Postgraduate Module Descriptor


PHL2096: Cyborg Studies

This module descriptor refers to the 2024/5 academic year.

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:

  • What is human exceptionalism?
  • How did we become posthuman?
  • Are you a cyborg?
  • What’s transhumanism?
  • Cyborg politics 
  • Human-machine interfaces and interactions 
  • Cyborgs in military
  • The history of cybernetics
  • Notions of agency, subjectivity, and self  
  • New materialisms

Learning and Teaching

This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:

Scheduled Learning and Teaching ActivitiesGuided independent studyPlacement / study abroad
221280

...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:

CategoryHours of study timeDescription
Scheduled Learning and Teaching22Weekly 2-hour lectures/seminars or 1 hour lecture + 1 hour seminar. Weekly 2-hour lectures/seminars or 1 hour lecture + 1 hour seminar.
Guided independent study66Weekly reading and working through assigned articles and book chapters
Guided independent study62Essay writing

Online Resources

This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).