{"id":9387,"date":"2021-05-27T22:01:58","date_gmt":"2021-05-27T22:01:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/2021\/06\/11\/mayx-snapshot-through-the-looking-glass-with-black-mirror\/"},"modified":"2022-09-07T15:41:03","modified_gmt":"2022-09-07T19:41:03","slug":"mayx-snapshot-through-the-looking-glass-with-black-mirror","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/mayx-snapshot-through-the-looking-glass-with-black-mirror\/","title":{"rendered":"MayX Snapshot: Through the looking glass with \u2018Black Mirror\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Each day this week, we\u2019re highlighting a course from May Experience<\/a> \u2013 a chance for students to explore topics beyond the typical academic year.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

COURSE:\u00a0<\/strong>Technology and Dystopia of \u201cBlack Mirror\u201d
\nINSTRUCTORS:<\/strong> Kevin Treu, professor and chair of computer science; Thomas Lewis, professor of mathematics
\nOBJECTIVE:<\/strong> Focusing on selected episodes of \u201cBlack Mirror,\u201d study the risks of technology and the philosophical questions raised by its use and misuse.<\/h4>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cDark and twisted.\u201d \u201cMostly horrifying.\u201d \u201cUnsettling.\u201d \u201cBleak.\u201d \u201cA feel-bad hit.\u201d<\/p>\n

These are phrases you come across when you Google for the critics\u2019 opinions of \u201cBlack Mirror,\u201d a British anthology series streaming on Netflix that has been described as a \u201cmodern-day \u2018Twilight Zone.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Those phrases are from the rave<\/em> reviews, by the way.<\/p>\n

\"\"

For a class on “Black Mirror,” MayX students read a book of essays about the show.<\/p><\/div>\n

Add computer science professor Kevin Treu and mathematics professor Thomas Lewis to the list of fans. And add the students who signed up for their MayX course to discuss what this science fiction show has to say about our technology-obsessed life in the 21st century.<\/p>\n

\u201cTom and I both have an interest in philosophy, particularly as applied to daily life and decisions,\u201d says Treu. \u201cOf course, being a mathematician and a computer scientist, we\u2019re interested in technology as well. So the show is of great interest to both of us for academic reasons \u2013 being able to explore the deeper questions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Questions like: How does our behavior change when there\u2019s a likelihood that we\u2019re being watched \u2013 like in the episode \u201cThe Entire History of You,\u201d where the characters\u2019 memories are being recorded? Or: Can virtual reality get too real \u2013 as in the episode \u201cPlaytest,\u201d where a man is immersed in a video game that has the ability to tap into his worst fears?<\/p>\n

\u201cThe technology is just a vehicle that the show uses to talk about the same problems you see in what we might typically call the human condition,\u201d says Lewis. \u201cThey\u2019re just being accelerated or accentuated by the technology. Maybe the technology has made some fundamental changes in the way we have to think and operate.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to watching 11 episodes of the show together, the class was expected to engage in discussions, both in person and online. The discussions have been robust and insightful, the professors agree.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany of the students are incredibly thoughtful in their posts,\u201d says Lewis. \u201cThey\u2019re taking it very seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n

As are a growing number of academics. Several scholarly essays on the show are collected in \u201c\u2018Black Mirror\u2019 and Philosophy: Dark Reflections,\u201d and the series is making its way into university curricula nationwide. All of which reinforces the lesson the professors hope to leave with their students.<\/p>\n

\u201cPopular entertainment can raise questions that are very interesting and worthy of discussion and reflection,\u201d says Treu. \u201cIt\u2019s not just refereed philosophy papers or math papers or computer science papers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course, after a year of lockdown, it\u2019s a bonus to get together in person, outside the sphere of technology and the internet, even occasionally enjoying class outside in the fresh air.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s good for the students to find other people that they\u2019re sympathetic with,\u201d says Lewis. \u201cEverybody\u2019s just waiting to build community again.\u201d<\/p>\n