Session 1: 14:00
1. Topic: Technological scaffolding – The Good, the Bad, and the Hostile.
Speaker: Dr. Jean du Toit.
Jean du Toit is an Associate Professor in the School of Philosophy (Faculty of Humanities) at North-West University. He completed his Doctorate in Philosophy in 2018, after concluding his postgraduate studies in Biochemistry. He has studied at both North-West University in South Africa and Ghent University in Belgium. His research focuses on the question of embodiment in relation to digital technologies, tracing the existential and social implications thereof. He has also conducted research in the fields of Phenomenology, Philosophy of Technology, Critical Theory, Existentialism,and Posthumanism.
2. Topic: If the Chernobyl meltdown is the futurist ‘invention’ of the nuclear power station, what is the ‘accident’ augured by AI?
Speaker: Prof. Chantelle Gray.
Chantelle Gray is a contemporary philosopher whose interests span critical algorithm studies, queer and critical feminist theories, experimental music studies, pedagogy, anarchism, and philosophy. The interdisciplinary nature of her research allows her to ask critical questions about how to take care of humans, technologies, and ecologies in the digital age. She is the Chair of the Institute for Contemporary Ethics.
Teams Meeting ID: 397 829 272 811
Passcode: 8iDwv8
Session 2: 15:00
1. Topic: Technology in the Southern African Development Community.
Speaker: Ms Amantle Mothelesi
Amantle Mothelesi, a lecturer at North-West University, School of Philosophy within the Faculty of Humanities. She pursued all her academic degrees at North- West University. Currently, she's in the final year of her Master of Philosophy, focusing on Power Relations and Technological Transformations in the Southern African Development Community from a Foucauldian perspective. Her fields of interest are contemporary philosophy, ethics, and philosophy of technology. Her research is dedicated to exploring the intersection of technology and philosophy, especially in the African context. She has co-authored various articles and presented papers at different conferences.
2. Topic: Participatory Communication for Social Change in the Contemporary Context of Online Social Movements.
Speaker: Ms Amy de Wet
Amy de Wet holds a master’s degree in communication for Social Change from the North-West University. She completed both her honours and master’s degrees’ dissertations on the topic of participatory communication in online social movements. Her research offers a framework whereby contemporary online communication for social change can be examined with a newly conceptualised participatory approach.She currently acts as a corporate communication specialist for South African and international clients of her marketing company while continuing to invest efforts in communication for social change through corporate social responsibility projects
Teams Meeting ID: 397 829 272 811
Passcode: 8iDwv8
For more information, kindly contact Anzel Van Rensburg.