Scribner Seminar Program
Course Description
My Therapist is a Robot: Technology and Pyschotherapy
Instructor(s): Lucas LaFreniere, Psychology
Tools like smartphones, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, social media, and even robotics may have powerful potential to improve mental health鈥攐r worsen it. Across history, technology has become increasingly influential in psychological well-being. Psychotherapy in the 21st century now both uses and combats the effects of new technologies nearly every day. In this course, we will ponder, critique, discuss, and use a variety of technologies that interface with the psyche. Students will examine technology in psychotherapy through a wide array of different disciplines鈥攑sychology, literature, computer science, sociology, design, history, philosophy, and film. We will read science fiction, try out wellness apps, evaluate cutting-edge research studies, and even undergo some therapy with an A.I. together. By thinking through the complex perks and perils of using tech on the mind, we might just make our own minds a bit stronger.
Course Offered: