Science Fiction Assignment -- 10% of
grade, due in Week 4
You are to read a science fiction novel or short story or view a
science fiction movie. The purpose of this assignment is to examine how
technology is portrayed to the public through fiction. Is it presented
by the author as a good, evil or neutral force in society? It is
presented as being under human control or evolving on its own? The
technology discussed does not have to be imaginary or futuristic - the
book could have been written a century ago about technology that now
exists. In that case, it would be interesting to discuss how the view
of the author matches with what actually happened with the technology.
The assignment consists of two parts: discussion with your group to
during a discussion session and a 3-4 page written report.
Group Discussion -- Groups will discuss the science
fiction works they read or viewed:
- Each person will briefly describe the science fiction reading or
movie that (s)he is reporting on - do not go into every detail about
the plot, but focus on how technology is viewed in the work.
- As a group, characterize each work according the following
scales:
Science Fiction work:_____________________________________________
Type of technology portrayed in work:_______________________________
Technology seen as:
good neutral evil
10 _________________________ 5 ___________________________ 0
Humans seen as:
good neutral evil
10 _________________________ 5 ___________________________ 0
Who / what is in control of what happens?:
humans shared technology
10 _________________________ 5 ___________________________ 0
Individual Report: The
format of the written report is as follows:
- Briefly summarize the story. Don’t give all of the plot details.
- List the issues that the story addressed in the context of this
course.
- State the view of the author regarding the particular technology
used in the story - good, evil, neutral, in control, etc.
- State your reactions to that view - do you agree or disagree with
the author and why?
Sample list of Science Fiction
works for CSci 110 (you are not limited to this list.)
Classic Books:
- George Orwell. 1984
- Mary Shelley. Frankenstein
- H. G. Wells. The Time Machine
- Jules Verne. Paris in the
Twentieth Century (new book released in 1998)
More Recent Books:
- William Gibson: Neuromancer;
Mona Lisa Overdrive
- Bruce Sterling: Islands in the
Net
- William Gibson and Bruce Sterling: The Difference Engine
- Neal Stephenson: The Diamond
Age, Snowcrash, Cryptonomicon
- James Hogan: Two Faces of
Tomorrow; Thrice Upon a Time
- Isaac Asimov: any of his robot or foundation books or short
stories
- Ray Bradbury: any of his robot or foundation books or short
stories
- Robert Heinlein: The Moon is a
Harsh Mistress; Friday
Movies (you can choose others, but
these classic movies are preferred over recent hits):
- War Games
- 1928 silent film: Metropolis
- 2001
- Dr. Strangelove
- Blade Runner
- Total Recall
- Sneakers
- The Net
- Woody Allen’s Sleeper
