COURSE DESCRIPTION
FALL SEMESTER
In this course, we explore the ideas that have fired our curiosity since humanity first left carved images on cave walls and stone tablets, and how ancient and historical ideas have shaped our visions of what lies ahead. In texts ranging from ancient myths and Arthurian legends to Shakespearian works and futuristic tales, we study those who grapple with gods, magic, and science, who struggle to secure better futures, and who navigate sometimes wildly different worlds from our own as they learn what to value most.
SPRING SEMESTER
We continue exploring classical literatures on modern works. While the first semester introduced plenty of myths and legends, the second also adds some of the finest science-fiction works we’ve produced in the past century to the mix – stories that excite and terrify, that examine both bright futures and darker visions. The result is a course that looks both backward and forward, seeking the answers to questions that define who we are, what we want, and where we will go as we march into a future of our making.
In this course, we explore the ideas that have fired our curiosity since humanity first left carved images on cave walls and stone tablets, and how ancient and historical ideas have shaped our visions of what lies ahead. In texts ranging from ancient myths and Arthurian legends to Shakespearian works and futuristic tales, we study those who grapple with gods, magic, and science, who struggle to secure better futures, and who navigate sometimes wildly different worlds from our own as they learn what to value most.
SPRING SEMESTER
We continue exploring classical literatures on modern works. While the first semester introduced plenty of myths and legends, the second also adds some of the finest science-fiction works we’ve produced in the past century to the mix – stories that excite and terrify, that examine both bright futures and darker visions. The result is a course that looks both backward and forward, seeking the answers to questions that define who we are, what we want, and where we will go as we march into a future of our making.
I truly enjoy this class. It is the first class where I actually look forward to attending during my day. Every lecture is very philosophical and engaging because the discussions we touch upon let us really think about our life choices and how it links to our lessons. I did not expect my teacher to go in depth with his lectures and carefully linking everything to the main ideas of every book we read. This made the class more interesting and more meaningful.
I definitely feel like it was very different from what I expected. I never expected it to be as deeply philosophical as it is. It is still analytical of the things you have to read, but it focuses more on the messages the literature conveys as well as how they are conveyed. The assignments definitely leave some space for you to be as personal with them as you want and some rely heavily on you, the reader, poking and prodding at your humanity and what you perceive rather than keeping everything at face value and having to scramble to learn every single detail of the story. |
This class exceeded my expectations quite considerably. The amount of critical thinking that is required blew my mind. On the first day of school, I was thrown out of my comfort zone and was forced to view things in perspectives that I had never even imagined. I've read Ender's Game multiple times before so when the Ender's Game unit came upon us, I thought I would know everything--I couldn't have been more wrong. There were so many things that went right over my head that I can't believe I thought I knew who even Ender was as a person before this class. |
This class is lovely and perfect for people who like deep discussions and themes. There are a lot of projects and lessons I enjoyed but one that I will always remember is the "Future Project" where we basically predicted the future of our planet in a logical--yet imaginative way.
We read two Myths and to Sci-Fi stories and compared them, seeing how they are connected with each other. I never knew that there is a mythological person like me in regards of friends and losses. I never knew of the story of a knight under King Arthur and how they gained the green girdles. There are projects that somehow connect to the stories. The discussions are interactive and thought provoking. This class is amazing and I enjoy every minute of it. |
We've been learning a lot on how famous science fiction writers are able to convey an underlying human message. How with all the aliens, and all the monsters, the story says something about how we work. So far the lectures that stood out the most to me were the ones we talked about at the beginning of the year. The teacher put things in an interesting perspective and it felt a little daunting to me to think of life like that, but it was freeing as well. |
Once I started school, I found the class itself to be really interesting. All the questions surrounding humanity's purpose and the focus on understanding why we are here on Earth and why we do what we do really captured my attention. I loved how those concepts were always incorporated throughout all the readings and assignments we got. The class in itself is really interesting and I do recommend it. It sparked an interest in me that I never knew I had. Something that I did not expect and did not enjoy as much was the amount of work. However, the work did keep me busy and forced me to be creative; however, at times it felt like it was a bit too much.