Report from the Future

 
Blade Runner 2019

Science fiction is any idea that occurs in the head and doesn't exist yet, but soon will, and will change everything for everybody, and nothing will ever be the same again. As soon as you have an idea that changes some small part of the world you are writing science fiction. It is always the art of the possible, never the impossible. 

-Ray Bradbury

Look into the future 100-200 years (no longer than that please!). What do you see?

Now, come back to the present. What is the most pressing issue facing humanity today? Is it climate change? AI? Political strife? Sexism? Racism? Economic inequality? The eradication of the bee population? Designer babies? Super viruses?

Take one major issue facing humanity today, and project it into an imagined future. Ask yourself: "What might the consequences be for humanity, if we continue down this path unchecked?" Or ask yourself: "What kind of positive shift or change is occurring in the world today, in order to create a better future?"

It's really important that you focus on one central issue--not a whole plethora. Yes, you may have some other issues impacting your primary issue (for example, climate change and technological change can compound one another, to give one example), but do make a choice about one issue that you will primarily focus your research and assignment on. 

The issue does not need to be something negative. It could be a cool invention someone somewhere is working on, for example an advancement in medicine. 

Create a sci-fi future report to present to the class, based on your speculation. 

This report may take varying forms: a warning or a snapshot.

Think of a warning like this: it's often a dystopian portrait, and its intention is to show your readers what might happen if we continue down a current, negative trend or path that we are on. It's a cautionary tale, intended to change the reader's mind and get them to take action. For example, The Hunger Games is a cautionary tale about the consequences of surveillance and celebrity culture, coupled with a critique of class inequality (among other things).

A snapshot is more of a "window into a world." It simply shows what might be, but may or may not be negative (it could also show a mix of negative and positive, or may be utopian). It's like looking through a window into the future, and reporting back what you see there.  

Report from the Future Analytical Essay Guidelines

Every part of this assignment is equally important, but if there was to be one part that is *the* most important, it would be the analytical essay. This is what I read and grade first. It's where you show me you know how to apply the critical thinking skills and concepts you've gained in class, to your own sci fi/speculative scenario. And where you show me you know how to do independent research.

So, that said, please make sure to really invest your energy into the analytical essay. Don't get so caught up in the fun creative aide that you forget to write a strong paper! And whatever you do, don't skimp on the page count for the analytical essay, unless you want to not get a passing grade.

You are welcome to turn the analytical essay in early if you like, and you are welcome and encouraged to meet with me to get feedback during my office hours prior to turning it in since this is one assignment that will not have a rough draft component. I am here to help!

This analytical paper should be 4-5 pages in length (double-spaced, following MLA formatting). Remember that 4 pages means 4 full pages, not 3 1/2 pages. Don't lose points for not meeting length requirements. Note that your Works Cited page does not count toward page requirements.

The essay requires three or more outside scholarly, critical sources from the library's databases. These sources should be connected to social science, hard scientific, or political issue your project deals with. You should become a mini-expert in your topic, sharing with your reader what is going on in the field currently and how you projected these ideas into your imagined future.

Critically, I want you to be thinking about why you believe this is the most vital issue (or one of them) facing humanity today. Why does it matter? Why should your reader care?

Make sure to do a "close reading" throughout the essay of your creative aide, analyzing how it demonstrates the primary "issue" (i.e. climate change) that you researched, much like you did with your first and second paper in this class. Demonstrate plenty of examples from your creative aide in your paper, and explain/analyze how they fit with the concepts you are exploring from your research and speculation about the future.

You should also discuss parallels between your world and the worlds of the novels you have encountered in class this semester. Be prepared to discuss parallels between at least two of the novels read and your world. Make sure these are not superficial connections, but rather deep thematic, ethical, or philosophical connections. Don't primarily focus on how different your project is than what you've read and studied in our class, but rather, discuss similarities and interesting connections.

Your thesis will present your primary issue (i.e. designer babies, climate change, etc) to the reader, and will argue for why it is important to the future of humanity.

This essay may also include optional subheadings for organizational purposes. 

Don't forget to include a Works Cited page with your research listed on it.

Report from the Future Creative Aide 

Note: for those who have done creative projects in classes with me before, please note that you may not use the same themes/topics/research/focuses of those prior assignments. I want to see you working in a completely new vein. Part of the point of college is to experiment and broaden your horizons. Do not rely on old research. Think in a new direction. Do not rely on similar tropes in your narrative, do not mix monsters into the story, etc. etc. If you copy your earlier work in any way, you will receive a zero.

I've included the instructions for the Creative Aide second, even though it's the part of the assignment you'll want to do first. The reason I've done this is because I want to emphasize that the analytical essay is essential to the assignment, and shouldn't be skimped on. That said, here's where you get to have a little fun and be creative.

You should present your future world to us in the form of a:

Short story - 5 to 10 pages

-Your story should be double-spaced, and should follow standard conventions for dialogue formatting and other formatting. 

-Please use this handout to properly format your dialogue (improperly formatted paragraphs and dialogue will result in a reduced grade).

-You can always open up Kindred or The Stepford Wives and look at how those authors formatted their dialogue and paragraphs and follow along.

-For a story, you can have your character(s) dealing with this primary issue in a future world. Ultimately, you want to show us how this issue plays out in real people's lives, in the future.

-A "diary" or "journal" organizational structure can work well for this option.

Digital comic - 45 frames at minimum

-You may use Pixton in order to create a digital comic. If so, you need to make sure to do the following:

-Proofread for consistent spelling, grammar and punctuation. Pixton does *not* proofread these elements for you, so you have to do it. Any sloppy text will result in a reduced grade.

-You need at least three characters.

-You need a variety of settings and scenarios in your comic. Don't just repeat a box over and over, or you won't get a good score. In fact, don't repeat one setting for more than two boxes in a row.

-Please send me your link to the Pixton comic. 

Handdrawn comic

-Please follow the same guidelines as the Pixton guidelines. Make sure to use full color when drawing.

Video - 4-5 minutes in length

-Any video you create must be your own material--you may not collage from the web or other videos that already exist.

-Feel free to play more than one role yourself! You can also cast family members or whoever you happen to be quarantined with in your video.

-You will want to have a few different scenes/scenarios in your video. 

-Production value does not need to be exceedingly high, but make sure we can hear you talking, and that you are clever and creative with props and other elements of the video.

-When you submit the video to me, you must submit it via a private, password protected link on Vimeo. This is the only file formatting I will accept.  Do not send me videos to download.

Possible issues to focus on:

An aspect of climate change such as polar bear extinction, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, the melting of the perma-frost, etc. (Don't choose all of climate change as that is too much--focus on one thing).

Designer Babies

Super Viruses

CRISPR Gene Editing

The Singularity / Robot Technology

Automation of Jobs

Driverless Cars

Income inequality

Post-humanism

Medicine Advancements that May Prolong Life

Surveillance 

Drone Warfare

Amazon.com's Increasing Monopoly

Rise of Fascism in the US