This seminar is the first in a two-semester sequence that introduces theoretical and historical topics relevant for research in the design of “Situated Technologies”. It introduces students to the significant ideas that define the information environment and how they concern architecture and urbanism. Taking a broad interdisciplinary approach the course draws texts from science, engineering, information theory, aesthetics, philosophy, sociology, media, art, architecture and urbanism. It includes primary texts as well as their interpretations, providing a critical examination of the ideas and their influence on technology and society.

The following topics will form the schedule of the seminar:

– The Case of Modern Technology
– The Case of Modern Media
– Information Machines and the Dilemma of Communication
– Cybernetics and the Problems of Control
– Systems and the Primacy of Relations
– Human/Computer Interaction
– Simulation
– Typological vs. Topological Space
– Networks and Interconnectivity
– Pervasive Computing
– Digital Fabrication and Mass Customization
– Responsive Architecture
– Sentient City