Fall 2024 First-Year Writing (Barnard) BC1132 section 001

ATTENTION!

Call Number 00206
Day & Time
Location
TR 10:10am-11:25am
403 Barnard Hall
Points 3
Grading Mode Pass/Fail
Approvals Required None
Instructor Nathan Gorelick
Type LECTURE
Course Description

Attention is the foundation of investigation, action, and intention. It means concentration and deliberation. It can also mean distraction and confusion. Quietly reading a difficult work of literature, puzzling over a math problem, revising a paper for class, or cooking an elaborate meal are forms of attention. So is endlessly scrolling through social media, binge-watching a television series, or strolling aimlessly through the city. Where and how we use our attention is the foundation, the bedrock, of nearly everything we think and do. It is therefore unsurprising that gathering and directing our attention is also an enormous, lucrative industry. In this course we will study the science and philosophy of attention alongside the history of the "attention economy" and evolving techniques and technologies of attention harvesting. We will explore these subjects while reflecting upon and writing about our own habits of paying attention. By paying attention to attention, we will nurture a brighter awareness of the many interests vying for our time, mental engagement, money, our very lives, and of our abilities to scrutinize, critically examine, or resist our entrapment within the modern attention industry.

Web Site Vergil
Department First-Year Writing @Barnard
Enrollment 15 students (15 max) as of 11:06AM Friday, December 6, 2024
Subject First-Year Writing (Barnard)
Number BC1132
Section 001
Division Barnard College
Open To Barnard College
Section key 20243FYWB1132X001