and will also be available on reserve for individual viewing. In addition to the movies listed below, we will also be reading two books: The Soul of a New Machine by Tracy Kidder, and Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson. A final 5-page essay will be required. Open to students from all majors, with no prerequisites. Contact the instructor for further details, including room assignments for the film screenings:  dal9@lehigh.edu.

(Note: CSE 097 does not currently satisfy HSS elective requirements.)


Film
Details
1
2001:  A Space Odyssey
1968 * 148 min.
Jan. 23 @ 7:30 pm
2
Colossus: The Forbin Project
1970 * 101 min.
Jan. 30 @ 7:30 pm
3
Tron
1982 * 96 min.
Feb. 6 @ 7:30 pm
4
War Games
1983 * 113 min.
Feb. 14 @ 7:30 pm
5
Sneakers
1992 * 126 min.
Feb. 20 @ 7:30 pm
6
The Net
1995 * 114 min.
Mar. 13 @ 7:30 pm
7
The Matrix
1999 * 136 min.
Mar. 20 @ 7:30 pm
8
AI Artificial Intelligence
2001 * 145 min.
Mar. 27 @ 7:30 pm
9
Metropolis
2002 * 109 min.
Apr. 3 @ 7:30 pm
10
Bedwin Hacker
2003 * 99 min.
TBD
11
I, Robot
2004 * 114 min.
TBD


Webpage last updated March 26, 2007.

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Computer Science & Engineering, Packard Laboratory, Lehigh University, Bethlehem PA 18015