Science fiction imagines new ideas: speculative technologies, social structures, laws, species, and so on – with the goal of casting new light on the world in which we live. In our readings for this unit, we’ve seen social justice activists and feminist filmmakers imagine science fiction worlds to make critical points about media, culture, identity, and power. What kind of world would you imagine?
For this creative exploration, you will create the outline of what Imarisha and brown call a “visionary fiction” to reflect on the issues and questions we have been discussing in class. You’ll come up with an idea for a change in the world (scientific or fantastical) and then you’ll explore its implications. How would a change in culture, media, or technology affect intersectional structures of social power? How would struggles for justice persist (or not) in a different world?
By Monday October 2, post your idea on the blog. Write a reflection for the blog that answers the following questions:
First:
• What is the speculative vision that you have imagined? What has changed, been invented, disappeared – and why?
• Who will be affected and how? How will intersectional structures of identity, power, and privilege be shifted by this change – will some benefit while others suffer? Will social systems adapt to incorporate the change or will they transform? How?Second:
• If you were to develop a work of creative media that explored this premise, what medium would it be in? Would it be a novel or short story, a film or TV show, a video game, something else?
• How would you choose to represent your premise: from whose perspective, at what point in time, with what kind of story or image or sound?Write at least 600 words. Include images, video, and/or sound if you like.
This creative exploration is due on the blog on October 2.