FRINQ: Life Unlimited?
Davidova, Flower, Teuscher
Proposal to the University Curriculum Committee
Freshman Inquiry Course
I. Cover Sheet
Course title
Life Unlimited?
Date first offered
Sections per year
Statement of
theme/topical
area
Fall 2011
3-4
Modern biotechnology allows tinkering with life in unprecedented ways. Yet,
what currently sounds more like science fiction is just the beginning of an
exciting new era that bears both incredible risks and opportunities for
humankind. This interdisciplinary year-long course will delve into the
fascinating relationship between non-living and living matter, life and death,
nature and the artificial, humans and machines. Our inquiry will start with the
fundamental question what is life. How can a finite number of non-living
molecules and atoms become a complex living organism with consciousness
and moral beliefs? We will explore in what ways human search for perfection
is embodied in various myths and utopian visions. What does it mean to be
human, cyborg, or transhuman? Nowadays, genetic engineering modifies life
and synthetic biology seeks to create it from scratch. However, the social
consequences are enormous. Therefore, we will examine the risks and
opportunities of such technologies and how they redefine social relations and
values. These changes prompt the emergence of new concepts and disciplines,
such as biopower, biopolitics, and bioethics that address the new forms of
discrimination and social injustice. How do these modifications of life
ultimately lead to a redefinition of life itself? Through readings, movies,
research, hands-on experiments in designing artificial life systems through
simulations, and discussions, the students will study topics ranging from
philosophy to arts, from ethics to the evolution of language, from law, politics,
and religion to economics, and from artificial cells to avatars. The course also
offers unique creative, artistic, and educational opportunities for students by
using modern simulation software.
Signatures of participating faculty:
Contact Faculty:
_Christof Teuscher____ECE_______w/503 725 [email protected]_
Name
Mail Code
Telephone (work, home)
Email
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FRINQ: Life Unlimited?
Davidova, Flower, Teuscher
Proposal to the University Curriculum Committee/Freshman Inquiry Course
II. Course Narrative
A. Statement of theme/topical area (no more than 200 words):
Modern biotechnology allows tinkering with life in unprecedented ways. Yet, what currently
sounds more like science fiction is just the beginning of an exciting new era that bears both
incredible risks and opportunities for humankind. This interdisciplinary year-long course will
delve into the fascinating relationship between non-living and living matter, life and death,
nature and the artificial, humans and machines. Our inquiry will start with the fundamental
question what is life. How can a finite number of non-living molecules and atoms become a
complex living organism with consciousness and moral beliefs? We will explore in what ways
human search for perfection is embodied in various myths and utopian visions. What does it
mean to be human, cyborg, or transhuman? Nowadays, genetic engineering modifies life and
synthetic biology seeks to create it from scratch. However, the social consequences are enormous.
Therefore, we will examine the risks and opportunities of such technologies and how they
redefine social relations and values. These changes prompt the emergence of new concepts and
disciplines, such as biopower, biopolitics, and bioethics that address the new forms of
discrimination and social injustice. How do these modifications of life ultimately lead to a
redefinition of life itself? Through readings, movies, research, hands-on experiments in
designing artificial life systems through simulations, and discussions, the students will study
topics ranging from philosophy to arts, from ethics to the evolution of language, from law,
politics, and religion to economics, and from artificial cells to avatars. The course also offers
unique creative, artistic, and educational opportunities for students by using modern simulation
software.
B. Learning objectives specific to this theme:
• Students will understand the complex nature of the central sciences involved in modifying
living beings (molecular genetics and synthetic biology) as well as their role in society and
culture.
• Students will compare various historical and cultural examples of perceptions of life and
death
• Students will explore and discuss the presumption that science is or can be free of political,
economic, social and moral concerns.
• Students will examine various viewpoints on the ethical and social issues of modifying life
• Students will critically evaluate the role of the media and government regulations with
respect to emerging technologies
• Students will analyze and articulate the technological barriers that might lead to inequalities
with regards to gender, race, class, ethnicity, nationality, sexual identity, ability, and religion,
• Students will be able to critically assess the opportunities of improving health and medicine
by means of technology.
• Students will discuss and propose models for social justice that personally concern them.
C. Assessment of student learning (specific to theme):
Assessment of student learning in this theme will be based on regular informal writing
assignments such as journals and online dialog papers; graded research projects and essays;
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Davidova, Flower, Teuscher
hands-on projects; observed development of skills in articulating and mediating different
viewpoints; measured evaluation of theme-specific knowledge; assignments requiring analysis,
interpretation of quantitative, linguistic, graphic and other subject matter. Students’ grades will
be apportioned in the following categories: group projects (including community-based learning);
essays; portfolios; informal assignments and class participation; hands-on projects.
D. Description of methods to ensure coherence of theme across participating faculty:
The “Life Unlimited?” team will meet weekly during the year to continue course development,
exchange ideas and experiences, share new project ideas, materials, and teaching strategies to
enrich the ongoing class experience, and collaborate on assignment development. The team will
utilize a common core of readings and assignments and each team member will visit the others’
classes regularly. In addition to the weekly meetings, a longer meeting will be scheduled at the
end of each term to review goals, assess student needs and progress, and integrate the results of
this reflection into the next term.
E. Interdisciplinarity of theme: The current “Life Unlimited?” team consists of one biologist
(Flower), a computer scientist (Teuscher), and one historian (Davidova). The team is currently
looking to add more scholars.
The proposed theme is an inherently interdisciplinary topic at the common interface between
biology, computer science, engineering, social science, arts philosophy, literature, history,
cognitive science, anthropology, and physics. The field also covers a wide range of applications.
F. Relation of course to other University Studies offerings (cohesion, ties to future learning):
The “Life Unlimited?” curriculum is designed to support the intellectual, ethical, and personal
growth of entering students. We will explicitly address questions of the fascinating and
incredibly rich relationship between non-living and living matter, between life and death,
between nature and the artificial, between humans and machines and how individuals and society
develop perspectives and ideas with significant impact on communities. Our studies will include
examples from the natural sciences, the arts, and the social sciences.
Specific linkages between the theme and Sophomore Inquiries and their Clusters include
but are not limited to the following:
The “Life Unlimited?” theme will easily link to a large number of SINQs & Clusters (it would be
simpler to list the exceptions). Naturally, the new theme will be most relevant for the "Freedom,
Privacy, & Technology" cluster, in particular for the "Digital Media and Society," "Exploring
Complexity in Science and Technology," "Genes and Society," "The Internet Age," and the
"Biopolitics" classes.
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G. How this theme will address the University Studies Goals:
University
Studies Goal
Communication:
Writing
Graphics
Oral
Communication
Representative Assignments
Assessment Plan
The class will be rich in discussions, debates,
and communication involving modern media.
To fully embrace the topic, we will also
nurture the communication in virtual
environments, such as the one created by the
students, Second Life, or other modern social
networking tools. We will explore the unique
opportunities for such media in particular
with respect to diversity, people with
disabilities, and other cultures. We will
explore how emerging social media and
networks can remove barriers for race,
gender, and social class, and how to further
improve that trend.
All terms: weekly informal writing
assignments (journals, creative and critical
exercises); additional individual and groupbased written essays and formal reflections.
Fall: short summary of argument papers.
Winter or spring term: one 8-10 page
research paper. Spring: reflective essays.
See Numeracy section; graphical component
will be included. Students will also be asked
to analyze and convey concepts non-verbally
in various projects, incorporating visual
manifestations of ideas.
All terms: presentations to class of project
results; role playing; class discussions;
debates; individual creative presentations;
group presentations.
UNST writing assessment; themespecific pre- and post-course evaluations
graded according to UNST writing
rubric. Students will also incorporate
peer evaluation.
Numeracy
Fall: analysis of historical aspects of
technology. Winter: Exercise applying
numeracy as tool in achieving objective
measures to support claim, and how numbers
can be manipulated.
Visual
Communication
All terms: group collage projects exploring
the dominant themes of the term.
Fall: Group presentation: "What is Life?"
Winter: Design an advertisement. Spring:
Create a small video clip illustrative of how
imagery supports redefinitions of life.
All terms: group collage projects exploring
the dominant themes of the term to give form
to shared perceptions, culminating in a
collective end-of-year piece. Fall: A
historical analysis of technology and the
definitions of life. Winter: simple artificial
life computer simulation project. Spring:
Group process
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Graphical analysis will be incorporated
in the context of the coursework. Ability
to create, interpret and articulate graphs,
and connect to context and significance.
Organization, ability to communicate
appropriately to a specific audience,
articulation of main points, ability to
connect course concepts to subject
matter.
Numerical analysis will be incorporated
in the context of the coursework.
Students will be encouraged to include
quantitative information in their written
work and class presentations, and
assessed on their ability to connect to
context and significance.
Effective use of representations in their
written and oral presentations. Ability to
apply and interpret symbolism, and
connect visual images to values, context,
and ideological significance.
Individual and group written reflection
on the following points: collaborative
process, design and achievement of
common purpose, collaboration
agreement, and consciousness of selfcommitment and citizenship.
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FRINQ: Life Unlimited?
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LEGO robotics group project; communitybased learning group project exploring
examples of contemporary activism.
Computer Literacy
All terms: Assignments will sequence
towards progression from basic skills
training, such as online database searches,
PowerPoint, and Excel. Winter and spring
terms will incorporate the electronic portfolio
We also plan to create podcasts and video
clips for certain group projects.
Inquiry and
Critical Thinking
The course is meant to challenge traditional
thinking about the evolution of technology
and living beings. By raising controversial
topics, such as creationism, the evolution of
religion, artificial intelligence, artificial life,
we will deepen the opportunities for critical
thinking and reflection. By means of handson experiments and simulation environments,
the students will be able to examine key
aspects on their own. For example,
programming artificial evolution in a simple
simulated artificial life environment will help
them to understand that very simple basic
local rules can lead to highly complex global
behaviors.
Fall: Keep a reflective blog about the
readings and class discussions. Winter:
Research paper. Spring: Podcast or video
clip documenting the redefinition of life from
multiple perspectives.
The course will promote an understanding of
the importance of emerging technologies
among diverse social groups. For example,
the students will explore the benefits of
personalized medicine enabled by methods
from bioengineering. The students will
further be engaged in the risks and
opportunities of body extensions and
modifications for physically and mentally
challenged persons. What are the
technological and ethical barriers? How do
racial, ethical, and social inequalities need to
be addressed when IQ-improving medication
will become available? Who will have access
to artificial organs grown from artificial cells
in order to “repair” or improve their bodies?
Fall: Essay on organ transplants. Winter:
Create an artwork illustrating the
"modification of life," or “What is a
Monster?” Spring: Research and debate
about a new and controversial IQ-enhancing
drug.
Diversity and
Human Experience
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Effective use and relevance of
technology in class presentations. In
addition to the UNST rubrics, portfolio
assessment includes understanding
balancing the designer’s vision with
audience needs in functionality,
readability, and fulfillment of content
expectations.
Responding critically to peer writing on
rough drafts; demonstration of ability to
differentiate between perception,
opinion and reasoned inquiry in writing
and discussion (UNST critical thinking
rubric).
Oral presentations, written assignments,
and written reflections to assess student
understanding of different perspectives
and values, what constructs their own
perspective, and how difference is
perceived, constructed, or manipulated
by the dominant culture.
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FRINQ: Life Unlimited?
Ethics and Social
Responsibility
Davidova, Flower, Teuscher
Students will be engaged in dialogs and
projects to address the social end ethical
issues around creating life from scratch. For
example, the stem cell debate will serve as a
starting point to explore the moral and ethical
decisions humans will have to make with
unseen emerging technologies, such as
artificial organs grown in the laboratory.
Another issue is if and when humankind
needs to pull the plug when machines start
becoming more intelligent than humans.
Fall: Create an advertisement pro or contra
an issue discussed in class. Winter: Legal
and public policy case study. Spring:
Researching the public opinion with podcast
interviews of people in downtown Portland.
Written reflection, oral presentations,
group papers, and in-class discussions
demonstrating understanding of personal
responsibility to and impact of actions
on individuals, communities, and larger
society.
H. How this theme will introduce students to the humanities, the social sciences, the natural
sciences, and writing:
Humanities: Meaning of life is a perennial theme that has mesmerized for centuries
philosophers, religious and social thinkers, and artists. The inherent interdisciplinary nature of
the course includes various course materials, such as literature, philosophy, visual arts, films, and
poetry. As our reading list suggests, we will read novels, philosophical essays, and watch movies
that express intellectual and emotional responses (a wide range between fascination and fear) to
the advancement of medicine and new technologies. From myths of origins to quests for utopian
societies to contemporary imagery of hybrids, students will be exposed to discourses of
perfection and prolongation of life in various disciplines that will provide both historical and
contemporary perspectives.
Social Sciences: The same themes of origin, modifications, and redefinitions of life will be
simultaneously explored through social sciences’ lenses as well. A special emphasis will be
given to the impact of new technologies on social values and new ethical dilemmas. Disciplines,
such as anthropology, law, economics, sociology, and history provide a window not only into
basic methods used in social sciences, but also to the potential barriers that might lead to
inequalities with regards to gender, race, and class. These new forms of social injustice even
prompt the emergence of new disciplines, such as biopolitics and bioethics, and highlight the role
of law, ethics, and public policy. Concepts of common good and biopower are crucial for
understanding the political economy of power and its impact individuals, communities, and
society.
Natural Sciences: Life Unlimited? draws attention to leading edge research in genetics,
molecular biology, and nanotechnology. It focuses on our attempts to understand the molecular
dynamics of living systems and thus how life can be shaped (even created) in the laboratory as
well as modeled by computers. As part of our examination of life and its expanding limits the
methods and practices of inquiry in the natural sciences will come to the fore. This theme thus
introduces students to the kinds of research questions being posed, the approaches being taken,
and the increasingly complex intersections of those questions and approaches with a range of
political, moral, social, economic and cultural concerns. These intersections allow for the
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exploration of new ways to conceive civic values and forms of civic engagement appropriate to
an increasingly technoscientific world.
Writing: Throughout the year, a variety of creative and standard written assignments will
stimulate students to see the same phenomena through different lenses and media, such as
creating an advertisement, research paper, several observation journals and short essays, script
for a film clip, to name just a few. We plan on using the engaging book, They Say, I Say, which
will also strongly emphasize basic writing and research skills.
III. Course Schedule and Topics
Term
First
Term
Second
Term
Topical Outline
Term theme: “What is Life”
• Concept of human perfectibility and harmony
• Religious and political beliefs
• Concept of hybridity, mythical and imaginary beings
• Social and historical definitions of life and the boundary between living and
non-living
• History of technology and biotechnology
• Historical and contemporary ethical issues
Books for this term:
• G. Graf, C. Birkenstein, They Say, I Say, Norton, 2009.
• E. Regis. What is Life? Investigating the Nature of Life in the Age of Synthetic
Biology. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2008.
Term theme: “Modifying Life”
• Eugenics and its contemporary incarnations
• Genetic engineering and synthetic biology
• Cloning and stem cells
• Utopian and dystopian visions
• Humans-machine wars
• Cultural wars attached to genetics, cloning, stem cell research and such
• New forms of social injustice: “genetic divide” and racial issues
• Political economy of science
Book for this term:
• R. Kurzweil. The Age of Spiritual Machines. Penguin, 2000.
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FRINQ: Life Unlimited?
Third
Term
Davidova, Flower, Teuscher
Term theme: “Redefining Life”
• Biopower and bioethics
• Body modification and manipulation in different cultures. From tattoos to
cyborgs.
• Law, ethics, and public policy: Redefining the boundary between living and nonliving matter.
• Ethical advocacy: the ethical boundaries in promoting one’s perspective.
(rhetoric, civil disobedience, terrorism)
• Grassroots vs. top-down: The role of the self, community, conformity, rebellion.
• Gender politics
• Reproduction rights
• Medicalization of life
Book for this term:
• Sandel, Michael. J. The Case Against Perfection. Ethics in the Age of Genetic
Engineering, Harvard University Press, 2007.
NOTE: This topical outline will change with the addition of new faculty.
IV. Preliminary Reading List:
A. Textbooks to be used
First term:
o G. Graf, C. Birkenstein, They Say, I Say, Norton, 2009.
o E. Regis. What is Life? Investigating the Nature of Life in the Age of Synthetic
Biology. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2008.
• Second term:
o R. Kurzweil. The Age of Spiritual Machines. Penguin, 2000.
• Third term:
o Sandel, Michael. J. The Case Against Perfection. Ethics in the Age of Genetic
Engineering, Harvard University Press, 2007.
B. Books (selections from the following may be assigned)
• C. Adami. Introduction to Artificial Life. Springer-Verlag, 1998.
• J. L. Borges. The Book of Imaginary Beings, New York: Avon Books, 1969.
• D. Bray. Wetware: A Computer in Every Living Cell. Yale University Press, 2009.
• P. E. Brodwin (ed.), Biotechnology and Culture, Bodies, Anxieties, Ethics. Indiana University
Press, 2000.
• J. Brookman (Ed.). The Next Fifty Years: Science in the First Half of the Twenty-First
Century. Vintage Books, 2002.
• N. Forbes. Imitation of Life. How Biology is Inspiring Computing. MIT Press, 2004.
• J. L. Ford. Scratch Programming for Teens. Course Technology, 2009.
• G. Graf, C. Birkenstein, They Say, I Say, Norton, 2009.
• F. K. Greif, J. F. Merz, Current Controversies in the Biological Sciences: Case Studies of
Policy Challenges, MIT, 2007.
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FRINQ: Life Unlimited?
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Davidova, Flower, Teuscher
D. Hofstadter. Goedel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid. Penguin Books, 1979.
R. Kurzweil. The Singularity is Near. Viking, 2005.
D. Freeman. Origins of Life. Cambridge University Press, 1999.
R. Kurzweil. The Age of Spiritual Machines. Penguin, 2000.
R. Kurzweil and T. Grossman. Fantastic Voyage: Live Long Enough for Live Forever. Plume,
2005.
R. Kurzweil and T. Grossman. Transcend: Nine Steps to Living Well Forever. Rodale, 2009.
C. G. Langton. Artificial Life: An Overview. MIT Press, 1995.
R. Lewin. Complexity: Life at the Edge of Chaos. The University of Chicago Press, 1992.
D. Noble. The MUSIC of LIFE: Biology Beyond Genes. Oxford University Press, 2006.
M. Mitchell. Complexity: A Guided Tour. Oxford University Press, 2009.
R. Plotkin. The Genie in the Machine: How Computer-Automated Inventing is
Revolutionizing Law and Business. Stanford University Press, 2009.
E. Regis. What is Life? Investigating the Nature of Life in the Age of Synthetic Biology.
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2008.
M. J. Sandel. The Case Against Perfection. Ethics in the Age of Genetic Engineering,
Harvard University Press, 2007.
R. Skloot. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Macmillan, 2010.
R. Sole and B. Goodwin. Signs of Life: How Complexity Pervades Biology. Basic Books,
2000.
E. Schroedinger. What is Life? Cambridge University Press, 1969.
P. Ulmscheider. Intelligent Life in the Universe: From Common Origins to the Future of
Humanity. Springer-Verlag, 2003.
C. Articles
We have a collection of several hundred articles on the topic. The field is extremely dynamic and
new research appears constantly. We are planning to select articles from that collection in
response to particular needs.
D. Fiction (selections from the following may be assigned)
• R. Powers, Generosity, FSG, 2009.
• M. Shelley. Frankenstein, Dover Publications, 1994.
• H. G. Wells. The Island of Dr. Moreau, Bantam Classics, 1994.
E. Movie List (selections from the following may be used for assignments)
• Splice, http://www.splicethefilm.com
• Transcendent Man, http://transcendentman.com
• The Singularity is Near, http://www.singularity.com/themovie
• A.I., http://aimovie.warnerbros.com
• Frankenstein, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0021884
• TED, http://www.ted.com
• Metropolis, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0017136
• Gattaca, http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/gattaca
• Monsters, http://www.monstersfilm.com
• Blade Runner, http://bladerunnerthemovie.warnerbros.com
• Repo Men, http://www.repomenarecoming.com
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Davidova, Flower, Teuscher
Food, Inc. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1286537
JIM, http://www.jimthefilm.com
F. Software we may use in class
• Build a brain to play snap, http://www.cs4fn.org/ai/snap/snapneuralnetwork.php
• Conway's Game of Life, http://www.ibiblio.org/lifepatterns
• SCRATCH, http://scratch.mit.edu
• NetLogo, http://ccl.northwestern.edu/netlogo
• StarLogo, http://education.mit.edu/starlogo
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