FL | Module Intro

 

Module Overview

Through the reading and writing of science fiction, this module will help students understand the “feedback loop” (mutual influence) between science and science-fiction. It will also explore the concept of pseudoscience as a grey area of novelty, a need for more evidence collection, and a cultural shape-shifting process by means of the "feedback loop." Finally, it will ask students to apply fundamental scientific concepts in determining whether ideas/stories in science-fiction are grounded in science and to determine whether it is a good reflection or prediction of real-world science. 

                                               

Module Objectives

  1. Identify the scientific principles used in a sci-fi story.
  2. Evaluate the scientific accuracy and/or predictability of the principles present.
  3. Evaluate the importance of scientific accuracy and/or predictability for sci-fi.
  4. Define the concept of pseudo-science.
  5. Define the notion of a feedback loop between science and science fiction and science and pseudoscience.
  6. Connect how particular sci-fi stories have led to the scientific development or their application in society.
  7. Construct a prediction or additional component to a sci-fi story that feeds into the “feedback loop.” 

 

Activities

  1. Reading excerpts from Darkover: Landfall by Marion-Zimmer Bradley. (This can be replaced with any sci-fi writing that the instructor prefers so long as it helps to accomplish the same goals, such as Artemis by Andy Weir.)
  2. Assessing the reading by answering a number of prompts related to the presence of scientific principles in the story.
  3. Producing an infografic to communicates these findings.
  4. Conduct research on science fiction novels that preceded some type of advancement in science, or social application of science and technology, and present the examples for class discussion.
  5. Watching clips from Penn & Teller’s Bullshit dealing with pseudoscientific technology and assess these technologies through a similar number of prompts.
  6. Writing flash (very short) stories applying that are based on scientific principles and reflect consciousness of the “feed-back” loop between sci-fi and science.

 

 

This module has been developed by Ruben Garrote and Joseph Lichter.