ASSIGNMENTS

GC1Y 1000 Critical Thinking: SciFi & Philosophy, Fall 2024

Section 31: TR 9:30-10:45 p.m., Arts & Sciences 364

Section 32: TR 12:30-1:45 p.m., Arts & Sciences 363

Section 33: TR 2:00-3:12 p.m., Arts & Sciences 364

In Class Activities

1. Philosophical Questions and Passages

In order to get to know some of your peers and help everyone become accustomed to discussing philosophical issues, today we're going to

  1. divide into five groups
  2. articulate or extrapolate the key philosophical question posed by the article,
  3. explain the article's main philosophical concept, and
  4. explicate two significant passages from the article.

Here are the article groups:

  1. Eric Schwitzgebel and R. Scott Bakker, "Reinstalling Eden: Happiness on a Hard Drive"
  2. Nick Bostrom, "Are You in a Computer Simulation?"
  3. Plato, excerpt from The Republic
  4. René Descartes, excerpt from The Meditations on First Philosophy
  5. Choice of Plato or Descartes

2. Film Analysis

Today, let's practice analyzing film by viewing Roy Batty's dying monologue scene in Blade Runner and John Murdoch's waking up in a bathtub scene in Dark City. While viewing the scenes, write down everything you see and hear, then the class will share observations, and we will use the details from our close viewing to gain insight into the issues of the two films. At the end of the activity, students who watched only Blade Runner should nonetheless understand the key philosophical questions and themes in Dark City, and vice versa.

 

As you view films on your own throughout the semester, it is recommended that you utilize the film analysis handout to learn key film elements and significant questions leading to film understanding.

3. From Self to Free Will

Today, let's punctuate our discussion of Blade Runner and Dark City by reviewing Knight and McKnight's philosophical interpretation of the film, cap our conversation of self by discussing Kurzweil, and transition to the issue of free will by examining Huemer and Goldman. Divide into five groups and discuss the key issue assigned to your group.

  1. Knight and McKnight: What is the article's overall thesis? What is the essay's interpretation of Blade Runner?
  2. Knight and McKnight: What is the article's overall thesis? What is the essay's interpretation of Dark City?
  3. Kurzweil: What does the philosopher say about the relationship between consciousness, change, and patternism? How does he answer "the ultimate ontological question," who am I?
  4. Huemer: Define determinism, hard determinism, and soft determinism? After reading the article and perhaps watching the film Minority Report, what are your thoughts on free will, in other words, do you believe free will exists?
  5. Goldman: Explain Goldman's thought experiment. According to this experiment, does free will exist?

4. A Superintelligent Artificial Activity about the Singularity and Alien Minds

Today, let's divide into groups to break down the ideas regarding the singularity, superintelligent artificial intelligence, and alien minds. Discuss your groups assigned question and your response with the class.

  1. Ray Kurzweil, "Superintelligence and Singularity" (Schneider 146-59): How does Kurzweil define the singularity? What is the difference between linear growth and exponential acceleration of technological advancement?
  2. Ray Kurzweil, "Superintelligence and Singularity" (Schneider 159-70): Describe Kurzweil's view of the singularity in terms of its principles and an imaginary conversation among those living it.
  3. David J. Chalmers, "The Singularity: A Philosophical Analysis" (Schneider 171-99): How does Chalmers define the singularity? What are some obstacles to the singularity occurring and why does Chalmers think it will happen nonetheless?
  4. David J. Chalmers, "The Singularity: A Philosophical Analysis" (Schneider 199-224): Describe Chalmers' view of how humanity will change with the singularity, especially personal identity.
  5. Susan Schneider, "Alien Minds" (Schneider 225-42): Describe Schneider's speculation of how alien superintelligence might think and be conscious.

5. Debating the Ethics of Technology and Enhancement

Today, let's break into groups to debate the ethical responsibility of science and technology as described in George J. Annas's article "The Man on the Moon" (Schneider 245-59) and the ethics of transhumanist enhancement as described in Susan Schneider's article "Mindscan: Transcending/the Human Brain" (Schneider 260-76). Create four groups of 4-5 students, discuss the following issue, and be prepared to share your points with the class.

  1. Do scientific research and technological advance have a moral responsibility to citizens of the nation and nations of the world? No. Why?
  2. Do scientific research and technological advance have a moral responsibility to citizens of the nation and nations of the world? Yes. Why?
  3. Would you enhance your body with technology? No. Why?
  4. Would you enhance your body with technology? Yes. Why?

6. Controlling Metropolis

Let's complete an in class activity in order to catch up after missing a day of class.

  1. Break into your Research Project Groups.
  2. Discuss your group's assigned questions below.
    • Nick Bostrom, "The Control Problem" (Schneider 308-330): Discuss some ways to control a superintelligent AI's capabilities.
    • Metropolis and Class: How does the film portray the working class and the ruling class? What message does the film send regarding class conflict?
    • Metropolis and Science and Technology: How does the film represent science and technology through the inventor Rotwang, the city of Metropolis, and the underground machines powering the city? What is the film's overall message regarding science and technology?
    • Metropolis and Robots: How does Metropolis represent clones and robots? What does the film suggest about humanity in relation to machine men?
    • Jerold J. Abrams, "The Dialectic of Enlightenment in Metropolis" (Sanders 153-70): Discuss Abrams' interpretation of the film, specifically how religion and technology, myth and reason fuse into a technototalitarian dystopia.
  3. Submit a research project book topic for professor approval.

7. Composing an Annotation

Since the upcoming research project requires you to read and annotate scholarly journal articles and book chapters, let's practice writing an annotation of Steven M. Sanders's "Picturing Paranoia: Interpreting Invasion of the Body Snatchers" (Sanders 55-72). Divide into your research project groups, discuss the article, and submit a 75-100 word paragraph here that answers the following questions:

After composing the annotation, work on your group research projects.

 

8. Practicing MLA Style

According to the Online Writing Lab at Purdue, formal essays require a standard style in order to

Your reader cannot focus on your essay's ideas when she is distracted by unconventional or careless formatting. Moreover, your essay will lose credibility because it does not indicate awareness or concern for standards. Unless or until you are comfortable writing in MLA format, I strongly recommend that you not only use an MLA formatted template for writing and submitting papers, such as this one, but also refer to an MLA guide and perform an MLA checklist before submitting a paper, such as this guide and checklist. Today, you're going to practice MLA style in advance of the first formal essay. Open up a new document and respond to the following questions. After a few minutes, you'll share your answers.

  1. Running Header: What does the running header consist of and where is it located?
  2. Font: What font and font size should the essay use, including in the running header and Works Cited page?
  3. Margins: What margins should the essay use?
  4. Heading: What four items make up the essay's heading?
  5. Title: Where is the essay title located? Should it be boldfaced, italicized, underlined, or put in quotes?
  6. Spacing: What is the line spacing of the entire essay, including between paragraphs and in block quotes?
  7. Spacing: Does your word-processing program automatically adjust the line spacing between paragraph?
  8. Titles of Works: Should the titles of books and films be put in italics or quotation marks? Should the title of essays and short stories be put in italics or quotation marks?
  9. Quotation, Part I—Introduction: Select and introduce a passage from Ray Kurzweil's "Who Am I? What Am?"
  10. Quotation, Part II—Style: Does the selected passage require in-text quotation format or block quotation format? Style the passage accordingly.
  11. Parenthetical Citation: Provide a parenthetical citation for the quoted passage.
  12. Quotation Explanation: Explain or interpret the passage.
  13. Works Cited: Compose a Works Cited entry for Ray Kurzweil's "Who Am I? What Am I?"

9. 2001: An Odyssey of Food, Sound, and Philosophy

There's a lot to unpack in the film, so let's break into groups to examine specific sections of the film as well as note recurring issues.

  1. Dawn of Man: Discuss the representation and narrative arc of the ape men in the sequence, noting especially how they act before and after encountering the monolith. For recurring issues, note the tone of the mise-en-scene and the soundtrack as well as how food and eating are portrayed. What thematic and philosophical ideas does this section of the film suggest?
  2. Traveling to Tycho: Discuss how space voyage is portrayed in the section in which Dr. Floyd travels first to the lunar outpost and then to the crater. Compare and contrast the astronauts' reaction to the monolith with the ape men's. For recurring issues, note the tone of the mise-en-scene and the soundtrack as well as how food and eating are portrayed. What thematic and philosophical ideas does this section of the film suggest?
  3. Jupiter Mission: Discuss how astronauts and artificial intelligence coexist and conflict in the section with Dave Bowman, Frank Poole, and HAL 9000. For recurring issues, note the tone of the mise-en-scene and the soundtrack as well as how food and eating are portrayed. What thematic and philosophical ideas does this section of the film suggest?
  4. Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite: Describe Dave Bowman's journey "Beyond the Infinite" and analyze what happens to him in the classically furnished room. What does the star child represent? For recurring issues, note the tone of the mise-en-scene and the soundtrack as well as how food and eating are portrayed. What thematic and philosophical ideas does this section of the film suggest?

10. The Film Techniques of Alphaville

Last time, we broke down and described the narrative sections of 2001: A Space Odyssey to understand that film. Today, let's look at the fundamental film elements of Alphaville to comprehend its meaning. Each of you will count off (1, 2, 3, and so forth) and then you will spend 5-10 minutes on your own answering the questions from the Film Analysis page that correspond with your numbered film elements below. The 19th student will highlight the key philosophical interpretations from Alan Woolfolk's film analysis in the Sanders textbook.

  1. mise en scène: setting
  2. mise en scène: subject
  3. mise en scène: composition
  4. characterization: What do we learn about the character's and her core conflicts?
  5. characterization: Does the character change, grow, learn?
  6. cinematography: film stock and lighting
  7. cinematography: the camera
  8. editing: the grammar of editing
  9. editing: pace and time
  10. graphics and sound: logos, main titles and opening credits, end titles and closing credits
  11. graphics and sound: vocals
  12. graphics and sound: sound effects
  13. graphics and sound: voice-over narration
  14. graphics and sound: music
  15. graphics and sound: silence, sound as transition
  16. narrative: narrative
  17. narrative: structure
  18. narrative: time
  19. Alan Woolfolk: "Disenchantment and Rebellion in Alphaville"

11. The Philosophy of Time Travel

Let's break into groups to discuss the key issues of the philosophy of time travel.

  1. Bradbury, "A Sound of Thunder": What is the butterfly effect? What does the short story suggest about the ethics of time travel?
  2. Sider, "Time": What is the space-time theory? What are some arguments against the space-time theory?
  3. Lewis, "The Paradoxes of Time Travel": Define external time, personal time, and extended personal time. What is the Grandfather Paradox?
  4. Deutsch and Lockwood, "The Quantum Physics of Time Travel": What is a closed timelike curve (CTC)? What is the difference between classical physics and quantum physics? What is the multiverse picture of reality?

Response

Written Component: GeorgiaVIEW Response

The written response compels you to practice responding to philosophical or literary ideas

 

If you are scheduled to respond to a philosophical text, summarize and evaluate—appreciate and interrogate—one of the philosophical readings for the scheduled day. What is the main idea of the text and how does it function in human life? What questions do you have of the main idea and how do you assess the value and validity of the idea? Include 2-3 questions for class discussion.

 

If you are scheduled to respond to a film, analyze the characters and conflicts and posit what main thematic and philosophical ideas the story or film suggests. Avoid plot summary. What are the core issues of the work, and with what philosophical concepts does the work tarry? How do you respond or answer back to the ideas posed by the story? Include 2-3 questions for class discussion.

Oral Component: Informal Presentation

The informal presentation compels you to participate in and direct class discussion.

 

Without simply reading your written response, you will also be responsible for a brief, informal presentation, which should either introduce the philosophical essay by defining key points and terms and main ideas and broaching issues for class discussion or introduce the short story/film by explaining key characters and conflicts and themes and broaching questions for class discussion.

Due Dates

  1. Your written assignment will be due GeorgiaVIEW > Course Work > Assignments > Response two days before we are scheduled to discuss the work. (Note: Responses will be penalized one letter grade for each day, not class period, that they are turned in late. It is your responsibility to check the sign up schedule and complete the assignment on time.)
  2. Your informal presentation will be due on the day we discuss the text in class. This date is approximate for we will sometimes fall a day behind. (Note: Failing to present the text to the class without providing a valid absence excuse will result in a one letter grade penalty.)
  3. I will return your graded assignment to you in GeorgiaVIEW > Course Work > Assignments > Response approximately one week after we discuss the article in class. Due to GeorgiaVIEW limitations, I am unable to return graded assignments to you unless and until you submit them to the Assignment dropbox.
  4. For example, we are scheduled to discuss Total Recall on R, 9-12. Therefore, someone's written response will be due in GeorgiaVIEW by T, 9-10. In class on R, 9-12, that student will informally present on the main ideas and issues of the text. I will return the graded response to her the following week in GeorgiaVIEW > Course Work > Assignments > Response. Here's how to calculate your course grade.

Parameters

Sign Up

For either complete author, title, and location information of the assigned philosophical work or film availability, check the syllabus and note that the oral date corresponds with the syllabus schedule date. Sign up here.

Research Project

You have responded informally to a philosophical essay or science fiction film; and you have completed an exam examining the philosophy of self and reality as they are thematically exemplified in science fiction films. Next, you will work in groups to delve more deeply into a science fiction or fantasy novel, film, graphic novel, or video game through a research project.

Topic

Groups of 3-4 students will select an edited book collection from Wiley's The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series or Open Court Publishing Company's Popular Culture and Philosophy Series (also available here) about a science fiction or fantasy novel, film, comic book, or video game, subject to professor approval. Groups should submit one or two potential pop culture and philosophy books by Thursday, October 10 here. These books are called secondary sources that critically comment upon the primary text of the novel, film, etc. After your edited book collection is approved, you can request your book from the library using GIL or interlibrary loan. Alternatively, you can purchase your book through an online bookstore. Note that GIL takes approximately one week to receive a book, interlibrary loan usually takes two weeks, and online book stores ship in two days to two weeks.

Working Bibliography

The edited collection will serve as the core of your group's research. Additionally, your group will find scholarly, peer reviewed books, book chapters, and journal articles on your topic using academic library Research Methods. Groups should submit a working bibliography, formatted in MLA style, of 15-20 sources (chapters from the pop culture and philosophy book, chapters from single-author books, chapters from edited collections, and journal articles) to Georgiaview > Coursework > Assignments > Research Project by Tuesday, October 22.

 

Refer to the MLA Style page for how to cite the following types of sources:

 

3.1.1 A Book by a Single Author

3.1.5 A Work in an Anthology or Edited Collection with One or Two Editors

3.1.7 A Book or Book Chapter in a Library Database or Online Database

3.1.8 A Doctoral Dissertation or Master's Thesis

3.2.1 An Article in a Scholarly Journal

3.2.4 A Periodical Publication in a Library Database

 

Note: articles from undergraduate student research journals are allowed if they are reviewed by scholars in the field; however, they are not allowed if they are reviewed by the students' own faculty members. MA theses and PhD dissertations are allowed; however, undergraduate theses are not allowed. Chapter previews from Google Books are not allowed; instead, obtain the full book from the library, interlibrary loan, or a full-text library database.

Annotated Bibliography

Your group should compile an annotated bibliography summarizing 1) most chapters from the core edited collection, 2) significant book chapters from single-author books, 3) articles from edited collections, and 4) scholarly journal articles. Each group member should annotate at least 5 sources (for a total of 15-20 sources per group); and each 75-100 word annotation should summarize and evaluate a research source by

  1. identifying the philosophical issue or question that the essay is investigating,
  2. defining the secondary source's thesis or conclusion regarding the primary text's philosophical theme, and
  3. explaining how the essay helps your understanding of the primary text.

Presentation

Your group annotated bibliography informs your 15-20 minute group presentation. The group presentation should not only interpret the film, novel, comic book, or video game in terms of character, conflict, theme, artistry and other relevant aesthetic elements but also explain the philosophical issues presented by the novel, film, comic book, or video game.

Group Assessment

Each group member is responsible for staying connected with the group, attending meetings, actively participating in meetings, doing their delegated work, i.e., contributing their fair share to the project. In order to hold individual members accountable in a team project, on the day of the group presentation, each group member should individually compose and submit to GeorgiaVIEW > Course Work > Assignments > Research Project - Individual Evaluation a statement that 1) assesses their own performance, 2) assesses their peers' service to the assignment, and 3) assesses the structure and process of the research project as a whole. Ideally, the group will If it appears that some members are not doing their fair share of work, then each member will receive an individual grade.

Parameters

Sign Up

Sign up for groups and submit your book topic here by Thursday, October 10.

Learning Beyond the Classroom Project

At this point in the course, you have informally responded to a philosophical or literary reading and formally composed a full-length essay proving how a short story or film applies philosophical concepts. For the learning beyond the classroom component of the course, you can either write a reflective essay about your participation in a science fiction and fantasy social activity or record a 30 minute podcast, with two classmates, that analyzes a science fiction short story, novel, film, or television episode.

Option 1: Reflective Essay

First, participate in a science fiction and fantasy social activity—such as a role playing board game like Dungeons & Dragons, massively multi-player online role playing game (MMORPG) like World of Warcraft, a fan convention like Dragon Con, a cosplay event, or an online fan fiction community—subject to professor approval, and then write an essay critically analyzing the experience. For instance, you could join a guild in World of Warcraft compose a reflective essay thinking about how the experience affected your sense of self and/or reality, in the philosophical ways we've been discussing, like Golub and Lamerichs', to support your ideas. Your topic must be approved one month before the essay is due; therefore, submit three possible science fiction and fantasy participatory experiences on Thursday, October 17. Your essay has three goals: first, describe and analyze the social experience you attended and/or participated in; second, reflect upon the experience by making a claim about the key philosophical ideas that are in play; and, third, incorporate ideas from two applicable philosophical essays from our course.

Option 2: Podcast

With two other students from the course, record a 25-35 minute podcast episode that discusses a science fiction film not studied in class, subject to professor approval. Be sure to address not only literary (character, conflict, symbol, theme, etc.) and film elements (shots, scene, camera, lighting, etc.) but also philsophical issues such as reality, self, mind, technology, and/or time travel, etc. Your science fiction film must be approved before the podcast is due; therefore, submit three possible film, along with the names of your three group members, on Thursday, October 17. Your podcast has three goals: first describe and analyze the text from a literary perspective; second, apply the key philosophical ideas that are present in the text; and, third, incorporate ideas from two applicable philosophical essays from our course.

Topics

Submit your three possible topics here by Thursday, October 17.

Parameters

In-Class Midterm Exam

The in-class midterm exam, which will be closed book with no notes (bring your own pen/pencil and paper) tests both your understanding of key philosophical concepts related to the nature of the self and reality and your ability to analyze science fiction films through a philosophical lens. On Thursday, September 26, you will write two short comparison/contrast essays in response to four potential discussion questions regarding the philosophy of the self, the philosophy of reality, the philosophy of the self on film, and the philosophy of reality on film. Your essays, one of which will focus on philosophy and one of which will focus on film, should demonstrate your understanding of two or three philosophical texts, two or three films, and two or three film criticisms. Provide a comparative thesis, make an argument that not only compares the ideas but also contrasts the concepts regarding the selected issues, and provide details adequate to proving your knowledge and understanding of the articles and films. To prepare for the exam, I recommend, first, compiling a set of notes for each of the materials list and second, preparing comparison/contrast essays pairing philosophy texts on the one hand and films on the other hand. The following list of philosophy, film, and film criticism, which we have covered in the first half of the course, will be provided to you on exam day.

Philosophy

Film

Film Criticism

Take-Home Final Exam

The take-home final exam tests both your understanding of key philosophical concepts related to technology, ethics, and time travel and your skill in proving arguments and interpretations with filmic and text evidence. On Tuesday, December 3, you will be given 4-6 questions; and you will respond to 2 of those questions with 2 essays of 3-4 pages in length submitted in one file in GeorgiaVIEW on the final exam due date. Both of your two essays should

Two final notes:

Philosophy Articles

SciFi Films

Film Criticism

Questions

  1. The Limits of the Human Mind: Using three texts (at least one scifi film and at least one philosophy article), explore how science and technology test the limits of the human mind. What is the scifi theme, what is the philosophical thesis, and how do their core ideas about the human mind compare and contrast?
  2. Humanity and Identity: Using three texts (at least one scifi film and at least one philosophy article), discuss how scientific advances in biotechnology (cloning, cyborgs) and/or robotics (robots, androids) affect and construct our understanding of the nature of human identity. What is the scifi theme, what is the philosophical thesis, and how do their core ideas about identity compare and contrast?
  3. Humanity and Technology: Using three texts (at least one scifi film and at least one philosophy text), discuss how scientific and technological advancements enhance and/or endanger humanity. What is the scifi theme, what is the philosophical thesis, and how do their core ideas about enhancement and endangerment compare and contrast?
  4. Theories and Stories of Time Travel: Using three texts (at least one scifi film and at least one philosophy article), debate the theories and paradoxes of time travel. What is the scifi theme, what is the philosophical thesis, and how do their core ideas about time travel compare and contrast?
  5. Morality and Ethics: Using three texts (at least one scifi film and at least one philosophy article), debate the moral and ethical implications underlying a single scifi issue such as dystopias, time travel, cyborgs, clones, androids, or genetic engineering. What is the scifi theme, what is the philosophical thesis, and how do their core ideas about morality compare and contrast?

Parameters

 

© Alex E. Blazer 2024