In his piece, Saunders outlines how science fiction (sf) can
be used in the classroom in order to teach international relations and
geopolitics by facilitating students’ connections between real life and the
realm of science fiction. He describes films, novels and television shows that
outline one society attempting to achieve dominion over another, and explains
that sf employs allegory to promote an understanding of real-world global
conflicts and/or situations.
I found the fluency of Saunders’ (2015) writing a bit
difficult. His word choice and phrasing made for stilted reading and I had to
look up a number of words. For example: “autarky” (p. 151) – which means
self-sufficiency or economic independence; “auto-didactic” (p. 153) –
self-taught. On the other hand, I like words and learning new ones, so that would
be the benefit, despite the staccato flow of the reading.
“Science fiction is the genre of the unknown, but
imaginable, and as a result contemplates possible futures” (Gunn, 2014, p. 34
as cited by Saunders, 2015, p. 151). Brilliant line! This entire paragraph on
page 151 of the chapter frames the legitimacy of the genre of science fiction
in the classroom. Saunders (2015)
explains (through referencing) how science fiction mediates real social
dilemma, and how it critiques the actions and ideologies (or lack thereof) of
current national and international leaders. And so, proposing why sf can be
used for teaching connections – a tenet of all curriculum documents currently
in Ontario.
I know that Saunders (2015) is speaking primarily to higher
education courses in International Relations, but I could transfer what he was
saying to the context of the secondary school classes with which I work. In
fact, reading about how he uses film (Star Wars) and television series (Star
Trek) (p;. 153, 154) to help students understand imperial geopolitics has made
me think about how secondary teachers use film in their classes. Many parents
get quite upset when they find out their kids are ‘watching another movie’ and
often students will sign out, particularly on a Friday afternoon, telling their
parents “We’re just watching a movie…”
Like anything, this medium can be misused – but, if teachers follow the
model and pedagogy that Saunders describes, then film can be a very effective
tool. Saunders (2015) cites Weber (2001, p. 282): “Not only do I find that the
current generation of eighteen-to-twenty-year olds are better readers and
writers of visual images than I am, I also find that they understand how to
approach these media critically”.
This week’s reading has given me something to think about
and consideration for a possible topic for the essay for this course. I also
might not be quite as critical of my colleagues who seem to show movies 4 days
out of 5 – without investigating how they (the movies) are helping students
connect to the curriculum.
References:
Saunders, R. A. (2015) Imperial imaginaries:
employing science fiction to talk about geopolitics. Popular Culture and World Politics: Theories, Methods, and
Pedagogies. 149-159
This is a great post, Janet!
ReplyDeleteCarolyn
I think we can use movies and original texts, comics, quotes, etc, from popular SF to get the kids engaged, such a great topic!
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