In his Plaint of Nature (De planctu Naturae), Alan of Lille bases much of his argument against sin in general and homosexuality in particular on the claim that both amount to bad grammar. The book explores the philosophical uses of grammar that were so formative of Alan's thinking in major writers of the preceding generations, including Garland the Computist, St. Anselm, and Peter Abelard. Many of the linguistic theories on which these thinkers rely come from Priscian, an influential sixth-century grammarian, who relied more on the ancient tradition of Stoic linguistic theory than the Aristotelian one in elaborating his grammatical theory. Against this backdrop, the book provides a reading of Prudentius' Psychomachia and presents an analysis of allegory in light of Stoic linguistic theory that contrasts other modern theories of allegorical signification and readings of Prudentius. The book establishes that Stoic linguistic theory is compatible with and likely partially formative of both the allegorical medium itself and the ideas expressed within it, in particular as they appeared in the allegories of Prudentius, Boethius, and Alan.

Although it has influenced the field of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) since its origins, humanistic HCI has come into its own since the early 2000s. In that time, it has made substantial contributions to HCI theory and methodologies and also had major influence in user experience (UX) design, aesthetic interaction, and emancipatory/social change-oriented approaches to HCI. This book reintroduces the humanities to a general HCI readership; characterizes its major epistemological and methodological commitments as well as forms of rigor; compares the scientific report vs. the humanistic essay as research products, while offering some practical advice for peer review; and focuses on two major topics where humanistic HCI has had particular influence in the field-user experience and aesthetics and emancipatory approaches to computing. This book argues for a more inclusive and broad reach for humanistic thought within the interdisciplinary field of HCI, and its lively and engaging style will invite readers into that project.

HCI's Making Agendas examines how making has emerged as an interdisciplinary arena of scholarship, research and design that connects entrepreneurs, designers, researchers, critical theorists, historians, anthropologists, computer scientists and engineers. Human Computer Interaction (HCI) is one among many other fields and domains that has declared having a stake in making. And yet, a lot of what and who defines making is happening outside the familiar research laboratory or design studio. This monograph reflects on HCI's relationship to making and how this relationship has changed over the last years. Making, it argues, presents HCI with the opportunity to question and revisit underlying principles and long-held aspirations and values of the field. Exactly because HCI and making share some fundamental ideals such as user empowerment and the democratization of participation and technology production, making confronts us with both the potential and the unintended consequences of our own work. HCI's Making Agendas is intended to bring readers into maker research and practice, to cultivate their appreciation for making's many potentials while shining a critical light on cases of over-optimism and even delusion, and to empower you, the reader, to participate in this project of making.