First-Year Writing Seminar (101-8-25)

Topic

Engineering Fiction: Writing Science and Technolog

Instructors

Govind Ponnuchamy

Meeting Info

University Library 4722: Tues, Thurs 9:30AM - 10:50AM

Overview of class

Is technology inherently good, or does it carry social inequities of race, class, and gender within it? At its inception, the steam engine was used to exploit workers in British factories. Despite increased productivity, workers were compelled to work long hours in precarious, often life-threatening conditions. This might seem surprising, given that we often think of technological development as an inherent good. However, the texts and films that we will engage with in this course show us that technology both reflects and perpetuates social hierarchies. For example, in Alex Garland's 2014 film Ex Machina, we will explore expressions of gender and race in the figure of the robot and discuss the impact of generative AI on populations in the global south. In H.G. Wells's 1895 novel The Time Machine, we will explore the presence of class conflict in the fiction of time travel and learn literary terms like allegory and parable. As readers, we will attend to the formal techniques that writers and artists use to persuade us, and learn how to read novels, emails, and the news with attention to detail. Through class discussions, oral presentations, and written assignments, we will consider the technology of language—a tool that allows us to ask questions, provide evidence, and construct persuasive arguments. We will "reverse engineer" pieces of fiction and film that represent technology to explore the inner workings of representation and communication. We will spend ample time reflecting on the writing process, developing skills in reading, writing, and critical thinking that will prove useful throughout college and beyond.

Class Attributes

WCAS Writing Seminar

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: Weinberg First Year Seminars are only available to first-year students.