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From Fiction to Science: The Social Role of Robots in Movies2024VT
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Course plan
No of lectures
6-9 seminars (exact number depends on number of participants)
Recommended for
The course is interdisciplinary. It is mainly intended for PhD students in cognitive science, computer science, design and related disciplines. PhD students with a strong interest in Robotics and AI, but come from other research areas (e.g., STS, gender studies, or applications of AI/robots in education, healthcare, etc.), are also very welcome.
The course was last given
Is a new course.
Goals
This course is designed to prepare Ph.D. students to engage in meaningful
research at the intersection of robotics, ethics and technology perception and
depiction in science fiction.
1. Cinematic Analysis: To critically analyze the influence of science fiction
movies on public perceptions of robots, examining how various depictions have
shaped societal attitudes.
2. Research Gap Identification: To identify research gaps in the fields of
human-robot interaction, robotics ethics, and technology perception, derived
from the analysis of cinematic representations.
3. Synthesis of Literature and Film: To synthesize existing literature with
film analysis to propose meaningful research questions that bridge the realms
of science fiction and reality.
4. Contributions to the Field: To develop a substantial deliverable, such as a
research proposal, position paper, or user study, aimed at contributing to
ongoing academic discourse on the social role of robots.
Prerequisites
Some background/interest in cognitive science, philosophy, HRI, HCI, and/or AI.
Organization
The course will consist of student presentations followed by critical discourse regarding the depiction of robots' social status in science fiction and how science fiction shapes expectations regarding technology in general society. The outcome of the seminar is aimed to be either a planned position paper or a user study regarding the seminar topic.
Content
This course comprises a series of engaging lessons that encourage
interdisciplinary thinking and research skills development.
Throughout the course, students will:
- Explore the evolution of robot portrayals in cinema, from classic to
contemporary examples.
- Delve into the ethical dilemmas raised by cinematic robots, considering
societal fears and aspirations.
- Investigate how movies influence public perception of real-world robotics,
affecting human-robot interaction research and technology adoption.
- Work collaboratively to identify gaps in current literature, ultimately
crafting research questions that contribute to the field.
- Produce a significant deliverable that advances our understanding of the
social role of robots, informed by cinematic representations.
Literature
Amongst others the following research articles will be discussed:
Rosenthal-Von Der Putten, A., Strasmann, C., & Mara, M. (2017). A long time ago
in a galaxy far, far away... the effects of narration and appearance on the
perception of robots. RO-MAN 2017 - 26th IEEE International Symposium on Robot
and Human Interactive Communication, 2017-Janua, 1169–1174.
https://doi.org/10.1109/ROMAN.2017.8172452
Weiss, A., & Spiel, K. (2022). Robots beyond Science Fiction: mutual learning
in human–robot interaction on the way to participatory approaches. AI and
Society, 37(2), 501–515. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00146-021-01209-w
Mara, M., & Appel, M. (2008). Science fiction reduces the eeriness of android
robots: A field experiment. Computers in Human Behavior, 24(6), 2475–2476.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2008.03.008
Lectures
Franziska Babel
Philipp Hock
Examination
Mandatory student presentations, active participation in seminar discussions, and coursework.
Examiner
Franziska Babel
Credits
7.5 hp
Comments
Page responsible: Director of Graduate Studies
