In Learning Activity 3.1, we explored narrative texts that are meant to tell a story. We explored plot structure, point of view, characterization, setting, and theme.

Have you encountered the word “genre” before? Genre is the types or categories into which texts are grouped. For example, literary genres include novels, short stories, essays, poetry, and drama. A genre can also be a style of media, such as fantasy and horror when discussing fiction, or hip hop and country when discussing music.

Futuristic street and vehicles.

In this learning activity, we will explore the genre of science fiction, or sci-fi, in narrative fiction. Typically, science fiction stories include technology that does not yet exist or guesses about how the world will change in the future. Popular media often has characteristics of science fiction, such as superhero media and video games.

Think

Think

Imagine as vividly as you can what the future will be like in 100 years.

  • What do your senses immediately experience?
  • What are people doing? What are they wearing?
  • How are people moving from place to place?
  • How are people communicating?
  • Where are they living?

In this learning activity we will also focus on the following grammar goal.

Grammar goals: Perfect tense

In some of the upcoming short stories, you may notice the use of perfect tense.

Perfect tense is used to describe completed actions, typically with “have” or “had.” Examine the following example.

“Rupinder had gone to the park.”

In this example, “had gone” refers to the fact that Rupinder already went to the park in the past and the action is already completed while we are speaking about it.

Try using perfect tense when reflecting on short narratives!

What is science fiction?

Science fiction is a genre of fiction with stories about science and technology of the future.

These stories are based on theories of science that are true or partially true, and often extend current trends to imagine what they might be like in the future, including theories of science.

Explore this!

Video

Some innovations, such as the Internet and smartphones, begin as ideas in science fiction stories. Check out the following short video clip by National Geographic entitled Science Fiction Inspires the Future of Science to learn more about how science fiction reaches toward innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurship. Consider the references to other science fiction media, including Star Wars, The Martian, and Ghost in the Shell. Are you familiar with any other science fiction media that may have inspired innovations in technology?

Predicting the future

Studying trends and making predictions is as much an art as it is a science, and those predictions can be found in literature, art, media, and, of course, science.

People who study trends to predict the future in a public way are called futurists or futurologists. Sometimes they are called forecasters.

According to the World Future Society, a futurist focuses on the following three areas:

  • forecasting the future using different kinds of data
  • imagining the future using intuition, imagination, and writing skills
  • creating the future using planning, consulting, and technology

Think

Think

Which technology has had the biggest impact on your life?

Sophie and Chuck explain science fiction.

Sophie: So, science fiction writers look at today’s trends and make guesses about the future?

Chuck: Exactly! For example, if a science fiction writer notices that people today like wearable technology, they may create a world where everything people wear is technology!

Sophie: Cool!

Notebook

Notebook

Take a few moments to explore the following descriptions from some notable science fiction voices. Using information from the quotes, develop your own description of science fiction. What is science fiction, and why might it be important as a genre? Use your notebook to record your answer.

Press the following tabs to access the quotes from notable science fiction voices.

Examine the following two quotes by Issac Asimov.

Modern science fiction is the only form of literature that consistently considers the nature of the changes that face us, the possible consequences and the possible solutions.” *

Science fiction can be defined as that branch of literature that deals with the reactions of human beings to changes in sciences and technology.” *

I’m not a prophet […] Let’s get rid of that idea right now. Prophecies are really about now. In science fiction it’s always about now. What else could it be about? There is no future. There are many possibilities, but we do not know which one we are going to have.”

Source:

Allardice, L. (2018, January 20). Margaret Atwood: ‘I am not a prophet. Science Fiction is really about now’. The Guardian. Retrieved on May 22, 2024, from https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/jan/20/margaret-atwood-i-am-not-a-prophet-science-fiction-is-about-now

I was attracted to science fiction because it was so wide open. I was able to do anything and there were no walls to hem you in and there was no human condition that you were stopped from examining.”

Source:

Balagun, K. (2006, January 13). Interviewing the Oracle: Octavia Butler. The Independent. Retrieved on May 22, 2024, from https://indypendent.org/2006/01/interviewing-the-oracle-octavia-butler/

Researching the future

This is an opportunity to practise researching a topic!

Choose a futurist from the list in the next section and determine what is considered their most important contribution to the field. Some futurists may have contributed ideas and processes that provided the foundation for other futurists.

Question/plan:

Choose one of the following futurists to research:

  • Jagadish Chandra Bose (scientist)
  • Leonardo da Vinci (artist and inventor)
  • Grace Dillon (academic and author)
  • Barbara Max Hubbard (author)
  • Michio Kaku (theoretical physicist)
  • Anne Lise Kjaer (consultant)
  • Youngsook Park (lecturer)
  • Faith Popcorn (author)
  • Nikola Tesla (engineer)
  • Ekow Nimako (artist)

Once you have selected a futurist, you need to develop questions to help you narrow down your research.

Asking questions like who, what, when, where, why, and how are useful when researching.

Research

Conduct your research based on the questions that you need to answer.

Complete the following Research Summary Chart (Opens in a new tab) and add your own questions to the prompts provided in the first column.

Cite your sources in MLA format. Use the following A guide to MLA (Opens in a new tab) to help you with this task.

Press Sample Research Summary Chart button to access an example for futurist Gene Roddenberry if you’re not sure where to start.

Characteristics of science fiction

Science fiction writers, by their very nature, are futurists. They observe the world that currently exists and imagine a world that could be or might be. Their visions can be hopeful and positive, dark and distorted, or some combination in between.

Press the following tabs to learn more about the characteristics common to science fiction stories.

Examples may include the following:

  • the future as a setting
  • alternate timelines

Examples may include the following:

  • space, other planets, or galaxies as settings
  • aliens coming to Earth
  • human encounters with alien culture
  • human encounters with alien objects
  • humans moving from Earth
  • humans moving below or above ground
  • parallel worlds

Examples may include the following:

  • robots
  • mutants
  • enhanced humans
  • enslaved humans
  • aliens
  • paranormal abilities like telepathy or telekinesis

Examples may include the following:

  • hard science that actually exists or is theoretically likely
  • soft science that actually doesn't exist or is unlikely
  • time travel
  • teleporting
  • advanced weapons
  • artificial intelligence
  • advanced technology

Examples may include the following:

  • utopian societies that represent a good, harmonious, and desired place
  • dystopian societies that represent what happens when efforts to reach utopia go horribly wrong and characters struggle for freedom and survival
  • post-apocalyptic societies after a devastating threat to human existence has happened

Join the discussion

Discussion

A lot of narrative fiction includes elements of science fiction! In the discussion board, share any science fiction media you have engaged with. What science fiction characteristics are present in that media? In other words, how do you know it’s science fiction? This can include movies, TV shows, comics, music, video games, or anything else you can think of!

Sophie and Chuck tell a joke about science fiction.

Chuck: Hey, Sophie! Can I tell you a science fiction joke? *Ahem* What do you call an alien with three eyes?

Sophie: I don't know, Chuck! What do you call an alien with three eyes?

Chuck: An “aliiien.” Ha!

Take a break!

Take a break

Nice work! You’ve learned a lot about the characteristics of the science fiction genre. Now is a great time to take a break before moving on to an exploration of science fiction mentor texts.

Exploring science fiction texts

You will now explore a selection of science fiction texts in various forms, told from a variety of perspectives. As you engage with the texts, think purposefully about the characteristics of the science fiction genre you have learned about in this learning activity.

Choose a minimum of three mentor texts to explore.

Press the following tabs to access the mentor texts.

There is a growing group of Indigenous futurists and science fiction writers who weave their traditional knowledge and stories, as well as their understanding of the past and present to reimagine the future.

These stories challenge stereotypes, warn about the dangers and effects of colonization, and explore the longevity and impact of Indigenous Peoples in the present and the future. Cherie Dimaline’s The Marrow Thieves from the previous learning activity touches on these themes.

Check out the following short animation entitled The Visit by Anishinaabe filmmaker Lisa Jackson from the Aamjiwnaang First Nation. This is the story of a Cree family’s strange encounter one night. What are the science fiction elements present in this narrative?

Read the following short story from S.A. Lombino entitled Welcome, Martians! (Opens in a new tab) written in the 1950s, which is considered an important time in American science fiction. In this story set in the distant future, two astronauts heading to Mars make a bizarre discovery. What is the setting of the story, and why is it important?

The following Will Stanton short story entitled Barney (Opens in a new tab) explores animal intelligence. In this story, a scientist on an island conducts experiments to increase the intelligence of a rat, Barney. He documents his progress in a journal.

In the following scene from the 2004 film I, Robot, a police detective interviews a robot who is suspected of murdering his scientist creator. How is the robot, Sonny, characterized?

“Dystopian” is a genre of science fiction where, in an imagined future, something has gone wrong. Can you think of any dystopian elements in the science fiction stories you have explored?

Assessment Opportunity 

Assessment

Your task is to choose one of the texts from the previous list of mentor texts and analyze its plot (three sentences), point of view (one sentence), characterization (one to two sentences) and topic or theme (one to two sentences).

Once you have analyzed the parts of the narrative, respond to the following question (three sentences):

What are the characteristics of science fiction present in the text, and how do they affect the story?

When you are ready, submit your assessment by pressing the “Submit Your Work” button, then follow the submission directions.

Conclusion

Futuristic cityscape.

Great work!

In this learning activity, we learned about a few of the characteristics common to most science fiction stories and how science fiction authors design their narratives. We also reviewed several science fiction mentor texts from various perspectives.

Let’s reflect on our learning from this activity through the following portfolio exercise.

Portfolio

Portfolio

In your portfolio, create a reflection of your learning by responding to the following prompts.

Keep your grammar goal in mind! Try to include perfect tense in your response.

  1. In what way is science fiction unique of a genre? How is it like other genres, such as fantasy and horror?
  2. Which mentor text appeals to you as a reader? Explain.
  3. Which mentor text type appeals to you as a text creator? Explain.

In the next learning activity, we will build our understanding of expository texts and learn how to build an argument. It may be useful to review the work you did on persuasion and rhetorical devices in Unit 2.

This learning activity concludes with the following Assessment Opportunity.

Learning Activity 3.2 Assessment

Assessment

Go to Learning Activity 3.2 Assessment.