Andrew Pilsch

Department of English Literature
Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA 16803

• MA: English Literature, Pennsylvania State University, 2007.
• BS: Computer Science, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2005
• BS: Science, Technology, and Culture, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2005

Dissertation

Transhumanism – The dissertation offers a genealogical account of the development of “transhumanism”, a discourse of late 20th century science, religion, and philosophy in which the human is constructed as an object of ongoing evolutionary processes. Connected to theories of the cyborg, the post-human, and various fringe sciences (cryonics, extropianism, radical life extension, etc.), transhumanism is a broad discursive community all arguing about what it means for the human to be changing through various evolutionary processes. The project ties together poststructural theory, rhetorical analysis, science studies, and science fiction to trace a historical progression of this concept in the post-WWII world.

Committee

• Richard Doyle (English)
• Jeffrey Nealon (English)
• Mark Morrison (English)
• Robert Yarber (Art)

Research Interests

• Rhetorical Theory
• Literary Theory
• Emerging Media
• Science Studies
• Cultural Studies
• Postmodern Culture
• Science Fiction

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Papers Presented

• “He Called It ‘Utopia’: Jameson’s Social and Vedic Transhumanism,” The Society For Literature, Science, and the Arts 2009, Atlanta, GA, 7 November 2009.
• “Utopia.com: Fredric Jameson and Piracy Online,” The Society For Literature, Science, and the Arts 2007 Conference, Portland, ME, 3 November 2007.
• “Revising Tomorrow: the
  Historical Present, Telecommunications, and Capitalism in Nova and
  Neuromancer,” Samuel Delany: A Critical Symposium, University at Buffalo (State University of New York), 23 March 2006.

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Publications

• Book Review – “Contagious Narratives: Towards a Global Epidemiology in Priscilla Wald’s Contagious” Review Of Contagious: Cultures, Carriers, and the Outbreak Narrative by Priscilla Wald. _BioSocieties_, 4.2-3 (2009): 326-328.

Teaching Experience

• Rhetoric & Composition (ENGL 015, 6 sections 2005-Present) – This first-year composition option at Penn State introduces students to college writing, critical thinking, & basic rhetorical theory.
• Effective Writing: Technical Writing (ENGL 202C, 4 Sections 2007-2008) – Advanced composition class for students in science and engineering fields. Focus on document design, readability, and technologies of communication.
• Science Fiction (ENGL 191, Fall 2009) – A general introduction to science fiction in the 20th century. Class focuses on engaging critically with these texts.

Professional Service

• PhD Representative, EGO: The English Graduate Organization, 2007.

Awards / Grants

• Wilma Ebbitt Fellowship in Rhetoric, Spring 2010
• Philip Young Memorial Endowment in American Literature, Spring 2006.

Professional Affiliations

• The Modern Language Association
• The Society for Literature, Science, & the Arts