PUFY 1282
“Utopia is a world I made up by combining utopia and dystopia – the imagined perfect society and its opposite – because, in my view, each contains a latent version of the other.”
-Margaret Atwood.
In this class, we will interrogate the implications of design and technology on society through the reading and watching of science fiction. As we dabble in these emblematic science fiction universes, we can examine how technological innovation can bring forth aspects of utopia and dystopia at the same time. Students will be then introduced to the practice of speculative design and create their own science fiction worlds through worldbuilding exercises before making their ideas tangible by creating their own “artifacts from the future.” Using these artifacts as provocations, students will engage with their peers to discuss what kinds of futures are preferred, and why. As a final project, we will read and write design fiction stories proposing possible alternative futures as a way to explore the social, political, economic, environmental, and cultural implications of change and innovation. By imagining different versions of the future as designers, we are already beginning to shape it.
