The pace of technological advance in the twentieth century has been stunning, beyond the imaginations of what our finest science fiction writers were predicting at the turn of the century. We have witnessed the birth of weapons capable of reducing our planet to ruble, we have seen men stride upon our nearest celestial neighbor, we have marveled at machines, the size of dimes doing the mental work of hundreds of men, and we have thrilled and been chilled by the unlocking of the very secrets of life - our genetic code - and the subsequent power that has been unleashed, enabling the creation of wonders such cross-species hybrids.
Yet as breathtaking as the pace has been it may seem glacial compared to the whirlwind to come. The scourges that have plagued modern man - heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and arthritis may be cured in the coming decades, due to our mastery of the human genome and our understanding of the details of its functions. Even more tantalizing however, is the possibility this knowledge may finally yield, the stuff of magic and legends, literally the fountain of youth that mankind has sought through the ages. The genetic secrets of the aging process are slowly being uncovered and the coming century could well see their marvels exposed. The ramifications of such advances on our society and social structures are difficult to imagine.
However, even these changes are small compared to the revolution forecast by some - the inevitable result of the invention that has come to embody twentieth century technology - an invention that will no doubt come to dominate twenty-first century life - the computer. The timid prognosticators, industry titans such as Gates, see ubiquitous computers, aiding us in all we do, reaching into our homes, and our businesses and and every aspect of our waking life. The slightly more daring scientists, like Kaku, envision computers that may one day be our intellectual equals, conscious partners helping us reshape the world. The truly radical however, such as Moravec and Kurzweil, see a "postbiological" revolution, which will sweep humanity off the planet leading to the absolute triumph of technology in its very strongest sense.
The goal of this unit is to tap into the excitement and sense of awe that technological advances can bring in order to motivate students to develop both their creative writing skills and their research skills. I will try to demonstrate the strong link between careful factual research of subject matter and good fiction writing. I will use the study of scientific fact to drive the creation of science fiction. In this effort we will take our cues from forecasters such as Kaku, Moravec and Kurzweil who have tried to paint visions of the future based on their solid grounding in scientific facts. Yet the futures they describe can clearly form the basis for vivid science fiction stories. Indeed the connection between science and science fiction has always been strong, with many scientists having tried their hand at science fiction, and many of our greatest science fiction writers having come from the realm of science.
This unit is divided into four parts, with the first three parts each taking approximately one to two weeks of classroom time and the final phase lasting about two to three weeks. During the first phase I will focus on the teaching of an area of technology - biotechnology. I will began with a lesson on cloning, using the controversy which the possibility of human cloning has generated to initiate a discussion about the source of that controversy and the possible ramifications for the future. Right from the start of the unit, I want each student to began making connections between current technologies and future possibilities for that technology and the consequences which may evolve. In addition, I will try to impart, appropriate to their age level, a basic understanding of the science behind the technology. Each student for example, should know what DNA is and what genes are, as well as their function is in living organisms. They will learn that each cell in the human body contains in its DNA a blueprint for all the different organs and tissues in the entire body. The exact same blueprint, which within the single celled zygote, gives rise to a newborn infant is present in most cells in fully grown adults. It is this remarkable fact which makes cloning possible. Dolly, the sheep, was cloned using a single cell from an adult sheep, which was then transferred into a developing embryo, which used the genetic material, the blueprint, from that adult cell. The second major topic of the week will be a discussion of transgenic organisms. These are organisms whose genes contain man-made mutations, mutations which are subsequently passed down to the organism's progeny. I will describe how transgenic mice, for example, have become an essential tool for scientific research and drug discovery. I will describe the rich set of techniques molecular biologists have developed over the last thirty years, which allow them to manipulate DNA, allowing them to cut pieces of it, essentially extracting genes right out of a cell and then introducing them back into new cells. Both cloning and transgenic organisms are a direct result of these scientific advances. Any discussion of transgenic organisms, of course will allow the classroom to explore an arena rich with possibilities and speculation. The goal after the first phase, is to have each student imaging and creating future scenarios, while learning about a current technology.
In the second phase, each student will have to select a given area of technology and research it. The emphasis will be on selecting an area of technology that holds tremendous possibilities for future advances, and where such advances could have significant impact on society. Artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and space travel are possible examples. During this period, some of the classroom activities described in the following section could be conducted. The goal after this week is for each student to learn some basic skills regarding how to research a topic of interest. Hopefully, each student will find a topic that is sufficiently exciting to hold their interest and will motivate themselves to do the research.
In the third phase, each student will write a brief research paper on their topic of interest. This paper will consist of two sections. In the first section, the student will describe the current state of the art in the area of technology they have chosen. In the second section, each student will try to forecast what advances will take place, in that technology, ten, twenty and fifty years in the future. The goal in this phase will be twofold. One is to teach the students the mechanics of how to write a research paper. The second goal is to promote their imagination and to get students to speculate about the future, but their speculation should be in a grounded, connected manner. Each student's future should flow naturally from the present.
Finally in the last two weeks of the unit, each student will write a short science fiction story, utilizing their area of research, as well as incorporating the predictions they may have made in their research paper. During this period the class will also read a short science fiction story. There will also be lessons on the rudiments of fiction writing. The goal will be to promote creativity and allow each student to give free reign to their imagination, but in a directed fashion. The science fiction story they write must remain connected to the previous research they have done on their topic and to the research paper they have just written. Each student must clearly move from science fact to science fiction.
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