FYS 65 Low-Tech Futures
We live in a world of multiple ecological and economic crises. Often, the response to these is a call for “sustainability” and for investment in new technologies like AI. Yet, what is being sustained here? And is a high-tech, high-consumption, future possible, even if actual renewable energy is developed? In the course students will examine an array of alternatives to high-tech futures. These will include asking what constitutes a good life, why care and reproductive labor are important, and ways to address environmental racism and metabolic rift. We will also consider the potential of the degrowth and right to repair movements, among others. We will do this by looking at historical and contemporary texts and media, as well as at exciting projects taking place in Los Angeles. Students will develop a foundation for scholarly research and writing and engage with these issues beyond the college. Open to first-year frosh only.