Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 2012 A posthuman curriculum: subjectivity at the crossroads of time Brad M. Petitfils Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations Part of the Education Commons Recommended Citation Petitfils, Brad M., "A posthuman curriculum: subjectivity at the crossroads of time" (2012). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 1022. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/1022 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please [email protected]. A POSTHUMAN CURRICULUM: SUBJECTIVITY AT THE CROSSROADS OF TIME A Dissertation: Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of Educational Theory, Policy, and Practice by Brad Petitfils B.A., Loyola University New Orleans, 2001 M.S., Loyola University New Orleans, 2002 August 2012 DEDICATION This study is dedicated to my parents, Lyle Petitfils and Sylvia Palmisano Petitfils, who have taught me everything worth knowing, and to the memory of my grandparents: Earl Petitfils, Ruby Cleveland Courtade Petitfils, Salvatore Palmisano, and Alice Maye Chaisson Palmisano. I wish they had lived to see me complete this journey. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS As the proverb suggests, “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” My doctoral journey would not have begun without the prodding of Ms. Anita Cage, a fascinating and wise soul who snapped me out of my post-Katrina mental malaise in 2007 and convinced me to return to school. Anita, you and your life story are inspirational, and I am eternally grateful that you have become such a dear friend through the years. Thank you. At Loyola University New Orleans, my Dean, Mary Lee Sweat, and my Associate Dean, Deborah Poole, deserve special recognition for allowing me the flexibility to balance my work schedule with the drive to and from Baton Rouge over the past few years. Also, to Mr. Bret Jacobs and Dr. Lydia Voigt for their patience and encouragement, especially during the dissertation process. Dr. Melanie McKay, friend and mentor, for her constant reassurance and her assistance in navigating the frustrating waters of Baudrillard. During the research process, Ms. Joan Gaulene, curator of the Jesuit archives at Loyola, was invaluable, as well as Fr. Peter Rogers, S.J., Professor of French and Rector of the Jesuit Community at Loyola, for taking the time out of his arduous schedule to translate portions of the Mir text on the modus Parisiensis: Peter, you are amazing, and I cannot thank you enough. In the Department of Psychology, Dr. Mary Brazier, who supported my teaching in the First Year Seminar program, despite my ABD status, and Dr. Glenn Hymel, who was a tremendous help during my research methodology courses: endless gratitude to each of you. And, of course, Dr. Mary McCay, who was my undergraduate advisor and has become one of my closest confidants through the years. Mary: I could not have finished this without you reminding me of the necessity of breaking away and simply living life. iii At Louisiana State University, my chair, Dr. Petra Munro Hendry, who took a chance on me at a particularly confusing time early on in my days as a doctoral student and agreed to be my advisor. Her advice and feedback have always challenged me to think in more critical ways, and to constantly be mindful of the complications of the past when theorizing on the present. Dr. Hendry: your teaching and research are remarkable, and I am forever indebted to you for walking along side of me over the past few years. Also, to committee members, Dr. Denise Egéa-Kuehne, Dr. Roland Mitchell, and to my former committee member, Dr. Nina Asher – each of you has encouraged my love learning and the act of thinking. It has been a privilege to be the recipient of your knowledge and to witness your passion for rethinking what education might be. To Ms. Lois Stewart, for her able guidance and assistance in the department office, without her experience and expertise, this process would have been nearly unbearable. To my family and friends, especially to my “Manhattan fan club” – Jan Dugan, Tiffany Dugan, Missy Cohen, and Dr. Richard Serrano – for allowing me to escape to your world when I needed an escape. You all are simply awesome. To my sister, Stephanie, brother-in-law, Jorge, and my darling niece, Estella: thanks for bearing with my bizarre schedule and my relative insanity while completing this project. To my old friend Alan Clerk for his assistance in researching the business aspects outlined in Chapter 4. To my current and former student workers over the past few years – Josue Jimenez, Andrew Partridge, Diego Rios, Robert Swanton, Alex Weed, Alex Wiltz, and Eric Wiltz – for tolerating my mood swings in the office while completing this degree. I encourage each of you to pursue graduate education, but not while working full-time. And, finally, to my current and former students in my first year seminar, “Hypermedia and Hyperlearning,” you all have been an inspiration to me, and have reminded me that – at least iv for the time being – there is still hope for resisting digital colonization. You must fight fiercely to maintain your humanness. v TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION....................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS................................................................................................... iii LIST OF TABLES................................................................................................................. viii LIST OF FIGURES............................................................................................................... x ABSTRACT........................................................................................................................... xi CHAPTER 1. BETWEEN WORLDS: SHIFTING NOTIONS OF HUMANNESS............ 1 The problem, the questions, and the significance...................................................... 3 A note on “method”................................................................................................... 10 The conversations ahead............................................................................................ 18 CHAPTER 2. IGNATIAN HUMANISM: BETWEEN GOD & MAN................................ 22 Interstitial intimacy: Ignatius at the crossroads of time............................................. 23 Ontology & Ignatian humanism................................................................................ 39 Epistemology & Ignatian humanism......................................................................... 51 Ignatian humanism & the role of education............................................................... 66 CHAPTER 3. POSTHUMANISM: BETWEEN MAN & MACHINE................................. 71 Interstitial intimacy: Baudrillard at the crossroads of time........................................ 72 Ontology & posthumanism........................................................................................ 75 Epistemology & posthumanism................................................................................. 94 Posthumanism & the role of education...................................................................... 105 CHAPTER 4. DISCURSIVE DIGRESSIONS: THE COMPLICATIONS OF HYPERREAL PANOPTICISM............................................................................................. 111 Technologies of production....................................................................................... 114 Technologies of sign systems.................................................................................... 123 Technologies of power.............................................................................................. 134 Technologies of the self............................................................................................. 141 CHAPTER 5. A POSTHUMAN EDUCATION: THE UNDERGRADUATE EXPERIENCE OF MODERNITY ............................................................................................... 157 The information-knowledge tension.......................................................................... 162 The conversation on “critical thinking”..................................................................... 171 The fatal strategy of online education........................................................................ 177 The looming storm..................................................................................................... 185 CHAPTER 6. A POSTHUMAN CURRICULUM: CONCLUSIONS & DISCUSSION..... 187 Technology and the posthuman................................................................................. 190 Subjectivity and the posthuman................................................................................. 205 vi Towards a posthuman curriculum.............................................................................. 212 The soul is somehow everything...............................................................................