Socio Sci-Fi Essay

Grantham University Socio Sci-Fi Essay

Choose 1 book and 1 film from the following list. You will use these two sources for all of your Sci-Fi ssays this term.

Books

Films

Max Barry, Jennifer Government

George Orwell, 1984

Cory Doctorow, Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom

China Mieville, The City and The City

Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games

Veronica Roth, Divergent

Minority Report

Brazil

Equilibrium

Gattaca

Soylent Green

In Time

The main purpose of this assignment is for you to relate sociological concepts (presented in each chapter of the textbook) to the materials presented in the book and films. Your final version should be precise in referring to the films or the books. Here are just some of the things that should figure in your paper:

Sci-Fi Essay 1: Culture. The books and films present us with a vision of futuristic societies. You should provide an analysis of this society as if you were an anthropologist discovering a new culture. What seems to be the rules, norms, values, laws and symbols of this culture? Is there a dominant culture? Are there any subcultures or countercultures, describe them (and indicate why some are subcultures and others counterculture)? Describe a few elements of material and nonmaterial culture.

Sci-Fi Essay 1: Socialization. In the chapter on socialization, you have learned that even though we tend to think of our “self” as the core of our identity, what makes us unique individuals, the reality is that self is a social product; our self is the product of our interactions with other people and our culture, or the part of the culture we have access to. How do you see this phenomenon reflected in the books and films? Additionally, very often, science fiction, a central character is presented with a challenge to his/her self. A common plot is for the central character to see the integrity of his self challenged. Describe how this happens. Who or which group poses such a challenge and how does the character detect, react and cope with such a challenge? In the books and films, can you identify examples of resocialization, total institutions and social devaluation? If yes, explain.