In this class we shall be exploring the idea of the body itself as our original technology. Focusing on three interconnected signifying systems in particular – voice, face, and gesture – we will discuss notions such as “organic communication,” “somatic semiotics,” and “immediate mediation.” We shall then complicate these three somatic elements as they become increasingly mediated by technology and new media. That is to say, as parts of our body begin to take leave, as it were, from the body itself (in the form of recordings, simulations, distortions, and so on). To what degree is the voice an index of presence or authority? Is the face a site of identity and ethics; or is it a mask of dissimulation and even horror? Is it possible to make an authentic gesture in an age defined by conformity and standardization? Ultimately, we shall be asking whether our residual humanity resides in voices, faces, and gestures, or whether these have all already become posthuman phenomena. In this promiscuously interdisciplinary course, we shall be reading philosophers, sociologists, anthropologists, literary theorists (Barthes), critical media theorists, and other adjacent thinkers. We shall also be discussing relevant media, including films, music videos, and other random artifacts, both digital and analogue. Open to UG Juniors/Seniors by permission of the instructor.