The University of Pennsylvania is officially the coolest college ever. “Wasting Time on the Internet” is the name of an actual college course offered there — and no, this is not a joke. English professor Kenneth Goldsmith will be teaching the class, and he feels we all have a lot to learn from the time spent clicking through random articles online.
“I’m very tired of reading articles in The New York Times every week that make us feel bad about spending so much time on the internet, about dividing our attention so many times. I think it’s complete bullshit that the internet is making us dumber. I think the internet is making us smarter,” he told Motherboard.
But, don’t be jealous of the UPenn students just yet. Students of Goldsmith’s class will have to take their browser histories, Facebook updates, and screenshots and create a “compelling and emotional work of literature.”
“We’re trying to wrench an artistic product out of that state of distraction that’s naturally created by talking on the phone with someone and surfing the internet at the same time, or by watching a video and chatting,” he said. “That’s the desired state in the class—even half being there is too generous. I want their attention across tablets, phones, screens, music. I want it divided many, many times.”
Wow. At least you know you’ll never get in trouble for not paying attention.
[Lead image via Andresr/Shutterstock]
