Uncommon Courses is an occasional series from The Conversation US highlighting unconventional approaches to teaching.
Course title:
Sociology, science fiction film and artificial intelligence
What sparked the concept for this course?
A colleague within the sociology department taught a course on a movie genre from the Forties and Nineteen Fifties that presented a bleak picture of recent societies. I liked the concept of using movies in my classroom, but I used to be fascinated by a special genre of film. I selected science fiction movies to encourage sociology students to take a constructive view of the longer term. I also wanted to indicate them the parallels between the underlying messages of those movies and lots of concepts in sociology.
What will probably be examined within the course?
Since then nineteenth century, science fiction and sociology have examined how Industry and economics influence what it means to be human.
Science fiction often deals with potentially dangerous contemporary trends and imagines a future through which society and human civilization are threatened. Sociologists are also specializing in troubling trends: Overpopulation, rising inequality, Resource depletion, over-reliance on technology or persistent racism. Science fiction imagines the impact of those trends on the social structures of the longer term. In contrast, sociologists give attention to the role played by economics, the assorted ways through which a society is structured, and technology to create these trends.
Why is that this course relevant now?
The goal of this course is to show students that societies are greater than just groups of individuals. Societies are alive and take a look at to survive on their very own terms, sometimes conflicting with the interests of the individuals who live in them.
In many science fiction movies resembling “The Matrix“”Dark city“”oblivion” And “you live“The protagonists discover that the societies in which they live depend on hidden control systems. In the “Matrix” series, the protagonist Neo learns that what he believes to be real is definitely a simulation that’s common to all humans. The shared illusion keeps them trapped and motionless while their electrical impulses serve to power sentient machines. The control systems in these movies often contradict and even exploit the values and norms of the protagonists. For example, the hero in “Oblivion” believes that his work is the salvation of humanity; In fact, it’s getting used by alien technology that’s draining the planet of its resources.
Sociologists study how aspects of recent society resembling economic systems and technologies resembling AI shape our lives. Like the protagonists in a science fiction film, sociologists try to know the underlying control systems. In each fiction and reality, these systems exist independently of the people who find themselves a part of the system. The members of the system are frequently unaware of its existence and can’t create or control it.
What is a crucial lesson from the course?
While many individuals consider that they act on their very own initiative, their actions and decisions are influenced by aspects beyond their control. What individuals do depends partly on social and economic patterns, resembling whether the society through which they live is religious or secular. Actions and beliefs are also influenced by psychological and biological aspects, resembling the way in which people were raised in childhood and the influence of their gender or race. People are inclined to search for solutions to twenty first century problems in traditional ideas, practices, and institutions—including systems of presidency—which will have emerged many years or centuries ago. These methods are usually not very suitable for coping with emerging challenges. For example, countries will want to combat climate change, e.g global phenomenonbut are frequently limited by national policies which are ineffective.
What materials does the course include?
The important text for understanding science fiction is “Metamorphoses of science fiction” by author and philosopher Darko Suvin, a former literature professor at McGill University. The course also includes essays, articles and film clips that mix sociology, science fiction movies and AI, including my very own articles. Decoding Modern Society: The Matrix Trilogy and the Realm of Alienation And Science fiction movies and “love”: Towards a critique of regressive social relationships.
What does the course prepare students for?
Students learn to constructively interpret science fiction movies as allegories about their place in a rapidly changing world. You will realize that understanding sociology – the study of human behavior and the structure of society – can assist us avoid the mistakes of the past and embrace the longer term without fear.
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