First-Year Writing Seminar (101-8-22)

Topic

Our Lives as Sci Fi

Instructors

Alexandra Danielle Ibarra

Meeting Info

University Library 4670: Mon, Wed 2:00PM - 3:20PM

Overview of class

Topic: Our Lives as Sci Fi

We are experiencing firsthand the technological future predicted by classic science fiction, and these texts' questions resonate still: What are the ethics of technological development? Do AI and other technologies connect us or make us lonelier? In this course, we will consider these questions and more as we traverse science fiction genres like the short story, novel, and movie. Throughout the quarter, we will explore how figures such as the robot emerge and transform across classic and contemporary works of science fiction—and what this shifting figure can tell us about ourselves and our world. The course will feature texts by Isaac Asimov, Martha Wells, and Nnedi Okorafor, and visual media such as Her, Sleep Dealer, and "Love Death + Robots." By engaging with these cultural objects, our class will consider the ways that technology impacts our world, our daily habits, and even our writing and thinking practices. Assignments will use sci fi as a foundation to develop core argumentative writing skills.

Class Attributes

WCAS Writing Seminar

Enrollment Requirements

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