Science Fiction – Dystopian Society
Imagine you are a science fiction writer. Your goal is to sketch out a scenario for a science fiction film that you would like to try to sell to a Hollywood movie studio.
Your sketch should outline a science fiction film project of your own design that “makes the familiar seem strange” by depicting some “strange” world that makes us suddenly notice something we might have otherwise taken for granted about our own society. For this project it is not so important that you work out the details of the plot or the story line of the film. What is more important is that you sketch out, with anthropological attention, some of the parameters of this world. In other words, provide us with a concrete understanding of the setting where the plot will unfold.
The strange world that you depict might be an extra-terrestrial one, or it might be our own society some time in the future, or it might be our society but in some sort of alternative reality where something crucial about it is different (and strange). Use what you have learned about Anthropology so far to give some sense of the “complex whole” (the culture) of those who live in this world. How do the strange properties of this world affect, for example, how people relate to each other, how does it affectthe things they do in their world, their beliefs, their economic and political systems, etc.? In short, trace out a few ways in which the strange properties you describe reverberate through the culture and society of this world you depict.
Here is an example of a science fiction scenario that illustrates this. In her 1969 novel The Left Hand of Darkness Ursula Le Guin describes a world in which there are no seasons (the planet is called Winter and it is always cold) and the people who live there are neither male nor female (they only go into “heat,” acquiring gender identities and sexual urges, once a month). Since, according to Le Guin, there are no gender divisions in this society, there is also no war. In creating this world Le Guin makes strange, and therefore apparent, the dualisms that we take in our own society to be natural (for example, the ways in which in our society men are opposed to womenas day is to night, as cold is to hot). This other world she creates reveals something important about our own society and culture, at the same time that it critiques it and suggests to us an alternative way of living.
You must come up with your own scenario. Do not copy one from an existing movie, novel, or story, and do not use one that another classmate is using.
Sketch out this strange social world that “defamiliarizes” ours in one page (double- spaced). Think of this as a very short, tight, essay. Use complete, well-written sentences arranged in paragraphs that are logically connected to each other. Make sure that you give a title to the assignment (which would also be the title to your movie) that captures something important about its subject or point.
Following your sketch write a short (one paragraph) rationale that explains how the proposed movie you’ve described creates the anthropological effect of making the familiar strange by way of making the strange familiar. That is, how does your movie reveal to us the logic of a seemingly strange world in a way that makes us question something about our society that we normally take for granted? And, what is it, precisely, about our society that we can no longer take for granted after seeing the movie you propose to make?
Do not exceed 1.5 double-spaced pages for the entire assignment (we will not read any text over page length). You may find it helpful to write a first draft that is slightly longer than page length and then edit back the inessentials. Follow precisely all writing instructions outlined here and in the course syllabus.
When you think you are finished, you’re not. Print out your paper. Read it to yourself out loud, or, better, read it to a friend, or have a friend read it to you. This too can be an anthropological experience. Hearing the “strangeness” of your writing from the outside can help you critique your own writing. Learning this little trick of defamiliarization is an essential part of good writing. Once you’ve done this, edit, edit, and edit! Re-write the parts that sound strange, and repeat this process if necessary before turning it in.
Things to keep in mind as you write your essay:
Title
Does your title capture something important about the strange world you’ve created?
The Scenario
Conceptual – Do you sketch out a strange world that in some way renders some
element of our familiar world strange?
Clarity – Have you traced out the relationship between the strange properties of this
world and the effects it has on its culture?
Creative – Have you done this in a creative or interesting way?
The Rationale
Have you clearly articulated how your scenario creates the anthropological effect of
making the familiar strange by exploring a strange world? Have you described what
it is in our society that we can no longer take for granted once we’ve watched your
movie?
Overall Writing
Is your paper well organized with paragraphs that flow well and clear sentences?
Did you fulfill all the instructions outlined here and on the syllabus?
Did you carefully edit your paper? Is it free of typos?
Last Completed Projects
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