CSci 300: Social Responsibility
Fall Semester 1996
Science Fiction Report

Due Date

The written reports should be submitted to the instructor by the beginning of class on 10 September 1996. The oral reports will be given on 10 September or shortly thereafter.

Purpose

At the beginning of the semester read a science fiction (not fantasy) book or short story or view a science fiction movie or television program. In this fictional work, examine how the technology is portrayed to the public. Is it presented by the author:

• as a good, evil, or neutral force in society?
• as being under human control or evolving on its own?

Note: You can report on a fictional work that you read or viewed before the beginning of the semester, but, since you need to analyze the work thoughtfully for this assignment, you should reexamine the work to refresh your memory of the details.

Assignment

The actual report consists of two parts:

1. a 5-minute oral report given during a discussion session,
2. a 3-to-4 page written report format.

In the written report you should:

1. summarize the story briefly. Don't give all the plot details.
2. list the issues that the story addressed in the context of this course (e.g., ethical issues related to the technology, social impacts of the technology, privacy and civil liberties issues, humanizing or dehumanizing effects of the technology, etc.).
3. state the author's view of the particular technology presented in the story--as being good, evil, neutral, in control, etc.
4. state your reactions to the author's view. Do you agree or disagree with the author and why?

1. produced on a word processor--with a pleasingly formatted paper copy submitted to the instructor.
2. produced in HTML for possible display on the Word-Wide Web.

Acknowledgement

I adapted this assignment, with permission, from an assignment given by Prof. C. Dianne Martin in her Technology and Society class at George Washington University in D.C.

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