Contemporary parenthood is defined by a central contradiction: although we put more stock in parenting than perhaps any other society in human history, the average parent is more isolated than ever before, expected to shoulder the vast responsibilities of child-rearing as a solitary burden.  

This seminar will explore this tension by examining parenthood within the context of the attention economy. In particular, we will explore the ways in which the current discourse around technology — Are attention-capture technologies harmful to children? What does it mean to have a “healthy” relationship to addictive technology? — restages, and even amplifies, the same set of contradictions, forced choices and double-binds that characterize contemporary parenthood more broadly.

We will follow the historical transition of parenthood from a communal endeavor embedded within extended kin networks, to a largely individualized consumerist pursuit freighted with unique anxieties. We will consider how parents view attention-capture technologies both as potential threats to their own children, but also as a means to alleviate some of the unmanageable burden of contemporary parenting itself.

Through a series of case studies, we will address topics like parental "technoference," surveillance parenting, and claims of a technology-driven “great rewiring” or “great resocialization” of childhood. We will consider how technology can serve as a substitute for traditional child-rearing supports, while also contributing to the very conditions — the corrosion of community — that necessitate its use.

Importantly, this course is not just for parents/guardians (or even just for those who work with children), but is rather designed for, and open to, anyone interested in the special problems of person formation, intergenerational transmission, and social reproduction in our current moment. 

Taught by Jac Mullen, writer, teacher, and former Executive Editor of The American Reader.