Science
Fiction Assignment -- 8-point
grade contribution, due Thursday, August 1
Your submitted file name must be of the form
Smith-Jane-sci-fi.doc.
You are to read a classic science fiction novel or short story or
view
a
science fiction film. 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.
Sample
list of Classic Science
Fiction
works for CSci 1030. You are not limited to this list but
deviations
must be approved by the professor before you do the work or
write the
report. The work must have been released no
later than 1975.
Why
1975?
- It's (probably) well before you were
born.
- Personal computers and other similar
technology -- iPods, cell
phones, digital cameras, etc. -- didn't exist yet. (The first
"home
computers" emerged about 1979-1980)
- The Internet was then called the
Arpanet and was just emerging as
an experimental defense research network. There was no Web and
e-mail
was just an early experiment among Arpanet users.
Books:
- George Orwell. 1984 (1949)
- Mary Shelley. Frankenstein
(1818)
- H. G. Wells. The Time Machine
(1895)
- Jules Verne. Paris in the
Twentieth Century (not discovered and published until
1998, but valid because it was actually written in 1863)
- Isaac Asimov: any of his pre-1970
robot or foundation books or
short
stories
- Ray Bradbury: any of his pre-1970
robot or foundation books or
short
stories
- Robert Heinlein. The Moon is a
Harsh Mistress (1966)
Films:
- Metropolis
(1928)
- Dr.
Strangelove (1964)
- 2001:
a Space Odyssey (1968)
- Sleeper
(1973)
- Soylent
Green (1973)
Assignment:
The assignment consists of two parts:
class discussion and a
1000-2000-word written report to be delivered to your Blackboard
assignment
drop-off point.
Class Discussion:
Discuss
the
science
fiction works you read or viewed. There is one Blackboard forum
for
this, which everyone should participate in. You are encouraged to
add
threads and comment on others' threads.
- Briefly describe the science fiction
reading or
movie that you are reporting on - do not go into every detail
about
the plot, but focus on how technology is viewed in the work.
- Characterize each work according to
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.
- Discuss the view of the author
regarding the particular
technology
used in the story - good, evil, neutral, in control, etc.
- Discuss your reactions to that view
- do you agree or disagree
with
the author and why?
- Finally, explain why you think this
film or book has become a
"classic". What has given it "staying power"?