Marge Piercy
Body of Glass :: He She and It

We begin this option by reading a novel about the web. Body of Glass / He She and It was written just as the World Wide Web was being developed. The novel is ‘a good read’ and explores many ideas that are pertinent to this course. You might like to check out Piercy's website www.archer-books.com/Piercy.

Some questions to think about:

• What are some of the powers of the web/ internet?
• How might the web affect subjectivity and identity?
• What is the role of information in a web-saturated society? What are the gains and what are the dangers of ‘the information highway’?
• How does sensuality, sexuality, affection feature in a techno-savvy society?
• What kinds of hierarchies might web-technology facilitate? What kinds of freedoms? What kinds of controls?
• How is gender affected by the web - online and off? How is the web affected by gender?
• What is a cyborg? What are the relationships between cyborgs as a class and women as a class?
• What does the net ‘feel’ like?

Paper Journal Exercise:

Before reading the novel please write a page or two about your current impressions of the web/ internet. Use whatever knowledge and experience you have to address some of the questions above, and any other questions you feel strongly about.

Exercise for the first class session:

Come to class with a response to the novel. This response can address any of the questions above, or something else you find exciting, bearing in mind the remit of the course. Please also consult the presentation guidelines.