What does technology say about us?

Science fiction has a long history of grappling with important issues that we struggle with in modern society, such as how technological advances change who we are, what it means to be human, and conceptions of living a good life. The things we make and the stories we tell reflect and often shape our desires and visions of the future. We see this in the utopian novels of the 1950s and 1960s, in TV shows, such as Star Trek and the Twilight Zone, and movies, such as Star Wars and Gravity. These stories often grapple with difficult philosophical and ethical issues. For example, are you still human if your mind is no longer in a body but in a vat or a computer? When is a robot sentient? What are the consequences of embracing technological advances, such as living in 3D environments? What are the consequences of scientific breakthroughs, such genetic modification technologies and cloning? 

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We are the stories we tell.

This course will explore how science fiction shapes our world and captures the connections between self, society, and technology in important ways. Each week, we will focus on an individual theme in science fiction literature and film that encapsulates key issues that we struggle with in modern society, such as the nature of reality, free will, utopia and dystopia, artificial intelligence, and the application of technology.