MECN1001: Critical Thinking Component

Science Fiction
Course reader
Semester 2, 2015

“If science fiction is the mythology of modern technology, then its myth is tragic.” – Ursula Le Guin

Lecturer and course co-ordinator: Ms Linda Mabin
Linda.Mabin@wits.ac.za
CM, 3rd Floor, East Wing, ADU
(011) 717-7064

MECN1001: Critical Thinking
Course Outline
Science Fiction is a genre that is growing in currency around the world as a literature of cognitive estrangement, and one that has immense universal value because of this. To distance oneself from the ascendant structures of power is to perceive the world anew, filled with potential for change. For this reason, Science Fiction is a literature of immense value for a country such as South Africa. Approaching the challenges of a nation such as this requires an imagination trained to be meticulous in its logic, but unrestrained by the restrictions of present reality.
Each tutorial activity is crafted to correlate with the concerns of the lecture material. Tutorials transpose the fundamental concerns dealt with in the subject matter of the lectures and
‘activate’ these ideas by having students demonstrate their knowledge not just in the form of individual written exercises, but through the vitally necessary process of engaging their tutors and peers in structured discussion. It is thus clear that the success of a tutorial is dependent on student participation, and as clear that the success of a tutorial depends on students being intrigued by the content of the course. In order to achieve this, the tutorial exercises are related to the South African context.
Scientific racism is one radical dimension of the misappropriation of science that allows science and technology to be problematised for a generation of students enamoured and ensconced within a highly technological world. As a genre which explores technology’s perils, especially through ‘othering’ and the re-addressing of Said’s concerns of
‘Orientalism’, Science Fiction is particularly appropriate for expanding our discussions and concerns and making them relevant to the students’ own lives, not only in terms of recovery from the historical trauma of apartheid, but as future professionals who will have a substantial impact on the real future of science and technology.
However, the origin of Science Fiction might encourage us to view it as an imposition from the West. This concern needs to be interoggated and questioned, so that students are encouraged to see the intersections between how the genre might offer critiques of othering, while in the process be othering and alienating itself.
Jessica Liebenberg and Linda Mabin, 2015

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Course Rationale
Critical Thinking is a central component of your University education. Instead of providing you with simple answers, critical thinking demands that you come to form your own questions and reach your own answers using skilful and rational argument.

Consider the definition of critical thinking below:

“Critical thinking is that mode of thinking — about any subject, content, or problem — in which the thinker improves the quality of his or her thinking by skilfully analysing, assessing, and reconstructing it. Critical thinking is selfdirected, self-disciplined, self-monitored, and self-corrective thinking. It presupposes assent to rigorous standards of excellence and mindful command of their use. It entails effective communication and problem-solving abilities, as well as a commitment to overcome our native egocentrism and sociocentrism.”
(The Critical Thinking Community (2014). ‘The Definition of Critical Thinking’)

Central to this definition are two components: communication and problem-solving. The ability to think critically is thus dependent on your ability to solve complex problems and then express your ideas based on reasoned and rational thought. Learning how to master both of these components begins with learning how to read critically; that is instead of passive reading where you simply accept all you read as fact, you are required to actively engage with texts, forming your own reasoned, creative and original position on each aspect of a text.

This course has been designed to expose you to a selection of articles, poems, short stories, images and film that will enhance your ability you to read, think and speak critically, not only in all of your University subjects, but also in the professional environment which you are preparing to enter where you will need to be able to think creatively and critically about a unique array of industry problems, and then justify your ideas through coherent communication. Rather than providing you with one staid recipe for a problem, this course aims to awaken your thinking skills so that you can create your own methods and solutions for any problem you come across. The skills you will learn in this course can be applied to every aspect of your degree, and will be valuable to you long after you graduate.

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Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, students should be able to:

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Communicate effectively in a professional environment.

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Construct an intelligible, well-reasoned and sound academic argument using appropriate evidence.

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Write coherent academic essays.

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Understand and distinguish between different types of texts.

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Define and understand critical thinking, and be able to apply critical thinking skills to their area of study.

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Express their ideas confidently.

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Succeed at communicating creative and critical ideas in a variety of settings. Course Assessment
The course assessments are explained below:

1. Test
The content test will be based on lecture content and the course readings. It will take the form of multiple choice questions. Critical Thinking questions will be integrated into the MECN1001: Design scheduled test.

2. Written exercises
This course uses continuous assessment to evaluate your performance. You will be required to submit creative and critical writing responses in tutorials. Your tutors will provide a mark and extensive feedback on your writing.

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3. Assignment:
The assignment question appears below. You will receive assignment assistance in your tutorials to help you approach the question, but you are encouraged to begin planning your response as soon as possible by engaging closely with lectures and course material. Ensure that your assignment conforms to the standards of academic writing. In addition, please follow the following instructions:

1. Assignments must be typed using 1½ line spacing and size 12 point font.
2. Paginate your assignment.
3. Essays should be 3-4 pages, excluding the reference list.
4. Attach a cover sheet to your assignment, stating your full name and student number as well as your tutor’s name.
5. You must attach a reference list including all works cited in the assignment.

Assignment question:

Read the quote below and then consider the question which follows:

“Science fiction marks the point where the artistic project to understand the human condition meets the scientific project to transform it. It’s arguably the one discipline in the liberal arts and humanities properly equipped to talk about the technological revolution creating the future. I’ve read SF for my entire life, because it’s the only reliable guide I’ve found to the weird present we’re now all living in. But its specific predictions of the future are often wildly inaccurate.”
(Damien Walters, 2013)

Based on the quote above, use three texts from your reading pack to consider why, rather than offering accurate projections of future science and technology, science fiction is essentially a tool that we can use to deconstruct, understand, and critique contemporary society.

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Readings:
Developing critical literacy is a crucial component for success in this course component. Please ensure that you read the prescribed readings, which all appear in the following order in this course reader:

1. Neil Gaiman (2013), ‘Why our future depends on libraries, reading and daydreaming’, The Guardian.com, Tuesday 15 October 2013, available URL: http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/oct/15/neil-gaiman-future-librariesreading-daydreaming (accessed: 21 November 2014).
2. Walter Isaacson (2014), ‘The Price of Genius’, Time Magazine, Vol. 184,
No.21-22, pp.54-62.
3. Isaac Asimov (1995), “A Boy’s Best Friend” in The Complete Robot, London:
Harper Collins Publishers, pp.15-18.
4. Isaac Asimov (1995), “A Boy’s Best Friend” in The Complete Robot, London:
Harper Collins Publishers, pp.15-18.
5. Isaac Asimov (1995), “Sally” in The Complete Robot, London: Harper Collins
Publishers, pp. 19-40.
6. Isaac Asimov (1995), “True Love” in The Complete Robot, London: Harper
Collins Publishers, pp.70-74.
7. Isaac Asimov (1995), “Segregationist” in The Complete Robot, London:
Harper Collins Publishers, pp.157-163.
8. Isaac Asimov (1995), “Liar!” in The Complete Robot, London: Harper Collins
Publishers, pp.329-349.
9. Philip K. Dick (2012), “We Can Remember It for You Wholesale”, London:
Gollancz Books, pp.157-174.
10. Philip K. Dick (2012), “The Electric Ant”, London: Gollancz Books, pp. 225240.
11. Beukes, L. (2010) Extract from Zoo City, Johannesburg: Jacana Media, pp.126.

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